The great American vacation: Rapid City

Rapid City doesn’t get its fair share of attention. Nor does the region itself. The terrain here in western South Dakota -- from the Black Hills to the Badlands to the sweeping grasslands -- has an otherworldly power you have to experience to understand.

The nexus of all this terrain is Rapid City. From here, our crew ventured out to awesome local sites. Traveling as a family, they wanted to see lots of wildlife, and so they hit up the Reptile Gardens as well as Bear Country USA. They also weren’t afraid of some classic video game action at the Press Start Arcade, nor some rad “mountain coaster” rides at the Rush Mountain Adventure Park. Finally, they explored Badlands National Park and of course got some great shots of Mt. Rushmore.

Plan to spend at least a week in this area when you come through, and know that Rapid City is ready serve as your ultimate home base.