Rapid City, South Dakota at a Glance
Location: Western South Dakota
Access: Rapid City Regional Airport, Interstate 90
Major Meeting Spaces: Best Western Ramkota Hotel & Conference Center, The Monument, DoubleTree by Hilton Rapid City Downtown Convention Center
Hotel Rooms: 4,500
Off-Site Venues: Dahl Arts Center, The Park, Elks Theatre, Main Street Square, Mount Rushmore National Memorial, Aby’s Rapid City
Contact Info:
Visit Rapid City
800-487-3223
visitrapidcity.com
Founded in 1876 during the Gold Rush, Rapid City, South Dakota, quickly evolved into the “Gateway to the Black Hills” and became a hub for commerce, tourism and military operations. Today, it combines historic charm with modern conveniences, offering an ideal and affordable location for meetings with signature Old West style.
Situated on the eastern edge of Black Hills National Forest, Rapid City is a central point for exploring the entire region. Iconic monuments like Mount Rushmore and the Crazy Horse Memorial are only a short drive away, and it’s just an hour from the legendary landscapes of Badlands National Park. The city is also surrounded by scenic drives, hiking trails and abundant opportunities for outdoor adventures in every season.
Rapid City is nicknamed the “City of Presidents,” and visitors will find life-size bronze statues of all the U.S. presidents located on street corners throughout the historic downtown. It’s also home to The Journey Museum and Learning Center, which provides a fascinating look into the history, geology and culture of the Black Hills and the surrounding prairie.
With a wide variety of lodging options, numerous attractions and a central location, Rapid City is a great destination for memorable meetings and an ideal base camp for exploring the Black Hills.
Primary Meeting Space
Located in downtown Rapid City and serving as the main event center for the Black Hills region, The Monument (formerly known as Rushmore Plaza Civic Center) offers a one-stop shop for event planners, providing catering and audiovisual needs, as well as a dedicated event services manager to work with planners throughout the entire process. The complex covers more than 500,000 square feet of multifunctional space, including the 10,000-plus-seat Summit Arena, which opened in 2021.
Meeting Hotels
Rapid City has six downtown hotels, ranging from historic properties to national chains, and an assortment of convention and meeting venues for groups of all sizes. The recently renovated Hotel Alex Johnson has hosted six U.S. presidents, along with Cary Grant and Alfred Hitchcock during the filming of the 1959 classic “North by Northwest.” The historic 143-room hotel offers five meeting spaces that can accommodate groups of 20 to 200. Just steps from The Monument, the 205-room DoubleTree by Hilton has 14,568 square feet of exhibit space with 14 meeting rooms, including the Dakota Ballroom, with a theater-style capacity of 800 and reception space to accommodate 250 attendees. The Hyatt Place offers 117 sleeping rooms and 5,000 square feet of flexible, customizable meeting space.
Unique Venues
Located in downtown, the historic Elks Theatre dates back to the early 1900s and screens current and classic movies. It’s available for a variety of private events, including receptions and screenings, training seminars and presentations. A century-old family grain mill, Aby’s Rapid City is now an eatery, art venue and community hub. This unique indoor/outdoor venue can host up to 200 guests for live music and other events.
Parks and Monuments
Situated between the Black Hills and Badlands, Rapid City is an ideal base for exploring some of the nation’s most iconic parks and monuments. The area has a rich Native American history, and the Crazy Horse Memorial that honors the great Lakota leader is the largest mountain carving in progress on the planet. The welcome center has conference facilities that accommodate theater-style seating for up to 300 people.
At Mount Rushmore National Memorial, the faces of four American presidents — George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln — are immortalized in 60-foot granite carvings. The memorial’s cafe has space for 25 to 250 guests and delivers stunning views of the four stone visages.
Bison and other wildlife roam free at Custer State Park, and the 244,000 acres of Badlands National Park beg to be explored. Beneath the plains, one of the longest cave systems in the world awaits at Jewel Cave National Monument, while the 80-foot-deep underground nuclear silo at the Minuteman Missile National Historic Site is an enduring reminder of the Cold War. Grand and eerie, the majestic rock monolith known as Devil’s Tower (just over the Wyoming border) protrudes 867 feet above the surrounding prairie. At night, the butte is illuminated by the Milky Way and is an unforgettable location for stargazing.
