Rapid City and the Greater Black Hills Area

Nearly 3 million people visit the Black Hills each year. Many, if not most, will travel through Rapid City. They will stay in local hotels and motels, eat at local restaurants and shop in local stores. Many of these welcomed visitors are unfamiliar with the unique history of Rapid City beyond its proximity to Mt. Rushmore and the Crazy Horse Monument. There is so much more.

Dinosaur Park and Hangman's Tree

Prehistoric monsters stand silent high upon the hills of Rapid City. Watching the city change over the past 72 years. Always there, watching. But these creatures of concrete and steel pipe pose no threat. They are the friendly dinosaurs of Dinosaur Park.

Constructed in the mid-1930s by Emmit A. Sullivan, as a Depression-era WPA project, five life-size creatures have entertertained thousands of children, their children and their grandchildren. You will find a Triceratops, Stegasaurus, Apatosaurus, Tyrannosaurus Rex and Brontosaurus all waiting to be climbed on.

A trip to Dinosaur Park hill should be on everyone's itinerary. The view of Rapid City, the Plains to the east and the Black Hills to the West is spectacular. You have to bring your camera.

As you make the final turn and approach Dinosaur Park on Skyline Drive, you'll see a lone dead oak tree on the hillside overlooking the city. It was here that several suspected horse thieves were hung by vigilentes in the late 1870s.

Black Hills NOW invites everyone to relive their childhood memories or visit the silent giants for the very first time. It is free to the public and has a visitor center. The park is open year-round but the visitor center is closed during the winter months.

The City of Presidents

Almost 15 years ago, a small group of Rapid City business people and local artists conceived the idea of placing life-size statues of all the U.S. Presidents on each Downtown Rapid City street corner. As of summer of 2008, 31 Presidential likenesses have been erected. The remaining statues will be placed by the end of 2010.

The project was intended to focus attention on Rapid City's proximity to the Mount Rushmore Memorial and create an annual celebration of the American Spirit of Democracy. Each summer the city celebrates the City of Presidents with the Festival of Presidents. The festival features a parade, arts and crafts show, scavenger hunt, outdoor entertainment and food vendors and plenty of other fun family events.

Black Hills NOW has many Downtown member businesses that encourage you and your family to take a walking tour of the statues together. Begin your walk by visiting the City of Presidents Visitor Center at 631 Main Street. The office is open 9am to 9PM, June through September. At other times, many of the Downtown merchants, the city of Rapid City, and the Hotel Alex Johnson have free walking tour maps available.

Canyon Lake

One of the most beautiful spots in Rapid City is Canyon Lake Park. Canyon Lake is located in west Rapid City on historic Rapid Creek. Black Hills NOW and our member businesses encourage you to visit Canyon Lake Park to enjoy the beauty. One can't help but notice how the lake is surrounded by hills and pines, hiding the hustle and bustle of the city not so far away to the east.

The history of Canyon Lake is storied with the search for gold. At a time when Rapid City was burgeoning to the east beyond the hills, miners lay claim to the land along Rapid Creek, declaring that a great new town would emerge. Of course, history proved them wrong as the miners left when the gold rush ended and so did the dream of a new town. Years later the Canyon Lake area would become an integral part of Rapid City as the town expanded to the west.

The central attraction of Canyon Lake Park is, of course, the lake itself, home to flocks of ducks and geese. Today you can take a walk along the shore, sit on a bench and quietly in fresh air. Thousands of people visit Canyon Lake Park each year to ride the paddleboats, fish or picnic. Its a grand family place. One of the highlights of the park is the scenic bridge that leads to a gazebo on an island in the middle of the lake. Best of all, Canyon Lake Park belongs to the people and is always free and open to the public.

The Journey Museum

One of the Crown Jewels of Rapid City is the Journey Museum. The Journey Museum preserves the heritage of the many cultures of the Black Hills area. It promotes an understanding of the Black Hills natural environment and its value to our past, its enrichment our present and the challenges of our future.

The Journey Museum is a walk through time. Visitors travel from the formation the mystical Black Hills over 2.5 billion years ago to the lawless days of the Western Frontier.

The Journey tells the complete story of Great Plains through the eyes of the indigenous Lakota people, the early settlers, and today's scientific community. Learn about the dinosaurs entombed beneath the prairie soil, the hardships of the pioneers and the history of the Lakota.

The Dahl Arts Center

The Dahl Arts Center belongs to our community. It is located on 7th Steet in Historic Downtown Rapid City and is certainly the center of fine arts for the Black Hills area. The Dahl is currently undergoing a major expansion, adding a new Event Center in January of 2009. It will emerge bigger and better!

The Dahl is the home to many exhibitions such as the current exhibit, Impacted Nations, which runs from 8/1 through 10/18. The Dahl has oodles of educational opportunities like art classes, family events, tours, lectures and talks. It hosts music events, literary events, film and multimedia events, dance and theater productions.

The Dahl is home to the Black Hills Community Theater. During the expansion, the Black Hills Community Theater will be performing but will be located at the Rushmore Mall.

Black Hills NOW and it member businesses support The Dahl and its many contributions to Downtown, the Rapid City community and the area. We encourage all of you to take advantage of the services The Dahl has to offer. Admission is free but a donation is requested.

Storybook Island

Storybook Island is a free city park maintaine and operated by the Rapid City Rotary Clubs located in west Rapid City at 1301 Sherican Lake Drive. It first opened in 1959 and has been open every year since except 1972 from Memorial Day Weekend through Labor Day.

Storybook Island is a children's theme park. Its mission is to provide a safe environment for the young of all ages. The theme park is complete with interactive sets that portray many of the characters from childrens fables and nursery rhymes. Storybook Island has a gift shop, concessions and a playground for the kids.

In 2008, Storybook Island was pleased to provide the McDonald's Storybook Island Theatre produced by The Cherry Street Players. The Theater is now closed for the season but rest assured it will reopen again next year.

Black Hills NOW and its member businesses support Storybook Island and its mission to serve the community. We hope that you will support it as well. Don't forget to mark your calendar and watch for the Storybook Island Christmas Lights!