We are pretty fortunate to live in an area that has the largest collection of reptiles in the world, but more than that it’s a true animal sanctuary.
Reptile Gardens is located right outside of Rapid City, SD on route to Mount Rushmore. It’s open March - November and admission fees differ depending on the time of year but average around;
- $14/adults
- $10/5-12 yr olds
- 4yr old and under are Free
The best part is once you purchase a ticket it’s good all year. That’s right, once you have your ticket you can go back anytime you like.
The park was established in 1935 and has gone on to win many awards including holding the Guinness Book of World Records for the largest reptile collection in the world. Unlike a normal zoo though, they focus on educating the public about the wildlife around them, while taking in animals that have debilitating injures. Most of the animals roam free within their divided areas and are very well taken care of. As someone who’s not really a fan of the traditional zoo, that’s pretty important to me.
There are so many animals at Reptile Gardens that I better get started!
The Snakes
I’m gonna be honest, I’m not a huge fan of snakes... but I still find this part of the sanctuary completely fascinating. They give you the ability to get up close and personal without of course being in any danger, which... let’s be honest, is a win-win. They also educate visitors of the local snakes in the area and how to properly live among them, ensuring the safety of not only ourselves, but the snakes as well. The sanctuary is one of the countries go to locations for anti venom, all while taking in injured snakes for rehabilitation from the surrounding areas.
They have a huge selection of snakes, but here are some of my favorites;
Timber Rattlesnake
Venomous
Range: Eastern United States
West African Gaboon Viper
Very Venomous
Range: Sub-Saharan Africa
Asian Green Vine Snake
Mildly Venomous
Range: Southeast Asia
Baja Rattlesnake
Venomous
Range: Baja California Peninsula
Copperhead
Venomous
Range: Eastern United States
The Bio Dome
All the snakes are housed inside of this stunning Bio Dome that also includes many tropical plant varieties among other things. Since I just showed you a bunch of photos of snakes I thought some of you may need a bit of a palette cleanse, so let’s have a look at those flowers...
—-
Alright, now within this bio dome are all these different areas to explore. One of which includes some of the cutest and most photogenic turtles I have ever met... you ready for this?
These two were just too much...
—-
Then if you keep exploring, you will find some tiny, colorful and oh so poisonous frogs...
—-
Within the dome there is quite a lot to see, it’s actually like being in a rainforest; Lizards are roaming around the floor while cockatoos are perched in the trees, It’s truly amazing.
The Alligators
The Gardens has a very large population of gators including Maniac, who is one of the biggest in the world. They do educational talks throughout the day to debunk many myths about these creators as well as let you explore them up close, to see their true beauty.
I had never realized how absolutely enchanting their eyes were... and I definitely took advantage of the ability to take some photos...
They were awe inspiring...
The Galapagos Giant Tortoise
Right outside the dome there is a beautiful garden area that you will find some ancient creatures roaming. They come from the Galápagos Islands off the western coast of South America and are an endangered species. To see them in all their stunning beauty so up close is a once in a lifetime experience...
This is Quazi, he’s 113 years old and loves long walks through the park, and eating watermelon...
He is over 3 ft tall and weighs around 600lbs...
This is probably my favorite part of the sanctuary because it is surrounded by lush gardens and is just so peaceful.
The Gardens
The whole grounds are a beautiful park setting, with every plant you can imagine. They label each one continuing with the theme of teaching individuals about the life around them, even the agricultural life. This also provides a beautiful setting for the animals as well as the individuals coming to learn about them. I could make a whole post about the plant life in this park, but for now I will just share some of my favorite photos.
This place truly is a beautiful sanctuary..
The Birds
In the garden sanctuary you will discover many tropical birds perched within the trees filling the park with their unique songs. They also do an educational bird show where you get to learn so much about these creatures, it was really enjoyable.
Then in another area you will find something extremely rare to see so close up, an American Bald Eagle...
American Eagles are The United States National Bird, and it’s illegal to keep them in captivity unless they cannot be released back into the wild. This is Cheyenne and she was found in the area with a badly damaged wing and near death. She was brought to the sanctuary for rehabilitation, but her injures were so severe that she is unable to fly and therefore has been given permission from the US Fish and Game Commision to stay at the sanctuary. She is absolutely breathtaking..
There are many other birds around the park and will try to share more photos of them in the future.
As you can see this park is full of animals and plants that you have the chance to learn about while getting to experience them up close and personal. Because of this it’s one of our favorite places to visit. We hope if you are ever in the area you get a chance to see these beautiful creatures...
I hope you have enjoyed going on this adventure with us! Until next time,
All photos and content are our own (with information gathered from the educational signs and facts we learned at the park). Please do not use any part of this post without our expressed permission. Thank you.
