Top attractions for a Rapid City, S.D., getaway

Ronald Reagan stands among the 40 life-sized presidential statues on Rapid City street corners.

A presidential getaway: More than Mount Rushmore

Photos & feature by Lisa Meyers McClintick

In honor of President's Day, here's a look at Rapid City, S.D., the longtime gateway to Mount Rushmore and newly dubbed City of Presidents.

You can admire four of the nation's most influential presidents looming large at Mount Rushmore or pose with life-size versions of every American president in Rapid City's downtown. The city's bronze collection of presidential statues was completed last year and features every one but current President Obama.

You can see John F. Kennedy walking his son, John Jr., Thomas Jefferson working on the Declaration of Independence, and Jimmy Carter waving a cheery hello kitty-corner from Ronald Reagan in full ranch attire. Fans of Ronald Reagan celebrated the 100th anniversary of his birth earlier this month.

Prairie Edge and its bead collection

Top things to do  
in Rapid City, SD

1. Admire the Smithsonian-worthy talent at Prairie Edge Gallery, which blends amazing Native American artwork with an Indian trading post, upscale gift boutique, gallery and bookstore with one of the country's best collections of Native American music and literature. Best little secret here: A lofted museum showcases a stunning collection of Venetian glass beads.

Firehouse Brewery

2. Grab a drink or meal at Firehouse Brewery's outdoor courtyard, where they fire up live music, warm torches and take full advantage of a great location in the midst of downtown Rapid City's shops and restaurants.

Alex Johnson lobby

3. Check out The Journey, a great introduction to all things South Dakotan, from the Native American tale of creation and a simulated dinosaur dig camp to Old West towns and tipis.

4. Savor dinner at one of the new upscale eateries, such as Tally's Silver Spoon. Look for Dakota fare, such as pheasant or bison.

Dinner at Tally's

5. If you like something quirky, check out the Art Alley between St. Joseph and Main Streets. It's graffiti gone wild and the one place I did see President Obama. He was in the company of Garfield (the cat, not the president) and Homer Simpson. You never know who will show up here.

6. Soak up history and atmosphere in the Alex Johnson Hotel lobby. The rooms have gone through a complete renovation, but in the lobby and ballroom, it still feels like past presidents will walk through the door and make themselves at home in the big leather chairs.

Minnesota's Wild Rice Season

Wild ricing on the Leech Lake Indian Reservation.

The Bois Forte Heritage Center, a wonderful and overlooked Native American museum near Tower, Minnesota, beautifully tells the story of how their band of Ojibwe came to Minnesota. After being forced from the East Coast, a guiding spirit told them to go where food grows on the water.

That food--wild rice that thrives in the shallows of Minnesota and Wisconsin lakes--sustained them and remains a cherished part of their culture.

Celebrate the Wild Rice Moon

In late August and early September--the time of the Wild Rice Moon--tribal members and others head across the state to ricing lakes.

Raw wild rice from the Crow Wing lakes.

They pole through through the grasses, rhythmically using cedar ricing sticks to sweep the grasses over the canoe and gently knock the ripened grains into the bottom. I was fortunate enough to ride along with Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe conservation officer, Frank Bowstring, a few years ago. During his childhood, kids could get out of school to help with the rice harvest which could pay for school clothes.

We watched a few ricers head onto Nature Lake. They expertly captured wild rice grains with skills passed through the generations. Later, we watched water-rich green rice meticulously parched in iron drums that rotated over wood fires in Cass Lake. Once it dried and chaff was removed, bags of processed rice piled up with the name of the ricer written across burlap bags.

Hand-harvest wild rice vs. cultivated

The thick, plump mottled earth tones of hand-harvested wild rice is clearly a different product than cultivated rice. Cultivated rice, with its shiny, thin ebony grains are bred to be machine-harvested. With the tough hulls, it takes 45 minutes to cook. True wild rice takes only 20 minutes. The White Earth Band of Ojibwe has long fought to highlight the differences and to maintain this sacred crop.

Green wild rice ready for processing

I consider myself a harvest junkie, but will leave wild ricing to the experts. And I'll more gratefully invest in bags of wild rice knowing the labor that's involved.

Wild rice across the state

Anyone can rice, and many people do it as a seasonal passion. A license is required through the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, which can also help you find accessible rivers and shallow lakes. (Only tribal members can rice on reservations.) Following waterfowl helps, too--the rice is their equivalent of an energy bar for the long migration south.

Wild rice on a stalk.

The DNR estimates there are more than 60,000 acres of wild rice among more than 700 lakes --the most of any state in the country.

When you're out and about this fall, look for authentic Minnesota wild rice at gift shops, grocers, and up-north convenience markets. Buying a bag or more helps support this $2 million crop and celebrates one of the state's best culinary treasures. Add wild rice's rich, nutty flavor to salads, casseroles, side dishes, breakfast entrees and Minnesota's famous wild rice soup.

More on wild rice: Best places to dine on wild rice plus two excellent wild rice recipes for the holidays.