Meet Face to Face in Rapid City Rapid City, South Dakota is a central meeting destination with affordable attractions and unforgettable settings for reunions and special events. Just a short drive away, South Dakota’s Black Hills surround Rapid City in two million acres of ponderosa pine forest along with wildlife parks, breathtaking scenery and unique attractions. Here, you can catch up with some familiar faces – those of your family and friends, plus those of our nation’s most famous leaders at Mount Rushmore National Memorial and Crazy Horse Memorial.
Both Budget-Friendly and camera-friendly, Rapid City offers entertainment as well as education for visitors of all ages – especially families traveling on a budget. Not only are most family attractions affordably priced and offer generous group rates, but many of them are also free, including Storybook Island, Dinosaur Park and the Cleghorn Springs Fish Hatchery.
Rapid City Continued... Mount Rushmore National Memorial is known all over the world for its dedication to the dreams and determination of the American people. Carved from the solid granite of Mount Rushmore, the memorial includes the giant busts of four legendary presidents: Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln and Roosevelt.
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Crazy Horse Memorial is the world’s largest sculpture in progress. As a tribute to the legend and hero Crazy Horse and Native American history throughout the Black Hills, Crazy Horse Memorial is a wonder for both its engineering feats and its spiritual significance. Custer State Park spans 71,000 acres of spectacular terrain and is home to an abundance of wildlife, including one of the world’s largest herds of bison. The herd often stops traffic along the park’s 18-mile, drive-through Wildlife Loop. Your group can also cruise along the scenic Needles Highway, walk the banks of French Creek, where Custer’s men first discovered gold in 1874, or hike 7,242-foot Harney Peak. Jewel Cave National Monument and Wind Cave National Park are two of the longest caves in the world. Visitors can plunge deep into the caves to view beautiful “jewel like” Dogtooth and Nailhead Spar crystals and calcite formations. Bear Country USA, a drive-through wildlife park with bears, wolves and wildcats right outside your car window, and Reptile Gardens, which houses one of the largest reptile collections in the world with daily alligator, snake and bird shows, allow families a truly up-close wildlife encounter. Cultural attractions like The Journey Museum, Museum of Geology, Dahl Arts Center and Apex Gallery showcase Native American culture, South Dakota history and rotating exhibits showcasing the majesty of the Black Hills.
A Patriotic Piece of History Rapid City’s central location amid national parks, monuments and memorials also makes it a patriotic meeting ground for military reunions and events. The Minuteman Missile Silo, a historic missile field developed during the Cold War in response to the arms race, is located east of Rapid City and lets groups take a step back in time to this tense period in our nation’s history. You can also tour Ellsworth Air Force Base, which is located nearby and houses half of the nation’s B-1 bomber fleet. The City of Presidents, located in historic downtown Rapid City, is a must-see display honoring our nation’s presidents in life-size bronze statues. Thirty-nine presidents are currently featured including Thomas Jefferson, Ronald Reagan, Teddy Roosevelt and John F. Kennedy with more added each year.
Located at the center of the United States, Rapid City is easier to reach than you might think. With its own regional airport, Rapid City is an easy trip from both coasts and offers direct flights from seven hubs including:
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Chicago Denver Las Vegas Minneapolis Mesa/Phoenix Salt Lake City Dallas/Fort Worth
Rapid City is also located along Interstate 90, the nation’s longest interstate spanning from Seattle to Boston. Drivers can also reach Rapid City on one of eight federal highways.
Memorial Park is the permanent home of an actual piece of the Berlin Wall, along with a quiet lake, peaceful greenway and a memorial honoring those whose lives were lost in Rapid City’s 1972 flood. RapidCityMeetings.com Badlands National Park offers visitors a chance to experience one of the most stunning geologic displays visible on earth, situated among jagged cliffs, deep canyons and flat-topped buttes. The park also features roadside exhibits and nature trails where you can spot bighorn sheep, bison and other wildlife. Devils Tower National Monument was our first national monument and is as awe-inspiring today as it was when formed millions of years ago by an ancient volcano. Located in Wyoming, Devils Tower is just a short drive across the border from the Black Hills.
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Accommodations
Rapid City is home to more than 5,300 guest rooms in comfortable hotels around the city. Many of these accommodations offer free shuttle transportation, meeting spaces, banquet rooms and even family-friendly features like the WaTiki Waterpark – the largest indoor waterpark resort in the Dakotas.
Meeting Space
Groups of all sizes can gather in Rapid City, with meeting space for 10 to 10,000. Expanded in 2008, the 175,000 square-foot Rushmore Plaza Civic Center offers multiple configurations for banquets, meetings, exhibitions and conventions. For groups looking for a unique meeting place, Rapid City offers The Journey Museum and the Dahl Arts Center, which feature local art and Black Hills history. Canyon Lake Park and other parks throughout the Black Hills also make great meeting places to host picnics, camping and other reunion activities.
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Bear Country USA is home to more than 100 bears – the largest privately owned collection of black bear in the world. Here you can also view wolves, elk, mountain goats and a collection of adorable infant animals in Babyland.
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Nearly all of the major groups of dinosaurs were present in western South Dakota. At The Journey Museum, you can see the bones of dinosaurs like these along with artifacts from the last 10,000 years.
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Rapid City has 111 sunny days per year – that’s more than Miami or Honolulu!
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In addition to 13 miles of biking trails in Rapid City, the Black Hills offer more than 300 miles of hiking and biking trails for outdoor enthusiasts.
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Rapid City shoppers can pick up (and even pan for!) authentic Black Hills Gold, Native American arts and crafts and local foods unavailable anywhere else.
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The Black Hills are truly a golfer’s getaway with more than 15 courses located throughout the area.
Itineraries for Every Group Patriotism and History — Ellsworth Air Force Base — Minuteman Missile Silo — The City of Presidents — Berlin Wall Memorial — Mount Rushmore National Memorial Discover Dinos and Wildlife — Bear Country USA — Museum of Geology — Dinosaur Park — Custer State Park — The Journey Museum Native American Culture — Bear Butte State Park — Sioux Pottery — Crazy Horse Memorial — Devils Tower National Monument Explore the Outdoors for Free — William Nordemeer Formal Gardens — Canyon Lake Park — Storybook Island — Stavkirke Chapel — Geocaching (high-tech treasure hunting with GPS devices) in Roosevelt Park Contact Us to Get Started To learn more about reuniting in Rapid City, contact the Rapid City Convention & Visitors Bureau. We welcome millions of visitors to the Black Hills each year and know how to make your guests feel right at home. Plus, we can help with securing accommodations, travel arrangements and welcome packets for your group. Lisa Storms, Director of Convention Sales (605) 718-8487 1-800-487-3223 ext. 8487 storms@visitrapidcity.com www.RapidCityMeetings.com