Tell me about what Rapid City is like (Spearfish, Ellsworth AFB: ski resorts, crime rates)

[NOTAM]

My nephew is being stationed this month at the Air Force Base in Rapid City, and I am sort of worried, because he lived his first 18 years of life on Kaua'i, Hawaii, and his first duty station was on the coast of Italy. So this is the first time in his life he will be landlocked. I would like to find out things about Rapid City, to give him some idea of what to expect.
He is an avid snowboarder, so I know he will at least like the fact that he aint too far from his favorite Canadian spot, Whistler, BC.
What will it be like for a young man in Rapid City? What is there to do recreation-wise? What are the "hot spots"? Hidden gems? "not-to-miss" places/things to do/restaurants? What is the weather like in each season? Keep in mind he is a very outdoorsy athletic adventurous person. He's been skiing the Swiss Alps, bungee jumping etc during his first duty station in Europe.
Please try to be positive, I want to focus on the good things about South Dakota, because it will be a hard enough adjustment as it is, for him.
Thanks Yall! A worried Auntie

[airboat5]

I will be leaving texas for rapid city soon and these people have been the nicest people.Iam sure he will have fun and be safe.

[leroyleroux]

I don't think it will be a problem. The southwest corner of SD is great. My brother was at Ellsworth for several years and loved the area. If you are concerned about things to do, I wouldn't be. He will have plenty of brothers and sisters in arms that know all that there is to know about the area.

[DannyBanany]

Rapid City will be a dramatic change from Hawaii but I'm sure he'll come to love the recreation that the Black Hills offer. If he likes snowboarding, there are two ski resorts about 45 minutes from Rapid City and if he wants something more extreme, Colorado is a 4 hour drive away. The Black Hills have plenty of lakes for boating, waterskiing, windsurfing, and fishing. There are dozens of trails to hike. Large bike paths both in the Black Hills and in Rapid City. He'll never be bored.

The weather here is basically long dry summers, long cold winters, and a brief fall and spring in between. Right now it has been kind of rainy and although Rapid City doesn't get as much snow as the rest of South Dakota, we have been BOMBARDED with snow this last spring! Luckily that's all past us now.

On thing about Ellswort AFB is that it is about 4 miles east of Rapid City and the Black Hills and it's out on the high plains so it's very windy.

[Jammie]

HI Notam, I can understand your concern for your nephew, but rest assured~he'll be in good hands here. And I know that Airboat will be up here soon and they'll help with any info they've gathered.

You'll find that the people are very down to earth and helpful and I think he'll love the scenery. As Danny said, there are plenty of places for winter sports like skiing and I believe there are also quite a few snowmobile enthusiasts around the Hills.

The crime rates here are relatively low so he can basically wander the entire state without fear. He can easily pop on over to Wyoming or up into Montana for sightseeing. If he has a few days leave, he may want to visit Yellowstone National Park and see Old Faithful.

The "must sees" in the Hills area~

Definitely Mt. Rushmore. Anyone who is even close to the area should take the time to see it.

Crazy Horse Monument appears to be moving along, too.

Kinda must sees~

The Cosmos~Danny loves it there so I'll let him explain it.

Spearfish Canyon~Personally, I think this is the most beautiful part of our state. It has a clear mountain stream running through it and the clear waterfalls~just gorgeous!!!


The 1880 train ride between Hill City and Keystone. (I hope I got it right this time.)

The Badlands~definitely worth heading a bit southeast to see them.

Deadwood~it's a very Historic town and although a lot of the history burned up in the fire, there is still just something "old western" about Deadwood. They have plenty of activities, too ranging from antique car shows to street dances. It's the same town as the HBO series "Deadwood" was about and in old westerns, it was called "Deadwood Gulch". Mt. Moriah is there and he may want to visit the resting places of some famous people from the past.

I always look for feedback from people and a couple years ago we had the pleasure of vacationing in the Hills with some friends from NJ. They loved it there and couldn't believe Rushmore. We went to a street dance in Deadwood and they were shocked at the civility. First of all, they couldn't believe we were all out dancing in the rain and secondly, they couldn't believe there were no fights or shootings because you buy your cup and drink free beer all night. They said it would've turned ugly in their area.

As far as keeping this thread positive~there's not a lot of negative to say about our state. The only negative for me is our cold and snowy winters, but since your nephew is familiar with and enjoys it, he'll be fine.

You'll have to come on up and visit him.

[NOTAM]

thanks so much for the replies thus far. i definitely am going to recommend he buy a snowmobile-he's into that kind of stuff.
i have been to Deadwood myself-very nice. love the casinos!
i do want to come visit him.
one more question, how does Rapid City feel about the airmen? is the military welcomed there? is it a military-friendly city?

[DannyBanany]

Ellsworth AFB is a big part of Rapid City's history. I'd say it's a very military-friendly city. Many local businesses offer a military discount too.

[Jammie]

Notam, I do understand your concern since we've met on your state forum and communicated through DM.

Trust me~he'll be welcomed here. We respect our servicemen and servicewomen. We don't really care where anyone came from as long as they are a legal U.S. citizen. The only place you could find cliques are in a few of the very small towns that aren't used to outsiders or tourists and there is no town like that near Ellsworth.

AND I think it's cool that you've been here already. I didn't realize that. Now you have a good excuse to come back up for vacation.

[NOTAM]

it's good to hear that it's a military friendly town. i will definitely share all the positive info about Rapid City with my nephew!