Presidents + History + Sculpture + Walking + Jumping + Goats = FUN

Review for Mount Rushmore

Badlands and Black Hills, SD

Mount Rushmore in Badlands and Black Hills, SD

by joebensimo September 03, 2008 | Son: Age 11, Daughter: Age 13

Toddlers & Pre-K

School-Age Kids

Pre-Teens & Teens

What we loved:
Learning about how the mountain was carved

We've visited Mount Rushmore twice. We first visited when our children were 8 and 10, and returned a few years later at ages 9 and 11 and 13. They enjoyed it both times. While children aren't likely to enjoy staring at the mountain for long, there are many interesting things for school-aged children to learn about how the mountains were carved -- or rather blasted.

When we arrived on our last visit, my 11 year old son commented that $10 was expensive to park. He then wondered out loud if it cost more to build the parking garages or carve the mountain. He then entered the museum with a question he wanted answered. We didn't ask a ranger but we did read that it cost a little under a million dollars to carve the mountain, and that $56 million was donated for park improvements made in the 1990s -- including the parking garages.

Mount Rushmore is also a great opportunity to encourage children to learn about the presidents on the mountain.

Don't miss the trail. It is a easier walk if you take it clockwise, starting from the left as you look at the mountain. You might even spot a mountain goat. Looking up into the presidents' noses from the train below, my son said they should let people bungee jump out of the presidents' noses. I don't think the park service will go for Andrew's booger jumping proposal.

http://yayaandfrog.blogspot.com/2008/08/mount-rushmore.html