Loved all the exhibits and the garden. My daughter is really into reptiles and this was really hands on in the garden and that was pretty exciting. We needed this experience, I love gardening myself and the flowers were all very lovely. Everyone was friendly, I enjoyed watching the children go gator fishing. They strung raw chicken on a string and have it over the gator pond so the child and essentially watch them jump and bite it. The Bald Eagle is Beautiful. I was also very impressed with the size of Maniac.

I had an absolute blast! Great for all ages! I could have walked around for hours! So many different creatures to see and learn about! The facility is beautiful and the creatures are well taken care of - you can tell! This is a must for those vacationing in the area! I highly recommend to all!

I LOVE REPTILE GARDENS! Dont let the outside appearance of this low key reptile zoo fool you. This is a WORLD CLASS zoological experience nestled in (near) the Black Hills of South Dakota.This was my second time to visit this excellent collection of many of the coolest reptiles, amphibians, birds, bugs, arachnids, flowers, etc. If you are even mildly interested in the subject matter, this is a must see.I wont give away all the surprises, but be prepared to see the greatest assortment of these critters in the world. They even have a Guinness World Record! The curator obviously had a great love for their work. If you take the time to read all the informative placards, youll emerge an expert on the subject matter. Affordable, kid friendly, dog friendly. Staff was extremely friendly, sincere and helpful. If I am ever within 90 miles of this great attraction, I will return! Have fun!

Reptile Gardens is one of my favorite places to visit in the Black Hills! The staff is always warm and welcoming and do an awesome job of talking about the animals. COVID has limited some activities, but Reptile Gardens has implemented other activities to ensure a great experience! I love that we were able to feed the alligators this year (thanks for the help Dayn)! Last week we even watched Terry feed the anacondas! The tortoises will always be my favorite! Keep up the great work!

Loved all the reptiles. Wish they were all housed correctly though. You would think a place like this would know how to properly do enclosures. And I actually know the proper enclosures for reptiles. I resue bearded dragons, snakes, turtles, tortoises and also tarantulas. Some of the turtles didnt have enough room to swim in their enclosures. I realize people go here to view these beautiful creatures, the snakes and tarantulas need proper hides. The Mexican Red Knee enclosure was especially heart breaking to see. Way too much extra items in the enclosure, not enough substrate to burrow and too much space between the substrate and the top of the enclosure. Thats enough space for a death if she fell from a climb.

Lots of snake, turtles and lizards. You can come and go as many times as you would like with the purchase of a ticket good all season long. Friendly and knowledgeable staff. Worth the money.

We were looking for a spot to check out after visiting Mt. Rushmore. The grandson LOVED the animals AND the play area set up for the kids to get some energy out. The food was ok. Nothing too special, but the staff was friendly and efficient. The gift store had lots to choose from with reasonable prices.

Very interesting, educational place for kids with many great activities. We fed the crocodiles, panned for treasures, interacted with the turtles, enjoyed the lovely grounds. Staff was wearing masks however, it was not required. We wouldve stayed longer and enjoyed it more had masks been mandatory.

This is one of our favorite places to visit when we are in Rapid City. The staff is always friendly. The staff do a great job of keeping every thing clean. We are able to pay the admission fees and return multiple times on the same trip without paying another fee. We will be back on future visits.

Very educational and laid back. Walk around at your own pace. Take as much time as you like. Reptiles and birds including a bald eagle, parrots, birds of prey, an owl, different monitors, alligators, crocodiles, snakes, lizards, frogs, spiders, and even a komodo dragon.... Giant tortoises, prairie dogs, plants, flowers and more.

If youre ever in the Rapid City area this is a place to absolutely stop at! Fun for the whole family and can easily knock out a couple of hours wandering around and looking at all the cool creatures!The gift shop is also very large and has tons of shirts/plushies/and more!

Great place to visit. Giant Tortoises, Alligators, Crocodiles, Prairie dogs, beautiful birds, and so much more. Great Scenery and Flower gardens.

Lots and lots of species of reptiles the out door tortoise area was by far my favorite. Definitely worth the cost. Bet its even better when covid is done.

So beautiful and the snakes on display dont disappoint. Please go and support this wonderful facility. Every person we spoke to that works here is friendly and helpful.

Kids loved it. You get to interact with the animals. Pet the tortoises, feed alligators, the birds will do prompts. Lots of creepy, crawlies. Beautiful landscaping. Option for a second day entry with one fee.

