Mt. Rushmore National Memorial is a hot spot for many tourists. It is most famous for the faces of the four presidents carved on the mountain, but there is a lot more to Mount Rushmore than that! Did you know there are many different species of wildflowers that bloom along the walking paths in the park? You can learn a lot from the guided tours like; the erosion rate of Mount Rushmore National Memorial is estimated by geologists at 1 inch every 10,000 years.
After a day at Mount Rushmore, you can head to Evans Plunge in Hot Springs, South Dakota, about 50.6 miles south. Evans Plunge is an indoor spring-fed pool has been the Black Hills most exciting natural attraction since 1890. It is the "world's largest natural warm water indoor pool," Evans Plunge features indoor and outdoor pools, waterslides, fun tubes, pool games, Tarzan rings, and a full-service health club. This will definitely be a treat for the kids and a nice relaxation for the parents.
Aw, the kids are exhausted from all the fun that they've had, and you're feelin' great! Is there anything better? Let's head 122 miles south to the Agate Fossil Beds in Harrison, Nebraska and find out! The Agate Fossil Beds are a landscape that reflects many players - from early animals roaming the valleys and hills, to tribal nations calling the High Plains home, to explorers passing through or settling in the American West. During the 1890s, scientists rediscovered what the Lakota Sioux already knew - bones preserved in one of the most complete Miocene mammal sites in the world.
169 miles north will then take you back to the Mount Rushmore National Park.