From Wikitravel

Rapid City is in the Badlands and Black Hills region of South Dakota. It is a convenient base for travel on to the Mount Rushmore National Memorial, the Crazy Horse Memorial, the Badlands and the Black Hills National Forest.

Rapid City is often referred to as just "Rapid" by locals.

Contents 1 Get in 1.1 By plane 1.2 By train 1.3 By car 1.4 By boat 1.5 By bus 2 Get around 3 See 4 Do 5 Buy 6 Eat 7 Drink 8 Sleep 9 Get out

Get in

By plane

Rapid City is served by Rapid City Regional Airport (RAP). This modern regional airport offers fee-based long-term and hourly parking and free WiFi.

Non-stop services offered:

• Northwest Airlines Multiple daily flights to Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota

• United Airlines (operated by SkyWest)Multiple daily flights to Denver, Colorado and multiple weekly flights to Chicago(O'Hare), Illinois

• Delta Airlines (operated by SkyWest) Multiple daily flights to Salt Lake City, Utah

• Allegiant Air (Budget airline) 2x weekly to Las Vegas, Nevada

Connecting an overseas flight to Rapid City is often relatively cheap. Flights to Amsterdam start at $500 rt.

By train

• Amtrak offers no service to the state of South Dakota.
• The Dakota, Minnesota and Eastern Railroad provides freight rail service to Rapid City.

By car

I-90 passes Rapid City.

By boat

There are no major bodies of water in Rapid City.

By bus

Rapid City can be reach from almost anywhere in the US with two or less connections. There are daily services aboard Jefferson Lines from the Twin Cities, Sioux Falls and on to Wyoming. Jefferson lines contracts with Greyhound, while offering a superior service to Greyhound one can book them in connection with Greyhound quite economically. Powder River Lines (Operated by Coach USA) offers service to Wyoming and on to Denver and the West Coast.

Get around

Many people choose to use a personal vehicle, but this is not necissary. All of downtown Rapid City's attractions are walkable. To reach other places, such as the Rushmore Mall, one can either use the Rapid Ride System from the Milo Barber Transit Center. There are four loop routes featuring buses going in bother directions about every 70 min. around each loop. Fare is $1.00 and includes a transfer. If you want to travel before 6 AM or after 6 PM you will have to take a taxi. There are plenty in Rapid City for your needs.

See

• The Journey Museum - Interesting exhibits about Native American History.
• Dinosaur Park - Concrete Dinosaurs on hill overlooking the city.
• Art Alley - between 6th and 7th Street Downtown Rapid City. Haven of local Graffiti Artists. See art at http://www.smugmug.com/gallery/877317
• Storybook Island - Kids park
• Hotel Alex Johnson - old hotel
• Reptile Gardens, Mount Rushmore Road (about 6 miles from downtown), +1 800 335-0275, [1]. Daily 8-7 during summer, 9-4 April-May and Labor Day-day before Thanksgiving, limited hours from day after Thanksgiving through December, closed in winter. Admission $12.50 for adults, discounts apply. The road to the Black Hills is full of tacky, schlocky tourist traps, but this is a serious herpetological park (as well as a "fun" place) with one of the best collections of lizards, gators and snakes in the country -- quite possibly the best. "Gus" (short for "humongous"), the resident 14-foot-long American alligator, is a favorite.

Do

• Take in a movie at the Elks Theater. A converted tarditional theater, featuring the largest screen in South Dakota, the lowest prices in Rapid City, first run movies and a lot of fun kids--all right downtown.
• Go antiquing.
• Cool off at one of the water parks.
• Talk to the locals.
• Taste the wonderful coffee at any local coffee shop (Avoid All Starbucks)

Buy

American Indian goods at Prarie Edge (6th and Main)

The Rushmore Mall is the only indoor mall within a 350 mile radius. It features many typical suburaban stores. It is sourounded by Lowes, Borders, Kohls, Best Buy, Hobby Lobby, Toys'R'Us, Chuckie Cheese, two multiplex cinemas, and other fine retailers.

Eat

Rapid City is one of South Dakota's culinary centers.

• Mount Rushmore Road
  • Casa Del Rey has Mexican specialities.
  • There is a Gelato stand with the best Italian ice cream in the west.
  • Hunan Restaruant offers such Chinese cuisine.
• Downtown
  • Botticelli's Restorante Italiano (523 Main Street) has the best selection of authentic Northern Italian dishes and pizzas.
  • The Corn Exchange offers top end dining. If you're a foodie, this is a must.
  • Firehouse Brewing Company (610 Main Street)is the best established micro-brewery in the west. It features delicious western meals as well.
  • Ristorante Marsala offers Mediteranean/Italian food in a quiet atmosphere
• Baken Park (at the intersection of W Main St. and Mountain View Rd.) offer fast food favorites including
  • Jimmy Johns Gourmet Subs
  • Qdoba Mexican Grill
  • Subway
  • McDonalds
  • Dairy Queen
  • Cold Stone Creamery
• North Rapid: the area around Rushmore Mall offers well known national full-service favorites
  • Applebee's
  • Boston's
  • Chili's
  • Denny's
  • Olive Garden
  • Outback Steakhouse
  • Perkins
  • Red Lobster
  • TGI Friday's

For other dining interests the Rapid City Convention and Visitors Bureau offers an online search.

Drink

• Firehouse Brewing Company (610 Main Street)is the best established micro-berwery in the west.

• A local winery, Prairie Berry just left Rapid City relocating to Hill City. They offer wines made from 100% South Dakota ingeriants.

Sleep

For easy access to I-90, look up the many hotels off LaCrosse St in North Rapid. Hotels and motels in Rapid City tend to have substantial seasonal variations in room rates, as Rapid City is a busy jumping-off point for the Black Hills in summer but frozen into torpor in the winter.

• Alex Johnson Hotel, 523 6th St., +1 605 342-1210. Downtown; convenient to I-90.
• Best Western Town and Country Inn, 2505 Mt. Rushmore Highway, +1 605 343-5383, [2]. On the way to Mount Rushmore and other attractions in the Black Hills. Internet access; continental breakfast included, but a good restaurant for hot breakfasts, etc., is nearby. Large seasonal variations in room rates (from $109 mid-summer, $59 in winter).
• Microtel Inn & Suites Rapid City, 1740 Rapp Street, +1 605 348-2523, [3].
• Radisson Hotel, 445 Mt. Rushmore Highway (corner of Mt. Rushmore and Main), +1 505 348-8300, [4]. A "hotel" rather than a motel/motor lodge, with several hotel-type amenities. Starbucks on site.

Campgrounds are strewn all along Mount Rushmore Highway. Many have tacky "theme" overlays, and you definitely won't feel like you're getting away from it all if you stay at them.

Get out

Rapid City is the gateway to all the attractions and beauty of the Badlands and Black Hills. Simply start driving south.

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