Mount Rushmore National Memorial Travel Guide – Fantastic Site That Attracts Almost 3 Million Tourists Every Year (2024)
Have you been to the Mount Rushmore National Memorial before? This alluring site, known as the Mount Rushmore National Memorial, is situated in the state of South Dakota. If you ever want to make a visit to Mount Rushmore, don’t miss out to have a look at these must-see destinations and activities to perform.
About Mount Rushmore National Memorial in South Dakota
The Mount Rushmore National Memorial in South Dakota is located in the black hilly areas. It is often credited as a comprehensive on having visited and resembled once in a life. This fantastic site attracts almost 3 million tourists every year. The memorial delivers an incredible piece of architecture to its visitors coming to see it. The Mount Rushmore National Memorial is also considered to be a patriotic site of the United States. It is a national treasure of the entire nation, the United States. It is a mark of freedom and democracy. This gigantic sculpture was completed in 1941. Another amazing fact about Mount Rushmore is that it is almost about 60 feet tall with a compilation of four president’s faces of the United States that includes George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln.
What Activities Can We Do At The Mount Rushmore National Memorial?
Mount Rushmore National Memorial in South Dakota it a family-friendly destination? Find out all these answers below before making a plan for the trip to South Dakota.
- Presidential Trail- While visiting the Mount Rushmore National Memorial, you can experience the first thing that is the Presidential Trail, which is a cemented half-mile observation ring that starts from the Grand View Terrace and heads to scenic areas at the base of the mountain. This comprehensive and long track is quite windy, and it also gives the travelers a break to get away from the group and being on the terrace. The Presidential Trail is a suitable track for both wheelchairs and strollers. The entire 40-minute long walk over the path will make you witness an incredible sight of the fascinating flora and fauna, plants, and stones.
Image Source - The Grand View Terrace of the monument- The Grand Terrace View is the crucial stage from where guests can experience a good outlook of the colossal Mount Rushmore National Memorial in South Dakota. If you ever visited here, you can find a lot of the admiring views that can be seen effortlessly by the use of telescopes, which are freely accessible there. Don’t miss out on capturing some of the fine pictures of the site with your family or companions.
Image Source - Mount Rushmore National Memorial Junior Ranger Program- It was formed basically to educate the kids with the significance of the preservation of the national treasures. Moreover, the show would also deliver teaching about nature and history to the children, including the exploration of the outdoor activities. The children of the age of 3 years who want to take part in the program can also find and pick up specific junior Ranger activity books at the visitor center free of cost. With the return of the finished activity packet, the small kids are rewarded a Junior Ranger certificate and badge.
- Lincoln Borglum Visitor Center- This center includes the museum, theatre, and bookstore. The Lincoln Borglum Visitor Centre is positioned just a mile below the Grand View Terrace. The museum here deals with many of the interactive sessions among the visitors and the guide. A 14-minute short movie can be witnessed here along with information desk personnel by park rangers. Most importantly, this place is a highly urged family spot, and spending time here with your family would be an excellent deal. You will also get to learn about the history of Mount Rushmore.
- Sample Historic Ice Cream – The Memorial Team Ice Cream has a massive compilation of ice cream, fountain drinks, and snacks. Having the specialties of the Mount Rushmore National Memorial in the United States can be an extremely fun-loving experience of having a good time with your family. The famous ice creams here are- Soft serve or hand-dipped monumental scoop ice cream and TJ’s Vanilla ice cream. The TJ ice cream is based on the innovative formula of Thomas Jefferson. A variety of delicious ice cream can make you feel fabulous and completes your visit here.
Image Source - Have Dinner at the Carver’s Marketplace- Carver’s MarketPlace of the Mount Rushmore National Memorial in South Dakota is the only onsite café. This cafe is open every day between 8:00 AM to 9:00 PM. The visitors coming to eat in the restaurant can have the fun of the delicious breakfast and dinner with a great view of Mount Rushmore as well. A lot of tourists usually visit the restaurant very early in the dawn just to have a yummy breakfast, while watching an astounding sunup vision at the back of the shrine. The local people always enjoy dishes that include the bison burger and stew in the cafe. The cafe also has a sophisticated seating planning both inside and outside. The new visitors can really enjoy their meal while watching the day and the crowd.
- Strolls the Avenue of Flags – The Avenue of Flags is the main path to get an entry inside the Mount Rushmore National Memorial, South Dakota. The tourists here are addressed by the track bordered on two sides of the course with the flags of all the 50 states and territories of the country. These territories and states are ordered in alphabetical order and listed on the pillars just below every banner. This path is so mesmerizing for the tourists, and it delivers a great joy of the experience of seeing the state flags welcoming.
Image Source - Evening Sculpture Lighting Ceremony – Mount Rushmore National Memorial in the United States organizes an explicit program every evening to light the monument. This program is held from the time of late May to late September. The program offers a brief ranger talk show and followed by the highlight of the “Freedom: America’s Lasting Legacy” film. While the lighting of the monument is begun, the audience sings the National Anthem, which is a totally different kind of attribute. The entire program is meant for about 45 minutes, and it is free of cost, which means you would not have to book a place for yourself to be there and witness the show. Do remember before making a visit to the Mount Rushmore National Memorial, that from October to April, the memorial is enlightened at sunset with no official ceremony.
The Best Time To Visit Mount Rushmore National Memorial
It is often seen that Mount Rushmore National Memorial is free to access the whole year except Christmas day on 25th December. For family outings and gatherings, Mount Rushmore National Memorial is well accepted to be the most visited spot of all time in the months of June, July, and August. At this moment, the school kids are on summer vacations, so the time of June and July would be the perfect months for a family outing to Mount Rushmore National Memorial in South Dakota. Most obviously, the visitors are present here on a very big scale during the entire summer. You can visit the Black Hills region when the temperature tends to fall down at the time of fall and spring. The spring season offers its viewers with attractive and colorful varieties of trees and plants around the area of the memorial.
Suggestions For Visiting Mount Rushmore National Memorial
- There are zero entrance fees to attain access to Mount Rushmore National Memorial, which is just the most ideal thing to encounter.
- The parking cost is about 11$ per vehicle, but you can use that parking slip for an entire year as a visitor.
- The monument grounds are accessible from 5:00 AM to 11:00 PM for the visitors of Mount Rushmore National Memorial. Moreover, the Visitor Center is also open between 8:00 AM TO 10:00 PM.
- The Mount Rushmore National Memorial is almost 35 miles away from Rapid City in South Dakota.
- The memorial does not have an overnight lodgings supply to the tourists.
- Renting a trip guide would be an acceptable alternative for exploring the whole Mount Rushmore National Memorial in a few hours.
- There is availability for the audio tour wand and device, which would help give music, sound effects, and talks to recite you the path around.
