The last time we visited Bear Country, we had the good fortune of going during feeding time, which occurs daily at 9:00am. Sitting in the safety of our van, we watched Tim, a veteran employee of Bear Country, sling frozen hunks of meat over a 20 foot fence into the mountain lion enclosure. The back of his pickup was full of this meat, a fact well known by the black bears and timber wolves that were creeping up behind him. After a few steaks, Tim grabbed a six foot pole from the bed of the pickup, stepped aggressively towards the wolves and bears, and swung it widely. The predators leaped back, and he returned to the steaks, tossing a few more to the lions before flinging one to the nearest bear and jumping back into the cab of his pickup. With Tim gone, the animals stopped playing nice, and the steak’s recipient ended up losing his prize to a relative when he chased off the wolves. Satisfied, we drove on, thrilled that the spectacle had occurred only 20 feet from our van.

Such is the thrill of Bear Country, and while not every trip through the drive-through park is as exciting as ours, it’s always a thrill to have your way blocked by a black bear and to see an arctic wolf in person.

The quick look:

Where it is: On Hwy 16 about 12 minutes outside Rapid City, on the way to Mt. Rushmore. See the map for more.

How much time: Most people take around 2 hours to soak in the park and enjoy it thoroughly. If you are one for loitering in gift shops, add plenty more. A café is on the premises if you run into lunch.

Cost: $15 adults, $8 for kids, $12 for seniors, with a max. of $55 per vehicle (2008 price). See their website for the most current prices.

Best time to go: Mornings, when the animals are more active and the traffic in the park is lighter

Works well when coupled with: It’s on the way to Mt. Rushmore, so it can go well with the big attraction. The Smart Alec takes you to Mt. Rushmore and if you’re in for a long day of driving, you could tackle the Needles and Iron Mountain Road. We’d recommend going slower, however, which is why some folks like to pair Bear Country with Reptile Gardens. Even then, though, if you like these places, it might be better to save the second round of animal watching for another day.

Highlights:

• 

  Babyland Bears climb tree

  Babyland: The walk-through area where you can watch the bear cubs up close, as well as otters, a grizzly bear, and more.

• Feeding time: if you can get there when we did, by 9:00, you could be in for a show, and even if you miss the actual feeding, the animals are still quite active around that time.
• Smart Alec: We’ve crafted a full audio tour through the park, detailing animals and explaining the history of the attraction. It’s like riding with the owner in your vehicle.

Good to know:

• Leave your road-rage tendencies at the gate, traffic can be slow in the park.
• No matter how badly you want to open them, windows need to stay closed.
• Admission to the park can add up, though the max is $55 a vehicle. We would advise looking into discount opportunities (like a discount card, which pays off if you’re planning on hitting a lot of attractions) and leaving plenty of time to soak in your money’s worth.

Posted under Attractions

I don’t know how long the gentleman doing the snake and alligator shows at Reptile Gardens (located at the Rapid City edge of South Dakota’s Black Hills) has been doing what he does, but if he tires of it, a visitor would never know. So good is he, that when my family shared our Reptile highlights at dinner, I had to admit that he was mine. And why not? The poor guy stuck his hand into an alligator’s mouth for my entertainment . . . three times! And then to interest us more fully, he taught us about crocodiles while standing in the their pit, vulnerable to the bugger who sneaked up behind him and nipped at his sneaker. That would have been enough to drive me into retirement, but he was planning on doing it again a couple hours later.

The rest of the family’s favorites shows the range of fun at Reptile Gardens. My daughters’ favorite part was playing in the giant sandbox - no snakes hidden inside - and my wife’s was this turtle that kept trucking around the perimeter of his little enclosure, never stopping, so that our daughter could run ahead of him, peek through the fence (which was only a foot or so high) and yell, “Here he comes!”

On our SmartAlec tour we tell the story of Earl Brockelsby and the founding of Reptile Gardens, which illustrates how these folks are not rookies in this tourism business, but they deserve a ton of credit for doing what they do so well. From the gardens (which alone are worth the price of admission), to the 120 year old giant turtle, Methuselah, to the 15 1/2 foot long alligator, Maniac, to tropical birds resting before guests in the Sky Dome, this attraction truly captures everyone’s attention.

The Quick Look

Where it is: On Hwy 16, about 12 minutes outside Rapid City on the way to Mount Rushmore. It is at the beginning of the Smart Alec Blue Route. See the map for more on where it is.

How much time: It will take almost two hours if you aim to see all three shows, but it is easy to spend three or four hours before remembering to check your watch.

Works well when paired with: Something the grown ups want to do, like Mount Rushmore. The fun should resound long enough to last the kids until evening. Many people pair it with Bear Country, but that tends to make too long a day of animal watching for most folks.

Best time to go: Mornings, before the sun gets too hot and the crowds get their thickest. If you run into lunch, there are multiple places to eat.

Cost: Adults $13.50; Seniors $12; Children $8.50; Four & under: Free (2008 season). If you’re pinching pennies, beware of the gift-shop - it’s items range from classy to ridiculous, and if you’re human, you’ll find something you’ll want to buy . . .

Highlights:

• The flowers - not only outside, but inside the dome there is an impressive tropical flower display.
• The shows - there’s one for snakes, one for alligators, and one for birds of prey, and they occur at regularly scheduled times.
• Admission is good for a week for visitors and for the year for locals, which means if the family doesn’t have the time or patience to sit through all the shows or displays, you can come again later at no extra charge.

Keep in Mind:

• Most of the facility is outdoors, and while there is plenty of shade under which to hide, you’ll need sunscreen to play it safe, and a hot day will feel hot.
• The shows can be long for some young children, but so entertaining for adults that they’re hard to leave. My wife was willing to miss half the alligator show to play in the sandbox.

Posted under Attractions