Things to do in Rapid City, South Dakota
If things can go wrong, they will. We thought we’d be heading out after just a few weeks in Rapid City. Our plan was to pick up our Living Vehicle, outfit it, then go boon-docking nearby before heading off on our grand US adventure. We hit some major problems with every system in our unit. We started to feel like maybe this wasn’t for us, maybe we dreamed a little too big, or we had missed out on the honeymoon phase. Nonetheless, after more than a month we’ve grown to love this area of South Dakota and it was the perfect home base for us.
Below you’ll find a list of our most loved places with our 2.5 & 4.5 year olds or when we caught a free moment by ourselves.
Trail Run - Skyline Drive Wilderness Preserve
You can drive to the top and park at the lookout or it’s a one-mile pure mountain run to the top. Take Rushmore Road to Flormann St. which starts your climb and has the sweetest views & a beautiful little neighborhood. Once at the top there’s a trailhead which takes you as long as you want to go. There’s trails for miles. I mostly did out and backs from there keeping Skyline Drive within eyesight for safety.
Place to Stay - Sojourn Vacation Rentals and Flats
We stayed here for 2 weeks & it was perfect. Centrally located for access to downtown, bike paths, mountain biking, running trails, and kids activities. They say it’s a motor home reimagined and that’s exactly what it was. It’s 2 bedrooms, a bath and kitchen with living space and your own door outside. Also, laundry as well as a large parking area. The owner Peter has been fantastic - extremely flexible with arrival and leaving times as well as hand delivering our mail, toilet paper, and even a vacuum. A true gem of a place to spend one evening or ten.
Breakfast/Lunch - Black Hills Bagels
Situated just down the road from the Sojourn off the main drag - Rushmore Road. We ordered from here for curbside pickup often. Bagels are my love language and they had great breakfast sandwiches. For lunch try the Rough Rider and add a mango smoothie!
Outdoor Activity - Rapid City Bike Path
I found this after doing a quick search on AllTrails. It was awesome. It’s a 10-mile out and back cement path. Very easy rolling hills and family friendly. Could walk or ride bike as a family or even run it. On the hottest of days I noticed folks tubing down the river!
Outdoor Activity - Splash Pad
Located in the heart of downtown Rapid City on the square. A great place for a hot summer day. We watched the kids have a ball, ate dinner & snagged ice cream all in the same space. Great spot to pick up the vibe of Rapid City. Check hours for splash pad! The first day we went I biked the mile from our house with the kids all to their dismay - the 1 day it was closed (Mondays)!
Indoor/Outdoor Activity - Reptile Gardens
If you need a morning to let the kids explore and you just follow, possibly with a cup of coffee, and baseball cap kind of morning go here. There is so much to see in this self-guided walk through reptile central. From giant tanks w/crocodiles & pythons to tiny tanks with tarantula’s and cockroaches. This place is fun and if you read the little signs a great place for learning as well. The building itself is very beautiful with a large dome in the center and tropical gardens you walk through with various lizards and birds in their element. Go here to get a glimpse of the Prairie Rattler before heading out on the trails so you know what not to encounter! I almost forgot the best part - once you’re done in the dome go outside. There are 4-5 very large tortoises that roam free and the kids can touch and encounter them up close!
Outdoor Activity - Sioux Park & Creek
Head to the creek & let the kids wade in for a morning or stop by in the evening before sunset and walk through the beautiful gardens. We did both! The kids loved the ability to run through or bike the garden paths while Daniel & I sat in lawn chairs. The boys & I also enjoyed the creek one morning examining the creek beds for tiny critters. A few of the nights each week they have food trucks that come. The Rapid City bike path runs straight through this park.
Outdoor Activity - Jump Park off of Rapid City Bike Path
If your children are into biking and want to get a taste of mountain biking take them to this jump park. We went for the golden hour on multiple occasions & let the kids do the kiddo jumps. This was a favorite activity after daddy’s work day and is located off the Rapid City Bike Path. It does seem like a sketchier area so we made sure to all go together.
Day Adventure - Hill City 1880 Steam Train & Train Museum
We spent an hour-ish roaming through the train museum. It has an incredible model train set-up and a few life-size train cars to walk through. Then we took the 1880 steam train from Hill City to Keystone - home of Mt. Rushmore. You can ride it as an out and back (2hrs w/15min stop before turning around) or you can purchase a 1 way ticket and spend the rest of the time in either keystone or Hill City depending on where you started. We killed 2 birds by riding up with a 1 way ticket, eating lunch in Keystone and and then heading to tour Mt. Rushmore. The boys would have loved to head back on the train ride instead of seeing Mt. Rushmore but I was weary of my 2 year old getting antsy or having to pee on the train - no restrooms!
Day Adventure - Custer State Park, Sylvan Lake
This should be top on your list. The drive up to the park is a windy switchback road with breathtaking views of the black hills. We purchased an annual pass but a one time pass is good for 7 days. Sylvan lake is a hot spot - so go during the week or head up by 9am on the weekends. The parking lot fills quickly and you need to be there at 9 if you plan to rent the few kayaks/canoes that they have. Otherwise find a trail to hike, play at the beach, or have a picnic.
Outdoor Activity - Old McDonald’s Farm
I could not handle the cuteness overload that went on at this place. Don’t get me wrong it’s a petting zoo but on a totally different level. They basically let the animals roam free so you’re on the your own to interact with whatever animals you’d like or they will find you and your food. A pass is good for 3 days which I felt was appropriate as it was a bit expensive.
Indoor Activity/Educational - Rapid City Public Library
This library was lovely - both in the beauty of the facilities but also because the librarians were extremely helpful specifically in the children’s section. And the Aviary, I mean come on! They also have a drive through for book deposit along with curbside pickup of your holds for those South Dakota winter months when you’re not getting those kids out one more time. We also joined in on a story time & craft which was a nice way to spend a chilly morning inside.
Outdoor Activity/Drive - Bear Country USA
Holy wild animals up close. I’m thinking to myself, okay there’s this drive my son wants to do through a wildlife park to see bears. We probably won’t see much & it’s a waste of money but at least kids are free. Well I was wrong. We saw every animal listed and the drive was incredible through beautiful natural habitats for elk, reindeer, wolves including the arctic wolf (my favorite), bighorn sheep, black bears, mountain lions, bison, and mule deer. We spent 45 minutes on that drive being both awed and terrified at the same time. They say drive at your own risk and warn you to lock doors and never roll down windows. There is no place to stop and pee so hold it! At one point there were 80 black bears meandering around our vehicle. Afterwards you park and walk through another wildlife park where you can see all the babies. Highly recommend.
Reading back through this list, I relive so many wonderful memories of this place. I do believe a place is what you make of it, so maybe not everyone would find it like we did. We also try to balance both touristy attractions, with hidden gems, and days of adventure with days of normalcy. I tend to derive energy from both, so this is what works best for our family. Hope you enjoyed the list and if you find yourself in South Dakota head for the Black Hills and you’ll find Rapid City!
