We packed our bags last weekend and headed West to the vibrant city of Rapid City, South Dakota. Adam and I are both from North Dakota and have spent time in different parts of South Dakota growing up. But this would be our first family trip to South Dakota.
We loaded up our vehicle Thursday filled up with gas and hit the road for the eight hour drive. Excited to get to Rapid City to explore everything from the Black Hills, Mount Rushmore, the downtown area shops and restaurants. A city that offers the best of both worlds for those looking to explore Mother Nature’s stunning views. Or simply take part in the various restaurants and provisions that Rapid city has to offer.
We stayed at the Holiday Inn Plaza Mount Rushmore. The location was just a short walk away from the downtown area.
We had packed itinerary over the weekend exploring every end of Rapid City we could.
Friday morning I woke up early for a hike to the Stratobowl, the views were breath taking. We had breakfast at the Colonial House; and I’d highly recommend getting the gooey caramel roll. Next we adventured out to the South Dakota Air & Space Museum (a free outdoor exhibit). For lunch we stopped by Fork Real Community Cafe. Real people, food and conversation. The mission behind this was place was very inspiring. The night was ended with dinner at Jambonz Deux serving up delicious cajun food. Hands down get the catfish you wont regret it.
All aboard!! We took Coleson up to Hill City to ride the 1880 train heading from Hill City to Keystone, SD. Watching his excitement is a memory I will never forget!
Saturday we spent time exploring more of what the city had to offer starting breakfast at Essence of Coffee (literally everything was amazing) Adam had the sweet and savory crepes, Coleson indulged in the banana froster and I enjoyed the avocado open face. Let alone the great aunbience and wonderful service.
I am not a fan of any type of reptile or insect but if you are in Rapid City area with your littles the Reptile Gardens is a must to go check out. It was extremely cool and watching the littles excitement is well worth it. We took the opportunity to drive up to Custer State Park
And from there, we grabbed lunch at the Firehouse Brewing CO., located in downtown Rapid City. We ended our night walking around the downtown area and heading to dinner at Murphy’s Pub & Grill. Enjoy their array of cocktail options along with the delicious food. Adam enjoyed their staple Buffalo Meatloaf and I enjoyed the Matt’s melt with their beer cheese soup. Its tough to bet their exceptional service let alone their food.
Other things we did not mentioned above included Bear County, shopping, exploring the various breweries, hiking, and grabbing more food!
Our weekend in Rapid City was amazing! Everywhere we went people were extremely kind, and helpful. I appreciated all the safety measures that were put into place in regards to social distancing. We couldn’t have asked for better weather. We are looking forward to getting back to big things again; and exploring more of the Black hills has to offer.
This post was written in collaboration with Visit Rapid City and MMGY. As always, all opinions are my own.
