Western expedition stop 3: Mount Rushmore

After leaving Sioux Falls, SD on our epic roadtrip across the country, we headed almost exactly due west across the state of South Dakota towards the Black Hills and Mount Rushmore.

There isn’t much to catch your attention driving across the plains on I-90–except for the billboards. There are two things that you’ll see signs for, more or less, and one of them has an almost magnetic attraction.

Corn Palace

First we stopped in Mitchell, SD, to see the Corn Palace. Oh, the Corn Palace.

The Corn Palace is a year-round event venue, hosting everything from basketball games to the circus to the occasional dinner theater and musical event.

Late in the summer every year, the permanent structure of the Corn Palace gets covered in new murals made out of cobs of corn and other native grasses and grains. Every year has a theme and in 2015, the theme was the 125th anniversary of South Dakota.

When we went in late August, it was during the week of the annual Corn Palace Festival when they had just completed covering the Corn Palace with new material. We arrived too early in the day to take part in any of the carnival rides and entertainment, but it looked like it would be fun at night!

If you visit between Memorial Day and August, you can take a free tour and watch a video about the Corn Palace. We didn’t do this, we just walked around a bit and used the free restrooms. I have heard that if you visit at other times of the year, the corn on the palace can get to looking a bit raggedy as it gets picked over by the birds, so check your expectations if you’re going anytime other than late summer.

Wall Drug

Now, the Corn Palace is a sight to see, but nothing compares to the gravitational pull of Wall Drug. Imagine driving for hours across the empty plains of North America with nothing but ten thousand billboards telling you to stop at a place called Wall Drug. In this many miles, stop at Wall Drug. You’ll see REAL DINOSAURS at Wall Drug. Etc, etc, etc.

Once you finally make it to the appropriate exit, you MUST stop, if just to see what all the fuss is about. What is the fuss all about? After visiting, you may still wonder.

What you’ll find in the small town of Wall is about 2 blocks chock-full of every souvenir-type shop you can imagine. Shot glasses and coffee cups, Western wear and gold jewelry. Fudge and ice cream and sandwiches and donuts. And tucked into every corner possible are mannequins of singing cowboys, miners, and not a few animatronic dinosaurs. The biggest of these is a large T-Rex that will roar and try to “escape” it’s Jurrasic Park-like gates while sirens and warning lights spin and wail.

Wall Drug started in the 30’s as an actual pharmacy and drug store. In order to draw visitors, they began to advertise free ice water to all visitors on billboards around the state. That drew in customers and customers want to buy things, so the little pharmacy grew into the shopping mecca it is today. If souvenir shopping isn’t your thing (it’s not mine) it’s still worth a stop just to walk around and look at something interesting. And you never know, you may just find the perfect South Dakota ashtray to complement your home decor.

After eating lunch in Wall–not in the Wall Drug, though that’s possible. We ate at the Cactus Cafe across the street and met the nice people that work there. I won’t say the food was amazing, but it was a good experience.

Mount Rushmore

Another couple hours down the road and we were to the hill country and Mount Rushmore.

The Mount Rushmore National Memorial is a surprisingly small park. You can easily see it in a day or even an afternoon. We arrived at around 3:00 pm and saw pretty much everything before leaving around dinnertime to check into our hotel in Custer, about 30 minutes down the road.

Things To Do

It’s free to enter Mount Rushmore, but not free to park. Each car is subject to a parking fee–$10 per car, $5 for seniors, or FREE for active military. Once you exit the parking structure, you walk down an avenue of flags towards a large amphitheater in front of the monument itself. On either side, you can find a gift shop and a food court, plus information desks and a place to rent an audio guide for $6.

Carved out of the side of the mountain behind the amphitheater and below the main observation terrace is the visitor’s center and museum. This is where you learn all about how Mount Rushmore was carved, primarily using dynamite! It’s also where you can ask any questions you may have and purchase from the excellent gift shop.

To the right of the visitor’s center (facing Mount Rushmore) are more viewing terraces, including the older and much smaller one that was used before building the one in use today. Down a short trail is the sculptor’s studio where you can see what Mount Rushmore could have looked like had full bodies been sculpted as planned.

I can’t quite remember if we ate our dinner in the food court, but I DO remember getting some of Thomas Jefferson’s vanilla ice cream, made from his own recipe. It was really good! And the weather was especially hot this afternoon, so it was very welcome.

The only thing that we really missed doing was the Presidential trail, a loop that takes you to the base of the monument. But it has 422 stairs and the old folks weren’t up for that. We left and checked into our cozy hotel in Custer, SD, about 3o minutes down the road. After dinner, we returned for the 8:00 pm lighting ceremony.

Evening Lighting Ceremony

There are many ranger-led talks throughout the day at Mount Rushmore and one big evening ceremony at 8:00 pm. This is what the amphitheater is for and what almost everyone who visits Mount Rushmore will attend. Just walking around the grounds, it didn’t seem very crowded. But that amphitheater was packed all the way to the top with visitors for the lighting.

I confess I was expecting a bit more of a multi-media experience with this lighting show, a bit more pizzazz. Nope. A ranger comes out to give a 10-minute talk about the monument, there is a 20-minute documentary video shown, and then they flip the switch on the floodlights that illuminate the president’s faces. I don’t really remember any drama or fanfare leading up to the lights coming on, which I guess is what I expected. They just turned the lights on so you could see them better.

By far, the most moving part of this ceremony comes at the end, where the ranger calls down any active or retired military veterans. On our trip, the stage was filled three or four rows deep. They passed a microphone and each one said their name, rank, and branch of service. Then they all stood at attention as the American flag was lowered for the night. I thought that was really awesome that they took the time to honor each and every member of the military that was present. It is a very cool thing to do and affected me much more than the tribute to the monument itself.

Another thing that struck me about the crowd at the amphitheater that night was the diversity of the crowd. It reminds me that Mount Rushmore is among the “greatest hits” when it comes to American landmarks and that families from around the world visit there every day.

Other Attractions Nearby

If you have more than one afternoon to spend near Mount Rushmore, consider taking a scenic drive through the Black Hills along Needles Highway, Iron Mountain Road, and The Peter Norbeck Scenic Byway. Twists, turns, and low tunnels frame the landscape and even the face of Mount Rushmore itself.

For more exciting twists and turns, take a look at Rushmore Tramway Adventures, home of a ropes course, chairlift, zip lines, and an alpine slide! And we know I love those, even an old-school version like this one.

If you have more time, check out Badlands National Park about an hour east of Mount Rushmore for more on the prarie landscape and those who have lived on it. Plus, they have some really neat stargazing activities throught the year.