Shutter Sisters

sights and stories of South Dakota

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Rapid City and the Black Hills of South Dakota teem with places to explore (and photograph!), both funky and inspiring. Where else can you visit one of the most ubiquitous symbols of America, see a life-size Apatosaurus towering above the town, and observe the most complete collection of live reptiles in the world, all in one day?

 

Growing up in such a fantastic place, I considered this scenery and these places to be just another part of the everyday background. As a child, however, one place I did not take for granted was Storybook Island. I know now that this children’s park covers eight acres and is fifty years old, a fact which makes me thankful for the vision of those who founded it and have kept it going all these decades. Back in my younger days, however, all I knew was that it was delightfully fun. Drawn from fairy tales and children’s stories, tiny houses built at odd angles and life-sized storybook characters cover the grounds – perfect for scampering through and playing make-believe. My sister and I could hear our voices echo in a giant pumpkin, cross the bridge to Noah’s Ark, walk into a whale’s belly, climb up the stairs to a castle’s fortress, and rustle through the leaves to Christopher Robin’s house. Recently, I went back with her and my small nephew to this magical place. He was brave enough to stick his head inside a giant lion’s mouth to try to sneak a sip from the same water fountain that she and I drank from over twenty years ago. What a fun thing to witness!

 

 

Having a nephew is also a good excuse to visit Old MacDonald’s Farm. Here, my inner child eagerly comes out to play, petting the calves and baby goats, marveling at the downy chicks, and grinning at the piglets in their pen. I hold my breath as the billy goats walk across the hanging bridge and giggle at the pullets running pell-mell across the grounds.

 

There are still places to explore here that I haven’t seen yet: an animal refuge, a kangaroo ranch, the annual buffalo round up, and the wild horse sanctuary. I need to visit Crazy Horse Memorial again, see the mammoth dig, visit the baby bears, work up my courage to shoot photos at the crazy Sturgis Motorcycle Rally, and encourage my sister to pose for goofy photos with the statues of presidents that line downtown. I suspect I will be busy for a long time!

 

A special thanks to Kristina from Medowlark Days for sharing this amazing list of things to do and see (and the photos to go with it) in South Dakota for the Your Local Pix series. I had the chance of spending some time there many moons ago and she is not kidding; it’s really amazing.

Comments

  3. My mom grew up in Rapid City. I had forgotten about those places that I too visited as a small child, before my Grandmothers death. Storybook Island! Ha! and Dinosaur Park with the gigantic dinosaurs! Thanks for the trip down memory lane.

  4. South Dakota sounds like a wonderful destination. I have been looking for places to go that is out of the way. Crowds can be maddening when you travel to high tourist destinations. This sounds perfect.

  5. What beautiful photographs! I love to learn about these little places, so many times I think how nice it would be to visit these small towns, like the ones you see in films, but who can find them? Thanks so much for the glimpse into the beautiful Black Hills!

  7. I’m can’t tell you how delighted and surprised I was to log on today and see pictures of my HOME! I’m a transplanted South Dakotan living in NYC, and after ten years, I still get homesick more days than I can count! This post spoke to my own childhood memories. Can’t wait to go back next time with a camera. Thanks Kristina!

  8. How wonderful to see a post about my home state. I haven’t lived there in 10 years, but I miss the Black Hills and visit them often!! thanks for sharing! It is a wonderful place to visit and live!

  10. I enjoyed the post about South Dakota, my home state. On my family’s exodus from SD to the west coast during the Dust Bowl (you are all much too young to remember that!), we spent a few days visiting relatives in Rapid City and seeing some of the sights. That was several years before Storybook Island came into existence. I remember how in awe we were of the dinosaurs in Dinosaur Park and think I still have pictures of us posed with them. The Needles were very impressive, too. Work on Mt. Rushmore was coming to an end due to the death of the sculptor, Gutzon Borglum, and funds running out.
    South Dakoa has its beauty as do all the states in the Union.
    Thanks for sharing.