Summer Vacation Ideas: Attractions to Visit in South Dakota

This massive structure near Keystone, South Dakota, features the faces of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Teddy Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln. The faces are sixty feet high and 500 feet above the ground. Work on this monument began in 1927. Fourteen years and just $1 million later, the sculpture was complete. There are informational videos in the tourist center to learn about the construction of the monument. Every evening, the monument is lit up for two hours after sunset.

http://www.nps.gov/moru/

Bear Country U.S.A.

This attraction is a 3 mile drive through a 250 acre wildlife park, with the animals right outside your car. The park features grizzly bears, black bears, mountain lions, and buffalo. There are also timber wolves, arctic wolves, and bighorn sheep. This may be the only place where you can have all of these animals just a few inches from you. It is completely safe, and a great place to bring children. It is in Rapid City, South Dakota.

http://www.bearcountryusa.com/

Crazy Horse Memorial

This mountain carving is still in progress, but it is a sight to see! It will depict the Lakota leader Crazy Horse, riding atop a horse. When finished, it will be the largest sculpture in the world. In 2000, they began carving the head of the horse, which will be 219 feet tall. The site also features a museum with history of both the monument and the culture that it depicts. It is located just 17 miles from Mount Rushmore in Crazy Horse, South Dakota.

http://www.crazyhorse.org/

The Mammoth Site

This landmark in Hot Springs, South Dakota features the remains of at least 50 mammoths. The fossils are left in the ground where they were found, so visitors can come and witness these 26,000 year old skeletons. The visit features a 30 minute guided tour. Following the tour, visitors can walk around the dig area, look inside a working paleontology laboratory, or view educational films on both the mammoths and the techniques used to excavate their remains.

http://www.mammothsite.com/

BadlandsNational Park

This 244,000 acre park in southwestern South Dakota contains hiking trails, camping, and geological features that cannot be seen anywhere else. Over 100,000 of these acres are wilderness. The hiking trails in the park are of varying difficulties and range from a quarter mile to 10 miles long. Some of the animals that can be seen in the park are bison, bighorn sheep, prairie dogs, coyotes, and prairie rattlesnakes.

For more information on this park, visit: http://www.nps.gov/badl/