In late June, Marie and I took a vacation to the Black Hills of South Dakota. Our “jumping off” point was Rapid City — and were we surprised to find the town so jumpin’!
Rapid City is a town of about 70,000, and sits on the eastern slope of the Black Hills mountain range. It’s known as the “Gateway to the Black Hills” and the “City of Presidents.”
The historic “old west” town of Deadwood is nearby. So is Sturgis — the home of the famous (and notorious) annual motorcycle rally.
In the neighboring Black Hills are Mount Rushmore, the Crazy Horse Memorial, Wind Cave National Park and Jewel Cave National Monument. Custer State Park – the largest state park in the country and also the home of the largest publicly-owned buffalo herd in the nation — is just 50 miles south.
To the east about 70 miles are the Badlands, and to the west about the same distance is Devil’s Tower. Winding thru these popular tourist attractions are the stunning Peter Norbeck and the Spearfish Canyon Scenic Byways.
But more on these attractions next week. Today, I want to focus on Rapid City.
Frankly, we were astonished at how hip and happenin’ Rapid City is. We stayed at the historic Hotel Alex Johnson – at the absolute center of town. Just across the street one way is the Prairie Edge Gallery – one of the best galleries I’ve ever visited (way cool) and featuring contemporary Lakota Sioux artwork (bought too much!).
On the other side of street is one of the coolest little public parks I’ve seen — programmed constantly with events for toddlers to totterers. It’s just a wonderful family atmosphere — with lots to do, lots to see, and a whole lotta fun!
Rapid City. It be jumpin’!
