South Dakota: Rapid City – South Dakota Air and Space Museum

January 10, 2019
South Dakota
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I still get excited when I get the chance to visit a new museum dedicated to air and space, so when I discovered on our journey through South Dakota the South Dakota Air & Space Museum at Ellsworth Airforce Base I jumped at the chance to visit.

Like many such aerospace museums, there was plenty of interesting aircraft on display. There are over 30 vintage military aircraft ranging from World War II bombers to the modern-day B-1.

In addition to aircraft, the museum features many different military missiles, including a Minuteman II Intercontinental Ballistic Missile.

Entrance to the museum is free but if you want to splash some cash there are bus tours of Ellsworth AFB including a visit to the Minuteman missile launch silo. Here you are able to see the power of this defensive system that protected the U.S. during the Cold War. This tour is unique as it’s the only Minuteman II silo in the nation that allows the public to go inside the installation.

So, if like me you love military aircraft then I recommended taking an hour or two to explore this museum.

Planning your visit to South Dakota Air & Space Museum

Location:	2890 Rushmore Rd Ellsworth AFB, SD 57706
Website:	sdairandspacemuseum.com
Telephone:	T: (605) 385-5189
Hours:	Peak Season: 8:30 AM – 6:00 PM Off- Season: 4;30 AM – 4:30 PM
Fees:	Museum Admission is FREE. Bus Tours: $10.00 for adults, $7.00 11-17 yrs, $5.00 5-10 yrs

Best time to visit the South Dakota Air & Space Museum

The museum is located near the Blackhills of South Dakota. In the winter months, it can be very cold and snowy so you’ll need to wrap up warm. Conversely in the summer months, it can be hot and sticky.

Other places close by worth visiting

CUSTER STATE PARK

Custer State Park is famous for its bison herds, other wildlife, scenic drives, historic sites, visitor centres, fishing lakes, resorts, campgrounds and interpretive programs. In fact, it was named as one of the World’s Top Ten Wildlife Destinations for the array of wildlife within the park’s borders and for the unbelievable access visitors have to them.

MOUNT RUSHMORE

Mount Rushmore is a relatively recent creation and started as a concept by state historian Doane Robinson in 1923. The choice of artist was Gutzon Borglum, a radical sculptor with a sense of scale and outlandish ambition.

THE MAMMOTH SITE

The Mammoth Site in Hot Springs, SD is a truly incredible place to visit. We call in every time we are in the area as it is always changing.

Accidently, discovered during a construction project, The dig site is uncommon as the mammoth bones that the excavation has exposed have been left in situ and can be viewed by visitors from raised walkways. It is a most unusual exhibit.

CRAZY HORSE MEMORIAL

Brule Lakota Henry Standing Bear was born near Pierre, South Dakota, along the Missouri River around 1874. In 1933 he heard that there were plans to build a monument to his cousin Crazy Horse at Fort Robinson where he had met his end. Standing Bear and the Lakota Sioux were determined that any such monument should be built in the Black Hill mountains of South Dakota which had a spiritual significance to his Nation.

The monument is being carved out of Thunderhead Mountain, on land considered sacred by some Oglala Lakota, roughly 17 miles (27 km) from Mount Rushmore. When, and if, it gets finished it will dwarf Mount Rushmore.

MINUTEMAN MISSILE HISTORIC SITE

If you are looking for another opportunity to catch up on cold-war history and nuclear proliferation then check out the Minuteman Missile National Historic Site.

The Minuteman Missile field covered the far western portion of South Dakota from 1963 through the early 1990s. There were 15 Launch Control Facilities that commanded and controlled 150 Launch Facilities (Missile Silos) holding Minuteman Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles. The missile field was operational, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year, for thirty years.

You can visit the new visitor centre and take tours of the sites themselves.

WALL DRUG STORE

As you travel around America, especially the mid-west you’ll come across billboards advertising the Wall Drug Store. These billboards are located, in some cases, hundreds of miles from the store itself mostly along a 650 mile stretch of I-90. Apparently, there are more than 300 paid for billboards, some located internationally, and a whole load more unofficial billboards.

The store itself has become a popular stop-off point for people travelling through South Dakota or visiting the local attractions such as Badlands National Park or en route to Mount Rushmore.

BADLANDS NATIONAL PARK

The Lakota gave this land its name, “Mako Sica,” meaning “land bad.” Extreme temperatures, lack of water, and the exposed rugged terrain led to this name. In the early 1900s, French-Canadian fur trappers called it “les mauvais terres pour traverse,” or “bad lands to travel through.”

Located in southwestern South Dakota, Badlands National Park consists of 244,000 acres of sharply eroded buttes, pinnacles and spires blended with the largest protected mixed-grass prairie in the United States.

Where to stay?

1. SUMMER CREEK INN & SPA

Located in Rapid City in the Black Hills region, 18 mi from Mount Rushmore National Monument, Summer Creek Inn & Spa features a spa centre and hot tub. The bed and breakfast has a sun terrace and views of a waterfall and a garden, and guests can enjoy a drink at the bar. Free private parking is available on site.

Certain rooms feature a seating area where you can relax. A terrace or balcony are featured in certain rooms. Superior rooms include a spa bath or a hot tub.

2. SWEETGRASS INN BED & BREAKFAST

Located in Rapid City, Sweetgrass Inn Bed & Breakfast offers accommodations with a restaurant, free private parking, a bar and a garden. This 3-star inn offers a shared kitchen, room service and free WiFi. The accommodations provides evening entertainment and an ATM.

Journey Museum is 8.1 mi from Sweetgrass Inn Bed & Breakfast, while Rushmore Mall is 9.9 mi from the property. The nearest airport is Rapid City Regional Airport, 11 mi from the inn.

3. UNDER CANVAS MOUNT RUSHMORE

If you are looking for something more adventurous than the typical hotel experience then you might want to consider Under Canvas Mount Rushmore.

Fancy a glamping experience in safari-style tents then this may be the place for you. Canvas Mount Rushmore is tucked within Ponderosa Pines and Common Juniper, located on an original gold mining settlement less than 4 miles from Mount Rushmore National Monument. Offering upscale accommodations and majestic views of Mount Rushmore and the surrounding Black Hills

4. ELK CAMPGROUND

This 62-site campground is open all year with sites available on a first-come, first-served basis. Two sites are handicap-accessible. Flush toilets and drinking water are available late spring through early fall. Fees are half-price when water is not available. Ranger programs are offered nightly in the amphitheatre during the summer. Two group campsites are able to be reserved.