54%
21%
8%
3%
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Highlights
Enjoy free perks such as airport transportation, WiFi, and continental breakfast and then head to outdoor wonders like Mount Rushmore
Hotel at a Glance: MainStay Suites Rapid City
You’ll have plenty of space to relax in one of these suites, which have roomy sleeping and sitting areas. Whip up a meal in your kitchen and then kick back and relax in front of the flat-screen TV.
- Go for a swim in the indoor heated pool.
- Greet the day with free continental breakfast and a hot oatmeal station.
- Free perks: an airport shuttle and in-room WiFi
- Distance from Mount Rushmore: about a 40-minute drive
Rapid City, South Dakota: Family-Friendly Town near Mount Rushmore
In South Dakota’s Black Hills, views of the rugged landscape stretch for miles and miles, obstructed only by towering pine forests and the faces of four US presidents carved into the façade of Mount Rushmore. Rapid City is just a half hour from the iconic site, close enough for vacationers to take an easy day trip to go hiking through the forest or whitewater rafting on Rapid Creek. In town, you can unwind with a craft beer and catch live local music at one of Rapid City’s independently owned brewpubs. Keep an eye out for US presidents—there are 42 statues of them scattered throughout town.
Rapid City is the most convenient home base for visits to Badlands National Park, where you can hike amid prairies and geologic formations and spot bison, bighorn sheep, and other wildlife. For a different kind of day trip, make the 50-minute drive to Wall Drug, a kitschy shopping mall and slice of Americana that attracts some two million visitors each year.