Every great American road trip has that one place everyone agrees you have to see. For the Black Hills of South Dakota, it’s unquestionably Mount Rushmore.
You park the car, walk the Avenue of Flags, lift your face toward the 60-foot granite faces that have become shorthand for American history, snap the obligatory photo, watch the film about the construction, browse the gift shop, and maybe reward yourself with what is advertised as “Thomas Jefferson’s very own recipe” ice cream before jumping back in the car.
But the best thing about Mount Rushmore is that it gets people to the Black Hills in the first place. Once you’re there, you’ll find that there is more to the story.
As the United States celebrates its 250th birthday year, it’s worth remembering that America’s defining landmarks have always been about more than what’s on the surface. They’re starting points that help us discover the places that don’t always make the postcards but should.
Rapid City is often treated as “just” the gateway to Mount Rushmore National Memorial, but it tells a broader story about America and Americans: conservation, immigration, presidential history, and the enduring appeal of discovering what’s around the next bend in the road.