This place is great. Bigger than expected. They have an array of reptiles and great facts posted. I loved that you could touch the tortoises! Best part. Bummer there were things closed due to covid and no shows - but nice that was posted on the website so you knew in advance, many places dont post covid info which can be very frustrating. Must see!

Fun place, kids loved it. The animals were surprisingly active, more than other such places Ive been. Fun gift shop too.

I took my oldest daughter there 15 years ago and it was great. Was back a couple of weeks ago with my younger kids. We learned a lot and had some great experiences.

Fun place. The terrarium dome with plants, lizards, frogs + parrots was the best part. Great for all ages.

Overall, Reptile Gardens is a fun place to visit for families. The food from the cafe was good and reasonably priced, the gift shop was huge with a lot of variety, and the signage both for how to get around and marking the plants and animals was great. Our favorite part was petting the giant Galapagos tortoises. They were gentle giants and actually seemed to smile when being scratched!Its been 16 years since I was last at Reptile Gardens and I was disappointed that they havent seemed to update it much in that time. Some of the areas needed renovation and the pens that the alligators and crocodiles were in were small and depressing - literally just a pen big enough to fit the animal and a puddle of water.

Coolest experience ever! Super awesome friendly and knowledgeable staff! Seeing the huge torts and petting them where by far the best! The lady in the gift shop was so sweet and we loved her!

This may be the most complete reptile zoo in the United States. They have a very impressive variety of snakes. We loved interacting with the giant tortoises. The giant crocodile was awesome and the shows are real crowd pleasers when they can have them.

It’s really cool place. If you’re interested with the reptiles I’m sure you will like here.

It was ok. There were some neat exhibits and the plants were beautiful. Maybe if we went earlier in the season and could have seen more of the beauty in the gardens, it would have been worth the cost. I was not impressed with how they housed some of the animals (especially the tortoises which were in a small concrete pen, walking around in the own poo with nothing else to do). I get that it’s cold but you think there would have been a more enriching enclosure. I would not go here again even if it were free. Once was enough for me.

Had an amazing time and enjoyed the zoo so much! I highly recommend this place! One of the coolest reptile zoos out there! Brian

Very cool place to take the kids, there’s a lot to look at and they have so many shows scheduled throughout the day. They had a very large collection of snakes that’s pretty amazing and a very beautiful botanical garden.The crocodile/alligator show was fun. The host was pretty funny and entertaining. He did a great job! Overall it was a great experience and my daughter enjoyed this place.

So much to see! It is crazy how many beautiful and super deadly snakes are in one place. And their lizard room thing is so friggen awesome! There are birds, lizards, snakes, alligators, crocodiles, frogs, turtles, scorpions, prairie dogs, an eagle, some laughing birds, other bugs. My kids loved this place and so did I. I would go here again and again! I recommend anyone to bring their families. Pretty awesome experiences and the animals looked happy and healthy!

Great place to visit if you are into the slithery sort. Its awesome that they give a military discount and parking is always plentiful. Being able to get a season pass from March to November is great. The handlers are entertaining. Make sure you visit during the summer season so you can catch the gator shows.

Well done for this sort of attraction. Large selection of reptiles from all around the world. Also has a few other kinds of animals. Nice gardens areas that are great for those that dont enjoy reptiles quite as much as the rest of the family

So much to say that is great about this stop but heres the short long of it.The attraction itself is amazing! Its just big enough to be a 2-3 hours with taking your time and enjoying everybit of it all.The employees were exceptionally polite and very knowledgeable. Very helpful as well with questions on the animals.There was a lot of cool, fun exhibits but the tortoises were one of the most awesome things my family and I have ever seen!If we are back this way sometime we will certainly return.

We took a family of nine (aged 13 - 75) here on a Tuesday and had a great time. The open aviary and the crocodile and alligator enclosures were the best part of the establishment in my opinion. We also had the good fortune to watch a snake show, and then later a bird show (hawk, eagle, owls)-both were well presented well and interesting. There are A LOT of snakes here!oh yes: there are also some Galapagos tortoises, one is 115 years old. Nice place!

The grounds are absolutely beautiful! The creepy crawlies were fascinating. All the staff were knowledgeable and willing to answer all our questions. And Ruth in the Jungle Outpost gift shop was so very helpful.

So much fun learning about reptiles! The shows demonstrating and teaching about the alligators, crocodiles, and snakes that should resume after Covid is over. The gigantic alligator that weights over 1,000 lbs and the 3 huge tortoises are my favorite.

