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Rapid City has long been the gateway to the Black Hills:
Black Hills Cabins and Cafe postcard
Not wanting to let the private sector have all the fun, the town of Rapid City created its own tourist attraction: seven life-sized cement dinosaurs mounted on a hillside above the city, brightly illuminated until 10 PM during the tourist season. There's a gift shop on the premises, but the town didn't emulate everything about the private sector admission is free.
The second edition of South Dakota's WPA Guide says, "Dinosaur Park draws many visitors, but to local residents it is best known as `Dam EyeSore' Park."
Rapid City's concrete dinosaurs
Dow's Park postcard
Marine Life Aquarium -- now closed. Even the
enormous concrete seal wasn't enough...
Further south, Custer, SD is the home of Flintstones Bedrock City...
...while to the north, Sturgis, SD welcomes the
National Motorcycle Museum, as well as thousands of bikers every
summer
1915 Cyclone motorcycle at the National Motorcycle Museum
Star Court, Custer, SD
Sky Way Cafe, Custer, SD
From Rapid City, Custer or Sturgis, it's an
easy swing through the Black Hills.
Barbara Tomovick & Kimberly Metz, The Insiders' Guide to South Dakota's Black Hills and Badlands (2000)
Thomas C. Endres; Sturgis Stories: Celebrating the People of the World's Largest Motorcycle Rally (2002)
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