Lincoln Borglum Visitor Center PLAN YOUR VISIT Today’s visitors come away with a patriotic appreciation as well as a thorough understanding of the monument from its “nuts and bolts” construction methods to its iconic place in America’s heritage. After parking your vehicle (parking fee applies), stop by the Information Center to check out times of special cultural events, educational programs, guided walks and Ranger Talks available during your visit. Be sure to spend some time in the Mount Rushmore Bookstore before you venture out. The Mount Rushmore Audio Tour is also available for rent in the audio tour building during the summer season and the Information Center during the off-season. Step outside and stroll the Avenue of Flags, where it’s fun to take a photo of your state’s flag. Next, view the sculpture on the Grand View Terrace. Elevators and staircases on either side of the terrace lead down to the Lincoln Borglum Museum & Visitor Center as well as the Amphitheater and another bookstore. In the Visitor Center, an orientation film is available which describes the history of the carving, the carving process, and why Borglum chose the four presidents on display. Exhibits that feature the carving process, the workers, and the history of the park are also on display. Beautiful forest surroundings welcome visitors along the Presidential Trail, which offers the closest viewpoints of the faces as the concrete and plank walkway loops through the woods and among the blast fragments at the base of the monument. While on the trail, you can stop by the Lakota, Nakota & Dakota Heritage Village to learn about the culture of the American Indians, in-digenous to the Black Hills. Then be sure to venture to the Sculptor’s Studio, where Borglum’s original models of the four presidents, scaled on a 1:12 ratio (one model inch equals one foot on the mountain) are on display. Developing an appetite while you stroll around the me-morial? Carvers Café , with seating for 300, offers visitors a delicious array of food selections, served with a com-manding view of the presidential sculptures. And don’t leave without sampling some of Thomas Jefferson’s famous vanilla ice cream recipe! LIGHTING CEREMONY By far, the most spectacular program at Mount Rushmore National Memorial is the Evening Lighting Ceremony, held in the Amphitheater at 9 p.m. sharp during the summer season. A ranger will introduce a 20-minute movie about Mount Rushmore. Then, with the tune of the “Star Spangled Banner” in the background, huge banks of floodlights will dramatically reveal the four presidential faces, stark white against the black, starry South Dakota sky. That’s when hearts swell with patriotism—and a renewed dedication to our nation and its founding principles of democracy, freedom, and the pursuit of happiness. • 33 BLACK HILLS & BADLANDS REGION
South Dakota Vacation Guide SD Vacation Guide 2017: Page 33
