Reptile Gardens
Reptile Gardens is a reptile-focused zoo south of Rapid City, South Dakota, on US 16 between Rapid City and Mount Rushmore. You will find it in Colonial Pine Hills. Records date it to 1937.
.jpg){kind=link}
A zoo & aquarium inside Colonial Pine Hills
Winters are cold
January nights drop to 14°, with about 36" of snow a year. When to go ↓
You can stay in Colonial Pine Hills
Reptile Gardens is inside Colonial Pine Hills, which has 10 places to stay, so you won’t need a base farther out. Where to stay ↓
Best months: May, Jun, Aug and Sep
May, June, August and September are the mild months, with highs of 65–83°. When to go ↓
An airport 11 miles away
Rapid City Regional (RAP) has airline service, about 11 miles from Reptile Gardens.
Established in 1937
Reptile Gardens dates from 1937. About ↓
Written from NOAA 1991–2020 normals, Overture places to stay, Census town figures, Wikidata and Wikipedia.
Highs and lows by month
This is the year’s weather near Reptile Gardens.
Reptile Gardens
Reptile Gardens is a reptile-focused zoo south of Rapid City, South Dakota, on US 16 between Rapid City and Mount Rushmore. The park is open from the first Saturday of March through November 30 each year. Reptile Gardens was certified in the 2014 and 2018 editions of Guinness World Records as the world's largest reptile zoo.
- Type
- Zoo & aquarium
- Established
- 1937
- Wikipedia readers
- 3.3K a year
Rooms near Reptile Gardens
Nearest for a night are Colonial Pine Hills (10) and Rapid City (76).
- 1Mount Rushmore
- 2Crazy Horse Memorial
- 3Black Elk Peak
- 4Custer
- 5Dinosaur Park
- 6Rushmore Plaza Civic Center
Compare 8 towns
| Town | From Reptile Gardens | Drive | Places to stay | People | Typical home | Safety |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Colonial Pine Hills | in town | — | 10 2 hotels · 2 inns & B&Bs · 1 campground · 5 RV parks | 2,609 | $407K | — |
| Rapid City | 6 mi northeast | 10 min | 76 58 hotels · 8 motels · 3 inns & B&Bs · 2 lodges & cabins · 5 campgrounds | 80,589 | $299K | D− |
| Keystone | 10 mi southwest | 15 min | 32 16 hotels · 1 motel · 2 inns & B&Bs · 7 lodges & cabins · 4 campgrounds · 2 RV parks | 268 | $264K | — |
| Hill City | 15 mi west | 25 min | 38 16 hotels · 2 motels · 4 inns & B&Bs · 6 lodges & cabins · 8 campgrounds · 2 RV parks | 938 | $286K | — |
| Custer | 23 mi southwest | 35 min | 42 14 hotels · 3 motels · 2 inns & B&Bs · 7 lodges & cabins · 14 campgrounds · 2 RV parks | 1,803 | $236K | — |
| Johnson Siding | 11 mi northwest | 15 min | 6 2 inns & B&Bs · 4 campgrounds | 704 | $472K | — |
| Box Elder | 13 mi northeast | 20 min | 5 3 hotels · 2 campgrounds | 13,936 | $302K | C |
| Hermosa | 11 mi south | 15 min | 3 1 inn or B&B · 1 campground · 1 RV park | 370 | $149K | — |
Getting there
Nearest airports with airline service
Nearby, too
Other well-known places within 42 miles.
Big draw112 mi National MemorialMount Rushmore National Memorial1.9M visitors a year
Big draw221 mi LandmarkCrazy Horse Memorial
42 mi National ParkBadlands National Park1.1M visitors a year
315 mi MountainBlack Elk Peak
418 mi State parkCuster State Park
32 mi National ParkWind Cave National Park606K visitors a year
56 mi MuseumDinosaur Park
67 mi Stadium & arenaRushmore Plaza Civic CenterPhoto credits
Mount Rushmore National Memorial: Thomas Wolf, www.foto-tw.de, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Crazy Horse Memorial: Jeffreylcooke, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Badlands National Park: Martin Kraft, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Black Elk Peak: BHrock at English Wikipedia, Public domain · Custer State Park: Guimir, Public domain · Wind Cave National Park: USGS/USGov, Public domain · Dinosaur Park: Minnesota Jones at en.wikipedia, Public domain · Rushmore Plaza Civic Center: Mr. Satterly, WTFPL
.jpg){kind=link}
.jpg){kind=link}
What people ask about Reptile Gardens
Is Reptile Gardens in Colonial Pine Hills?
Yes. It’s inside Colonial Pine Hills, SD.
When is the best time to visit Reptile Gardens?
May, June, August and September, with highs of 65–83°.
What is the closest airport to Reptile Gardens?
Rapid City Regional (RAP), about 11 miles away.
Where should I stay near Reptile Gardens?
Rapid City (6 mi, 76 places to stay), Keystone (10 mi, 32 places to stay) and Colonial Pine Hills (in town, 10 places to stay).
Locals’ advice in Colonial Pine Hills
Be the first to share a tip in Colonial Pine Hills’s Town Square.
Sources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · NOAA climate normals · U.S. Census.