Mount Rushmore Puts a Fresh Face on History

Evening Lighting Ceremony

If your schedule permits, don’t miss the evening lighting of the Memorial, which takes place nightly from mid-May through September. The ceremony is tasteful and moving, guaranteed to evoke a welling of patriotism in the breast of every audience member. It is an especially inspiring experience to share with your family, and one that many miss. Even after several visits to the memorial, I had not known about the evening lighting event until we decided to show our youngest child Mount Rushmore during a drive home to the Midwest from a visit in the western states.

Tired from a long day’s drive when we arrived after dinner at our lodging, we were focused on what we would see the following morning before driving home. Thankfully, the receptionist encouraged us to “hurry on over to the Memorial to get a good seat for the ceremony.” She told us we would be glad we did—and we were. 

The Badlands: Beyond Rushmore

Though Mount Rushmore is the most famous area attraction, there’s much for families to see and do nearby.

• A family enjoys Badlands National Park.
• Vicki Watkins

“Are the Badlands really bad?” is a question all my children have asked at one time or another. Your children will be able to form their own opinion after visiting Badlands National Park, a little more than an hour’s drive from Mount Rushmore. Children (and grownups) who enjoy Wild West movies will see real cliffs and valleys, mesas and buttes, badlands and bluffs. Spectacular scenery, a moonscape setting, ancient fossil beds, an archaeological dig referred to as “Big Pig Dig,” and hiking trails are more reasons to visit the Badlands. Kid-friendly exhibits in the Park make the visit a wonderful living history and geography lesson for all ages.

Golden History

The Black Hills were once a popular destination with another group of travelers—gold prospectors, and there are plenty of places for visitors to revisit that time. Take a detour to the authentic Big Thunder Gold Mine in nearby Keystone to learn about mining in the 1890s. Kids can test their luck trying to find a genuine piece of gold nugget as they practice the techniques miners used to pan for gold.

• Bison in Custer State Park.
• Photo by South Dakota Tourism

Bison Encounters

Most children’s knowledge of the mighty herds of bison that once roamed the plains of the American West comes from picture books. They can get a closer look at this magnificent, once-endangered animal in Custer State Park where one of the world’s largest herds of bison roams free. The park offers more opportunities for gold panning, as well as guided nature walks and workshops in the historic arts of candle-making and wood-working. Young visitors also can take part in a junior naturalist program.

Native American Culture

Up close, the Black Hills are not really black (though they are said to appear so from a distance), but the Native Americans do consider the hills sacred. Families can visit Pine Ridge Indian Reservation to learn about the contributions and legacy of Native American culture. The reservation is the second largest in the United States and offers spectacular scenery.