City: Rapid City, SD

Category: Tours & Attractions

Telephone: (605) 342-5873, (800) 335-0275

Address: US 16

Insider Pick:

Description: Everyone from lizard lovers to flower fanciers will be enchanted by the displays and plantings at Reptile Gardens. This award-winning attraction—the building capped by the Sky Dome 6 miles south of Rapid City—claims the world’s largest reptile collection, as well as the largest variety of venomous species on exhibit anywhere. You’ll be entranced by Maniac, at 15-foot, 10 inches and 1,200 pounds, the largest saltwater crocodile in North America, and Methusela, a 500-pound Galapagos tortoise born in 1881. But if creepy, crawly creatures make you cringe, you can soothe your nerves with an extravagant indoor orchid display or the more than 50,000 bedding plants in the outdoor gardens. Reptile Gardens offers educational 20-minute shows featuring alligators, snakes, and birds. The shows promote conservation and understanding of the important role animals play in our world. Millions have toured Reptile Gardens since it opened in 1937 after a local man, the late Earl Brockelsby, found that visitors enjoyed meeting the pet rattlesnake he kept under his hat. Along with your self-guided tour, you can have a light meal or snack in the Green Parrot Cafe and shop for jungle- and rainforest-related items, New Guinea tribal art, and other treasures in the gift shop. The complex is open from Apr 1 to Oct 31. Hours are 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. from Memorial Day through Labor Day and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. the rest of the season. During the summer, shows run throughout the day, with the last one starting at 7 p.m.