The main attraction in the Black Hills area is Mount Rushmore.
The memorial is free to enter, there is just a $10 parking fee.
Once you park, and I do recommend level 3 of the parking complex, as you walk right to the landing leading to the mountain.
There are gift shops, and food options, and plenty of restrooms.
There is also an educational movie to watch regarding the construction of the monument, which is really interesting.
I recommend spending some time just embracing what it means to be an American. While you are walking around you will hear visitors speaking languages from all over the world. I find it pretty incredible that people from other countries take the time to visit the monument as it is uniquely American. America is the shining hill on the mountain, with our democracy the ideal way to govern, as the power is in the hands of the people. Are we perfect? No, but our way of life is definitely worth fighting for.
Mount Rushmore is an amazing site, and well worth the visit.
The figureheads on the mountain consist of:
George Washington: First President of the United States, chosen because he is considered to be the father of this country, and laid the foundation for its democracy. Also we would not have won the Revolutionary War without his indomitable will and perseverance.
Thomas Jefferson: Third president of the United States, and the primary author of the Declaration of Independence. He is also remembered for his accomplishment on doubling the size of the United States with the Louisiana Purchase, which expanded the county by 828,000 sq mi (2,140,000 km2; 530,000,000 acres) for the cost of $15 million dollars.
Theodore Roosevelt: Twenty Sixth President of the United States; chosen because he is considered the builder of the United States. He was known as the Trust Buster, as he championed breaking up large corporations to benefit the common man, and he also built the Panama Canal to bridge the east and the west. He also lead America in the economic growth period as we entered the 20th century. Also during his presidency from 1901 to 1909, he signed legislation establishing five new national parks: Crater Lake, Oregon; Wind Cave, South Dakota; Sullys Hill, North Dakota (later re-designated a game preserve); Mesa Verde, Colorado; and Platt, Oklahoma (now part of Chickasaw National Recreation Area).
Abraham Lincoln: Sixteenth President of the United States; chosen to represent the preservation of the United States during our greatest trial, the Civil War. He believed that slavery must be abolished, and the Union must not be divided to ensure the idea of the United States endured.
Mount Rushmore is an incredible testimonial to one man’s vision, a vision that he spent his life working on. Sculptor Gutzon Borglum worked on the project from the age of 57 until his death in 1941 a few days shy of his 74th birthday. His son Lincoln completed the project after his father’s death.