If you really like touristy things and enjoy zoos then you will like this place most likely. Im not a huge fan of tourist attractions so I was not very impressed. However they do have some very large turtles that you are able to pet and interact with which is pretty cool.

This is an amazing place for the whole family. Have just about every reptile you can think of from king cobras and anacondas to 20 ft long alligators and giant tortoise you can pet and interact with. Highly recommend if in the area.

This was similar to many other zoo areas. There was a younger guy in the turtle petting area who was phenomenal. He walked around with us and introduced us to the turtles and was very informative. We showed up around 5pm on a Sun and he still gave us full attention. Was my favorite part of the park.

Too cool. All the animals there are amazing. The Rainforest exhibit is one of a kind.

Lots to see here. The gators and giant turtles are amazing. Totally for kids but you probably wont be bored as an adult either. The drawbacks were the high ticket prices and the exit is right through the gift shop. There is an option to visit the site multiple times with one admission. I would go back.

Excellent display of many various species. I really loved the natural exhibit for lizards and frogs as well.

Love all the animals, gardens and flowers and interactive opportunities with the animals!

Largest selection of reptiles in the world. So clean and very well taken care place. Beautiful. Petting a 114-year old tortoise was amazing!

Very nice place. Great exhibits and dog friendly. We enjoyed our visit and will be back again soon.

Wonderful place to visit! My 9 year old daughter had a terrific time and so did my husband. Wish we were in town longer to make another visit. Highly recommend for kids that love all things science, especially animals (reptiles), plants, and rocks. A big thank you to the friendly and helpful staff.

This was a nice stop for the kids. Alot of great reptiles and birds to see up close. The park had way more than I expected great for a quick stop for the entire family!

Very nice facility full of critters that appear to be healthy and kept in clean confines with no signs of being stressed or anything.Beyond the reptiles to see, the grounds are immaculately kept and many workers throughout the area were seen tidying the common areas, wiping down surfaces, and caring for the flowers, lawn, etc.All employees encountered were helpful and friendly. We especially appreciated that we were able to carry a small dog throughout most of the displays and grounds.Definitely a highlight of the trip stopping here and well worth the admittance charge.--Dustin

This was an awesome find on our trip! I never imagined Id get as close as I did to a giant tortoise. Well worth the time and money!!

Still a cool place but with all of the shows canceled and areas of the park closed off, it seems like they should have decreased ticket price. $84 for 3 adults and 3 kids is pretty steep for a purely self guided walking tour. Also be nice if the gift shop wasnt just a random assortment of gas station quality trinkets. Youve got this huge attraction and the items that are actually specific to your park could fit on one small rack out of a huge store

This is always a great stop while in the Hills. It doesnt matter if your 5 or 50, this attraction is a staple to the area! If you are a lover of reptiles and animals alike you HAVE to stop here!

Had a great time! Kind of a bummer that the shows were cancelled, but with Covid its understandable and they adjusted the admission price as a result. Would definitely recommend to anyone looking for a family-friendly experience!

This place is amazing. They have everything up close and personal. Tons of exotic creatures amazing staff and price of entry isnt bad at all

This place was awesome even on a cool rainy Fall day! Can only imagine the beautiful gardens in the Summer! Thank you!

This was actually from 1982. Was traveling/visiting family in Rapid City, South Dakota and went out for the day to see Mount Rushmore and the absolutely Amazing REPTILE GARDENS!This snake was okay. I stayed far away from the many Rattlesnakes though!

As a Rapid City local, Ive been coming here since 1973. Came first when I was a child, brought my children and now my grandchildren. Always great! A side note, the motorcycle rally is a great time to go because they arent busy there !

I remember visiting as a small child(in the 70s). The small children got to ride the tortoises, we are bringing our grandchildren in October. Is this still allowed? We are super excited to visit.

Better than expected. Staff was friendly and where else can you tickle a turtle? Loved it and highly recommend

Very fun place to go. Wide variety of reptiles to view and LOTS of snakes. Some are the only ones of their kind on display in the United States. The staff are very friendly and the employees doing the animal shows are knowledgeable and fun to watch. We were able to see the bird show, snake show and alligator show back to back on a Sunday. Our two year old had a blast. Would definitely stop here again.

It was very fun and great atmosphere we will be returning.

