Mount Rushmore Things To Do
Introduction.
Mount Rushmore National Memorial is known by travelers from around the world. The monument receives approximately 3,000,000 visitors each year, and is a magnificent site for a short visit and to reemphasize some national pride. While simply viewing the Mount Rushmore sculpture is what most visitors come for, below are a few additional points to give you a better than average experience regarding "Mount Rushmore Things To Do".
General logistics information.
There are no lodging options within the boundaries of the memorial, but there are many options in nearby areas. As far as food, there is one restaurant at the memorial called Carvers Café, and there is a wide variety of choices here. While you will not have choices of where to enter the memorial, being in this part of South Dakota puts you in proximity to some other really interesting sites. So simply for reference material, I personally recommend the additional trip to the Crazy Horse Memorial. Unfortunately this is not a National Park nor a National Monument however, it is a wonderful tribute to the American Indians, and is a marvelous work-in progress. The sheer size of this sculpture, which would tower over Mount Rushmore, is worth the extra time and price of admission. Also, your admission fee goes towards the continuation of the work on the monument. One other side trip that I feel is worth noting is the Cosmos Mystery Area. This consists of a 30 minute tour that will challenge you both mentally and physically. Is this all an illusion ? Is it a place that actually defies the forces of gravity ? Is it something even more profound ? You will have to visit and draw your own conclusions, but either way a visit to the Cosmos will be a very interesting and unique experience.
Mount Rushmore Things To Do.
- First stop is typically the Information Center where you can get general information about the memorial and have your questions answered by one of the Park Rangers.
- Another stop is the Lincoln Borglum Visitor’s Center where the bookstore is located and there is a theater where a film is run every 20 minutes providing the history and story of the creation of the Mount Rushmore National Memorial.
- The Sculptor’s Studio gives you a view of where Guzton Borglum worked along with an exhibit of the 1/12th scale model of Mount Rushmore.
- Getting on the general tourist bandwagon, you have to walk the Avenue of Flags and get your own unique angle and version of the photo of the memorial in the background.
- Consider taking the Presidential Trail to get an up close view of the memorial.
- Hopefully, you will be in the general area of the memorial for more than 1 day. If you are, as we were lucky enough to be, you must go back to the memorial for what I felt was on the top of the Mount Rushmore Things To Do list, that being the Evening Lighting Ceremony. To me personally, by far, this was the most enjoyable part of the visit. It is a spectacular sight and there is a nice presentation by one of the Park Rangers. Additionally, you are able to reenter the park without paying any additional fees, based on your ticket previously purchased. So note to self, keep the receipt from your initial visit.
- One last site to see. It is a short ride from leaving the Mount Rushmore parking area. You take SD 244 west and in a short distance you will get a view of the side of the Mount Rushmore National Memorial, and specifically of George Washington’s profile, that you cannot get from inside the park’s boundaries. It is a bonus site to see.
- For some additional adventure, you are also relatively close to Custer State Park and Wind Cave National Park. These are totally different types of locations, though each provides a great visitor experience, if you have some extra time.
