1624 E. St Patrick St #101
605-348-7827
Sunday to Saturday
10:00am to 10:00pm
-OR-
711 Omaha Street
605-343-8020
Monday to Saturday
10:00am to 8:00pm
Pauly’s is my favorite place to get pizza in Rapid City. It’s a hip, friendly place that has the best crusts and cheeses in town.
Pauly’s offers a nice array of pizza’s, salads, and subs. I’ve met people who live for their no-frills pepperoni, but I am in love with their gyro pizza. Served with tzatziki sauce on the side, it hits the spot every time. Pauly’s has delicious parmesan knots, which I also love, and are a great snack. If you like lots of crispy bacon, I would suggest their chicken BLT salad, which has enough bacon to satisfy the even the most extreme bacon lover. As far as sandwiches, the West Coast Stack is by far the best.
Pauly’s has been recently been remodeled and upgraded to a sports bar. For all you sports fans that enjoy yelling at huge flashing screens, this is a place for you. If you are not, there is usually something else to watch or those little techie trivia games you can test your smarts with. Also for you techie’s – order online at their website.
Did you know your $15 Adult, $13.50 Senior, or $10 kids ages 5-12 Summer admission to Reptile Gardens buys you a season pass May 28 through Labor day? Or, your Fall visit for $11 Adult, $10 Senior, or $7 kids ages 5-12 admission buys you a season pass for Labor Day through October 31? Well, I didn’t and though its not a KGB secret, it seems somewhat unknown. I should add that fo-yo old and under are free regardless of when they visit.
One small tip: You have to request the season pass upon your exit from the park. No, its not automatically given to you when you pay your admission and my cashier failed to apprise me of this little gem. [begin French accent] But of course, as I sometimes dew, [end French accent] I didn’t pay attention to signage so it’s entirely possible that something was posted and I just didn’t take notice.
I am by no means a fan of reptiles and primarily disgruntled toward snakes. Mainly because things that move on land without legs and feet are as creepy as a night watchmen showing up early for work at a Chuckie Cheese. But…I was enchanted with the opportunity to explore Reptile Gardens accompanied by a friend whom I hadn’t seen in 18 years.
The park has three interactive exhibits/shows; birds, snakes, and crocs/alligators. The shows can be caught several times a day, and do not require a separate admission fee.
The Wings of Adventure session is basically a birds of prey display with hawks, vultures, owls and a falcon. The length of the show varies dependent on the current mood of the birds. The birds move off ’stage’ at their own accord with a reward for leaving or performing for the audience. Obviously, it would not be a good idea for birds of prey to interact with other species especially in front of impressionable eyes. So the show can go either direction, short for birds in a hurry to get rewarded, or slow for stubborn foul.
We were slow moving through the park and missed the snake performance, but no love lost there. After all, it’s Reptile Gardens with several dozens of snakes available to be viewed in the Sky Dome without sitting amongst the masses to see a human toy with deadly snakes. The display area is behind glass so, no worries about Jr. getting bit. Judging from the ooh’s and aah’s from the snake set, it was an enjoyable but slightly terrifying experience for viewers.
Alas, the impressive crocodile and alligator show. The handler was very entertaining and provided an educational back drop. The crowd seemed to gasp, yet encourage the scaled carnivores to snack on the handler. No such luck, as it appeared to be a finely choreographed dance of near death and humane treatment of the two dozen beast.
There are plenty of other interesting things to see including but not limited to; a prairie dog town with a tunnel to a ground level observation bubble, the famous photogenic 125+ year old Methuselah (giant Galapagos tortoise) who enjoys a good neck rub, as well as multiple man-made exhibits. I could continue with several more pages of review, but some things are best experienced first hand.
I recommend visiting Reptile Gardens at least once in your life, if for anything, to pay respect to Methuselah the flagship member in an exciting and educational South Dakota attraction.
Reptile Gardens is nestled in a small valley just six miles south of Rapid City on HWY 16/Mt. Rushmore Rd.
The city calls it a path, some call it a trail, but frankly, it’s an oversized concreted sidewalk FREE of admission. Easily commuted by bike, sneaks or a stroller if you can find someone to push you, it is a docile afternoon of activity.
