Rapid City
South Dakota
Entrance fees and opening hours
- Admission to the Presidents Information Center is free.
- From 1 June to 1 October always open Monday to Saturday from 12h - 21h.
*The Anual Pass is so to speak the "flat rate" for all Parks managed by the National Park Service. The pass costs a one-time fee of $80 and can be purchased at the entrance to each National Park, National Monument, etc. The pass is valid for 13 months.
The Presidents Information Center: Corner of Main and 7th Street
Our visits: So far 1 visit in June 2017
Rapid city
Description: Rapid City is the second largest city in South Dakota. Here you can find the 43 bronze statues of previous U.S. presidents. They are located along Main and Saint Joseph Streets between 4th and 9th Streets. The statues are always made after the presidency ends and then erected. During our visit in June 2017, the statue of Barack Obama was unfortunately not yet up.
Our rating: We had a lot of fun visiting Rapid City. Not only the search for the, at that time still 42. bronze statues, has pleased us. Also the city itself is very nice to look at along Main and Saint Joseph Street. There are plenty of stores, restaurants and opportunities to relax. Provided with a map and explanations from the information center, we learned some interesting facts about the presidents of the USA. Anyone interested in American history will certainly have fun here.
I would especially like to mention the employee in the information center. The senior gentleman was a delightful fellow with whom we had a long chat. He was very enthusiastic and surprised that we as Europeans are interested in the American presidents. These nice encounters, which we have in the USA again and again, are one of the reasons why we like this country so much.
Chapel in the Hills
Description: The Chapel in the Hills is located west of the city. It was built in 1969 and is an exact replica of the Borgund Stave Church in Laerdal, Norway. This was built around 1150 and is considered one of the best preserved stave churches anywhere. The small church here in South Dakota is also consecrated. It offers regular services and you can rent it for example for weddings.
For the GPS: 3788 Chapel Ln, Rapid City, SD 57702
Our rating: The small church is just great. It is picturesquely located between tall trees in a small park. Unfortunately, a wedding was in progress during our visit, so we could only visit the site with restrictions. Nevertheless, we enjoyed it very much. We can only recommend a little side trip here.
