Nestled in the Black Hills of South Dakota, Rapid City is a scenic urban getaway that hasn't lost its small-town vibe. While it's the state's second largest city, visitors can explore the surrounding area in just a few minutes' drive, walk or bicycle ride. And the surrounding landscape is home to enough natural and manmade wonders — from the Badlands to the Crazy Horse Memorial — to keep you busy for a week or more. Rapid City promotes itself as the City of Presidents, a nod to its location 24 miles from South Dakota's most iconic attraction, Mount Rushmore National Memorial. In town, locals know summer's in full swing when tourists are snapping selfies with bronze statues of Harry S. Truman and Richard Nixon. Street corners throughout Rapid City's historic downtown are home to life-sized sculptures of nearly all US presidents. (President Donald Trump's statue has been unveiled and will be installed in fall 2025, and former President Joe Biden's statue is in progress). Founded in 1...