Rapid City Attractions

Rapid City, the chief town of a wide surrounding area, lies on the eastern edge of the Black Hills, near Mount Rushmore. It is a good center from which to explore the Badlands National Park. The Museum of Geology, in the grounds of the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology, has large geological and mineralogical collections. The Sioux Indian Museum illustrates the history and everyday life of the Sioux Indians. Other popular attractions are the Dinosaur Park (with reproductions of prehistoric animals which once lived in this part of the world) and the Reptile Gardens (giant turtle). To the east of the town is the Air and Space Museum. The road to Mount Rushmore runs past Bear Country (a park through which visitors can drive in their own cars to see the bears).

Rapid City (pop. 62,000) is located in Pennington County.