Rapid City in South Dakota is one of our favorite places to visit. We have been there a few times and always have a ton of fun. We always take our weimaraner Zoe with us when we visit because it’s also a very pet-friendly town and Zoe travels with us wherever we go. Luckily, we have found several places that allow us to vacation with our dog and the Best Western Ramkota Hotel made for amazing pet friendly fun in Rapid City.
When it’s your stated mission to go out and seek new and interesting adventures, it can be hard to return to certain places. It’s not because you didn’t enjoy it on your first visit, but rather because you enjoyed it so much that you’re afraid a second visit might reveal it as one-dimensional or heck, kind of bland.
Well I’m happy to report that after a second visit to Rapid City, South Dakota we can officially say that it’s definitely not bland! As a matter of fact, we enjoyed it so much we’ve put together a Ramblin’ Guide to Rapid City, South Dakota so you too can explore everything from regal Mount Rushmore to the breathtaking Badlands and all the great stuff in between.
One of my biggest pet peeves when traveling are hotel rooms that are just too tiny to really enjoy. It’s a bit ironic when you consider that Lauren and I live out of a 2-door hatchback, but when I check into a hotel, I want to feel like I can spread out and relax while also enjoying some of the usual amenities from “home”. Well I think I hit the suite spot when I checked into the residential suites at the GrandStay in Rapid City, SD.
Visiting Mount Rushmore is on the top of many peoples “must-do” list when they are in the Rapid City, South Dakota area. Honestly though, while beautiful to look at, it’s not an attraction that can captivate your attention for an entire day. The good news is that there are lots of lovely sites to visit in the Black Hills area of South Dakota. We’ve put together this Road Trip Planner to show you our itinerary that took us through Mount Rushmore, Custer State Park, the Black Hills, and the Badlands!
We managed to tour four National Parks while traveling from Rapid City, SD to Kalispel, MT. It was exhausting but we were able to see so much history and wildlife in one place it was worth it. If we weren’t on our way to Alaska we could have easily stayed in this area for another two weeks and seen so much more!
