8 Free And Cheap Things To Do In Keystone, South Dakota
Keystone, South Dakota began as a mining town back in 1883 but didn’t officially become incorporated as a town until June 8, 1972.
It currently has a population of around 250 year-round residents and serves mainly as a tourist town.
Keystone may be known for Mount Rushmore, but below are some more cheap and free things to do during your visit
Mount Rushmore National Memorial: Mount Rushmore was established on March 3, 1925, and the construction of Theodore Roosevelt, Abraham Lincoln, Thomas Jefferson, and George Washington’s faces carved into the mountain was finished on October 31, 1941.
Be sure to walk the 0.6-mile Presidential Trail for up-close views of the faces and do not miss the exquisite Lincoln Borglum Visitor Center.
It costs $10 per vehicle for parking.
Giant Patriotic Wooden Chair: Dahl’s Chainsaw Art has shops in a couple of South Dakota towns and the one in Keystone has a giant wooden chair you can climb in and take a picture with. They also have wooden motorcycles and other unique statues for photo ops.
Their items are available for purchase, but looking is free.
World’s Largest Wooden Bigfoot: The main attraction of Dahl’s Chainsaw Art in this city though is the 23-foot-tall statue carved out of wood named “Billie” Bigfoot. He is extremely cool and you should not miss getting your picture taken with him.
Holy Terror Mini-Golf: We love playing mini-golf and hit-up courses whenever we find them and this mining-themed course was a lot of fun. The first 8 holes were pretty simple then the real challenge began.
Tickets are $11 for adults and $9 for children 6-12.
Big Thunder Gold Mine: During this tour, you get to walk into an actual working gold mine dating back to the 1880s. The tour inside the mine isn’t that long but the outdoor museum is included in the tour and houses one of the largest displays of mining equipment in the Black Hills.
Tickets are $12.95 for adults and $9.95 for children 5 and younger.
Ride the 1880 Train: Hop on the train and take a two-hour, narrated 20-mile round trip between Keystone and Hill City.
Ticket prices are between $29-$34 for adults. Special events are also offered throughout the year. Learn more about the train here.
National Presidential Wax Museum: This museum features life-sized wax replicas of all the U.S. presidents placed in historic scenes.
Adult tickets are $10 while senior and children tickets are cheaper.
Borglum Historical Center: Learn about Gutzon Borglum, the sculptor of Mount Rushmore, before visiting the memorial.
Tickets are $10 for adults, kids are free.
For more information on anything listed above click on the link for my full post.
There are plenty of places in town to eat and shop at.
The town of Hill City, South Dakota is only 20 minutes away and has a lot of great tourist attractions as well.
Custer, South Dakota is another great town we visited and it’s only 30 minutes away. Drive another 15 minutes you can reach the amazing Custer State Park.
Rapid City, South Dakota is also 30 minutes away and this city is much larger with a ton of free and cheap activities for the family.
If you ever get a chance to visit Mount Rushmore I highly recommend checking it out and the town it calls home.
The entire Blacks Hills area is amazing and full of charming little towns you’ll fall in love with, at least we did.
