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...
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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...
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Then if you keep exploring, you will find some tiny, colorful and oh so poisonous frogs...
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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.
This post was shared in the Curation Collective Discord community for curators, and upvoted and resteemed by the @c-squared community account after manual review.
I can't believe I wasn't aware of this when I visited Mount Rushmore a few years ago. If I ever go back I will def visit. Some great photos @llfarms
Thank you! Yes, it doesn’t look like much from the outside so it’s easy to miss but it’s somewhere you will definitely have to visit if you come back!
I am Pricasso most wonderful artist and this was most magical, Pricasso loves animals and nature this may just have given me new inspiration for a most magical masterpiece.
Be blessed
Yours Always
Pricasso
That's cool the ticket is good for a long time. Looks like there's a lot to see there.
Right? It’s so nice to be able to enjoy it through the year. There is so much to see!
Amazing post, lele <3 I love all the details that you've captured here, each area's photos and texts are just incredible. I feel like you've taken me there ! The close up shots are so gooooooood <3 <3 <3
Gorgeous post! Made my day reading it!!!
Awe thank you spider!! I really enjoyed getting up close to all of these gorgeous creatures and being able to get some shots. Your kind words just made my day 🤗, thank you.
Wow you got some great pictures here, lovely photo tour! Sounds like an amazing place to take the family, my kids would love this! Much love - Carl
Hey thanks Carl! Oh yeah, my 4 yr old can’t get enough of this place... it’s a lot of fun.
Hi llfarms,
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You are amazing in everything, Lele :) The photos are so pro. And I find that alligator shot really captivating.
Wow thank you 😊
I was impressed with how stunning they really were up close... I couldn’t stop taking photos of them!
❤️
It's indeed a nice place. Around here we do not have much of that, the only times i have seen a gathering of reptiles was in a movie. 😊😊
I've seen a crocodile once and that was at my school, in the sciences. And i do not see these things often, i find it hard to differentiate between alligators and crocodiles.
However, i do not like snakes.
Nice shots
Thank you!
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American bald eagle. Stunning rescue animal, great to see we have so many folks that care for nature. Always wondered why they called it that as it isn't bald.. Lol nice one. Cheer$;)
I always wondered the same as well! I was once told that it’s because from far away the white coloring on its head looks bald in contrast to the dark brown body... who knows though haha.
Thank you!
Thank you for letting us into the reptile park, I have never been aware that such park exist. Like yourself, I am not a fan of snakes but I love this asian green vine snake, the color looks so artificial. I love Galapagos giant tortoise . I saw them first time as a little child and was really scared, you can imagine how it is for little child to see this creature. But nowadays I love them.
Also your photographs of alligators eyes are really interesting you can see the details of the Iris, may be one day I will draw an alligator eye too.
It might have taken you few hours to see everything and enjoy the nature and wild life.
Really good selection you have collected for the post. Felt myself like I was there :)
Thank you so much!! The Asian green vine snake was so fascinating because it actually danced back and forth in front of me, he was really special. Yes, I can image how scary such a large turtle would be to a young child. They are so gentle but their size is intimidating!
I would be so interested to see you draw the alligators eye, I think there are just so many intricate details, that would be a fascinating piece for sure!
Wow that's a nice report @llfarms :) Those crocodiles look freaking scary lol.. But that huge turtle is the bomb! Parrots are always nice (I love them).. Cool post, thanks for sharing!
These are very beautiful pictures.
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i love reptile...