According to my mountain bike computer it’s just under 14 miles one direction and starts and ends near the city limits East (Star of the West Sports Complex off E. St Patrick St.) to West (near Cleghorn Trout Hatchery off HWY 44). It’s an enjoyable jaunt with an abundance of access points (too many to list) if you wish not to cover the full length.
The path does not feel like it has any elevation change to it. However, the it courses parallel to gently flowing Rapid Creek, which to the keen observer would indicate a slight incline/decline dependent on the route you choose to take. I assure you its negligible exertion either direction, even for couch potatoes, and won’t leave your legs feeling like you’ve had a mafia beating.
There is plenty of fun to have alone, with your family or a couple friends on this winding venture through Rapid City. You will pass by soccer and baseball fields, numerous parks, Storybook Island, a couple golf courses and Cleghorn Springs Trout Hatchery, so there is no shortage of stops to take in the scenery on the Rapid City Bike Path.
Midpoint on the path with outdoor seating and bike racks to secure your ride, is the golden arches. Yes, I’m talking McD’s and it’s less then 30 feet off the path and has its own sidewalk exit approach to the East of the restaurant. Trust me you can’t miss taking a break to scarf down a couple hot fudge sundaes and an order of fries. Hey your exercising right? Reward yourself and/or the kiddos.
Don’t think for a minute this is only a seasonably functional path. The city of Rapid City manages the path and does a pretty good job of clearing winter snow. Truly a year round opportunity.
No bike, no problem. You can rent a bike from Two Wheeler Dealer. Minimum rental is five hours and runs $18. Feeling spry go for a day rental at $29 or weekly for 80 smacks on a bare ass. Ok, actually $80 would cover the week. Prices and availability vary and of course are subject to change, so call ahead and make a reservation.
In my opinion the bike path is the anchor of free active entertainment in Rapid City. I ride frequently and never tire or bore with this easily accessible path, trail, sidewalk, whatever you wish to call it. The path is comfortably navigated by young and old, so don’t leave anyone at home. Get out and hit it, run it, walk it, ride it, but most of all, simply enjoy it!
225 Main St,
Hill City, SD
You can’t claim to be from the Black Hills unless you have been to the Alpine Inn in Hill City for their filet dinner at least once. Perhaps you can claim to be from Rapid City, Custer or maybe even Hisega, but definitely not the Black Hills. I did not become ‘from’ the Black Hills until late this spring, when I finally decided I had better try out this place I had always seen and heard about. Here’s the deal at the Alpine Inn: Once you sit down and order your drinks, the waiter asks if you want the 6 ounce or the 9 ounce filet. Once that is decided, you get your meal. Salad: a wedge of iceberg lettuce drizzled with Alpine Inn’s homemade ranch dressing. I might add here that it is one of the best dressings I’ve ever had, and I don’t even like ranch. Then comes your 6 or 9 ounce bacon-wrapped filet, a baked potato, and buttered Texas Toast. The filets we had were great. This is your no-frills steak dinner done right. No more worrying about whether your order is going to get mixed up or whether or not your steak is going to be dry, chewy or tasteless.
The Alpine in is generally busy during the summer, tourists and locals alike are enjoying a steak. And if you have kids that don’t yet have a palate refined enough for steak, there is a kids’ meal. The lunch menu is posted on the Alpine Inn’s website, and looks very German – Bratwurst and Ruebens, along with your typical American sandwiches.
Before going to the Alpine Inn, I had heard that one must try the dessert, as it is the best part. I expected to get a good dessert, but what I did not expect was to choose from more than 20 different desserts! At this place you really do need a dessert menu. Kudos to any waiter or waitress that can recite them all! I tried the Bavarian Cream Cake. They say a taste can enlighten your memory, and the first bite of this brought me back to the quaint town of Lake Bled, Slovenia, where their specialty dessert is called Crema Rezina. Who knew I could travel to Slovenia without leaving the Black Hills? My hubby tried some sort of chocolate waffle, piled high with countless other toppings. All I remember was it was so big it could have been mistaken for breakfast for two. As for the other 18 – plus desserts, you’ll have to try them yourself.
At the end of the meal we were delightfully surprised at the price of our dinners. The 6 ounce steak is priced at $8.95 and the 9 ounce at $10.95. Can you get a good steak at that price? Apparently so, that is, if you are truly ‘from’ the Black Hills.
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