Ranger Led Programs Night Lighting Ceremony Cool down with Thomas Jefferson’s Ice Cream 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, stop at a ranger desk to receive your Junior Ranger badge. 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 plank walkway meanders through the woods and among blast fragments at the base of the monument, offering the closest viewpoints of the faces. The trail is handicap accessible, to the bottom of the monument. 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 4-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 a scoop of Thomas Jefferson’s ice cream recipe, based on the first written recipe for ice cream in the U.S. 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 is performed by military, active duty and veterans. 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 // 35 BLACK HILLS & BADLANDS REGION
South Dakota Vacation Guide South Dakota Vacation Guide South Dakota Vacation Guide 2020: Page 35
