Evening Lighting Ceremony Rent the Mount Rushmore Self-Guided Tour: A Living Memorial in the audio tour building or the information center to hear audio and see pictures and video about the carving. The tour allows you to learn even more about the sculpture and its story. The multilingual tour, available in Spanish, French, German and Lakota, transports you back in time as you learn the inspiring tale through narration, music and interviews. The Junior Ranger Quest is also part of the Mount Rushmore Self -Guided Tour. This new adventure allows kids to participate in up to 16 challenges at different tour stops around the park. Once you complete 12 of the challenges, you receive a Junior Ranger badge from a ranger desk, just like the written Junior Ranger program. Be sure to visit the newly renovated Sculptor’s Studio. This structure was built in 1939 as a second on-site studio for Borglum. Visit the exact place where Borglum worked from 1939 to 1941 and view the 1/12 scale model of Mount Rushmore. Unique plaster models and worker’s tools used in the sculpting processes are displayed here. During the summer months, rangers present 15 minute talks in the studio, focusing on the workers who helped Borglum create Mount Rushmore and the tools and techniques they used. Be sure to browse the Mount Rushmore Bookstore, located in the studio. The Borglum View Terrace provides excellent views of the sculpture. It’s also the starting point for the 0.6-mile Presidential Trail that takes you up-close and personal with the mountain sculpture. The concrete and plant walkway meanders through the woods and among blast fragments at the base of the monument, offering the closest viewpoints of the faces. Stop by the Lakota, Nakota, and Dakota Heritage Village that’s located along the trail to learn about the customs and traditions of the American Indian tribes that are indigenous to the Black Hills. Dine with the presidents at Carvers’ Marketplace , South Dakota’s only 3-star Certified Green Restaurant. Breakfast, lunch and dinner offer a delicious array of choices, featuring locally grown ingredients. The dress is always casual, the setting always relaxed and the view is, well, monumental. A visit isn’t complete without sampling some of Thomas Jefferson’s original vanilla ice cream recipe from 1780. Souvenirs, clothing and Black Hills Gold jewelry can all be found at the Mount Rushmore Gift Shop . LIGHTING CEREMONY The most spectacular program at Mount Rushmore is the Evening Lighting Ceremony. The ceremony is held every evening, May through September, and includes a 10 minute Ranger Talk, followed by the singing of the National Anthem as the sculpture is lit. The flag retreat — performed by military, active duty and veterans — takes place at the flag pole in front of the main archway between the parking structures. Following the ceremony, large banks of LED lights dramatically illuminate the four presidential faces, stark white against the black, starry South Dakota sky. Those in attendance feel their hearts swell with patriotism and gain a renewed dedication to our nation and its founding principles of democracy, freedom and the pursuit of happiness. BlackHillsBadlands.com // 85 BLACK HILLS & BADLANDS REGION
South Dakota Vacation Guide South Dakota Vacation Guide 2019: Page 85