I was here 15 Years ago with my nephew. I was an awesome experience. We spent the day at the park and ate lunch there. We experienced all of he animal encounters and it was awesome.10 years ago we cane while some of the boys were in their teens and our youngest were 6 and 3. Again the animal encounters maded this an awesome experience and mad for a full day.Now my youngest are of age where they can appreciate it. We paid full price for the ticket and there were no animal encounters. The kids found it boring and when they got hungry, none of the vendors were open. This was very disappointing and if I had this experience 15 years ago I would never have returned.I gave 1 star but maybe should be 1/2 star.

Pretty nice attraction. Lots of great animals, and the facilities are pretty well kept up.

We love visiting! The staff is always super friendly and my children enjoy the exhibits over and over again.

My family really enjoyed the wide variety of animals to see and learn about at Reptile Gardens. I like how everything is labeled so well-even the plants in the gardens. I do wish it was easier for the kids to see the high up creature displays. We were always lifting them up and theyre too heavy for much of that.

Really nice reptile museum. Lots of reptiles to see and learn about. The young lady that was outside with the Macaw, the small white owl and the hawks was very informative and friendly. Seemed like she really enjoys her job working with animals. Great place to go to early mornings. Animals are more active early mornings.

Very happy that we decided to stop here. The flowers and landscaping were beautiful. So many interesting things to see. The observant lady that sold us our tickets stopped me soon after we entered...she had my credit card I had accidentally dropped! I don’t know her name but a special thank you from me!!!

Lots of really cool animals to look at. Its has more than just reptiles. The gift shop is really neat too. Defitely recommend.

Gorgeous place. Scratching the tortoises necks was an amazing experience that I definitely recommend. They really seemed to love it too. Right now, the park has a deal where if you take a picture next to a sign they have throughout the park you get free 2020 season admission. Gift shop prices were also extremely reasonable and the items there were unique.

Despite the building with the snakes in it being a little too hot and over crowded with people who wouldnt wear a mask, we had a blast here. They even allow pets. The giant alligator was my favorite part. The employees were friendly and knowledgeable, the grounds were well kept and there are plenty of reptiles to see.

Neat little reptile zoo. Has some history worth learning about. The cost is a little high (would be better if they had a family rate, we had 2A, 4C and it was over $80). But, for the price of admission, you get a bird show, a snake show, & an alligator show. Those were neat - I would highly recommend. Then you can walk around & see the other animals and displays. Make sure to visit the prairie dogs - they are so cute. The snake dome is neat too. The gift shop is HUGE! We came back another day and slipped into the gift shop to do some more shopping. I would recommend this during your vacation. Only takes about 2-3 hours (1/2 day).

Beautiful gardens. Nice exhibits. Large selection. You can pet a giant 114-year old tortoise. Strongly recommend you dont miss it!

Took grandkids, havent been there for quite a few years. Spent over three hours enjoying our time with family. Would definitely go again next year.

I had watched the YouTube video introducing the place and what they have to offer. The tortoises were inside so there was not an interactive area (not sure if thats due to covid or the cooler temps we had today). They are not offering shows in 2020. I wish this was explained when purchasing tickets. I should of dove deeper into the website I guess. After looking into their website more tonight it said their pricing reflects that but for what is offered I thought they were overpriced.

Besides the reptiles they have a lot of plants and flower gardens. Place was very clean and nicely laid out.

What a great place to take a kid! Fun for parents too.

Absolutely loved it at Reptile Gardens. Learned a bunch of new things, as well as met a new friend. Feeding the gators was very fun and definitely worth the money.

Thought this was going to be touristy but was totally surprised by how extensive and well kept the exhibits were. Staff was really informative and friendly. Great family trip!

Awesome place to spend a couple hours!! Got these Floridians out the snow and we loved all the critters!!Wheelchair friendly and very helpful staff too!!!

Great place to bring the kids

Such a great gem of Rapid City! My family and I stopped on our way through to Mt. Rushmore. Great exhibits, lots to see... everything was nicely labeled with interesting facts. The only thing was the live shows were not running, due to COVID, which was not their fault! A great place to bring your family!

This is a super fun place to visit while vacationing in the Black hills. The crocodile show was so crazy and cool. We also loved the giant turtle. I opted to avoid the snake show but my family seemed to enjoy it. Plan ahead and go early before the rain moves in.

Nice staff. Wasnt very crowded for a Saturday. Grandson loved touching the giant tortoises. He also fed a Nile Crocodile.

Always a fun experience. Logan was fun to watch wrangle the critters big and small. Great collection of reptiles and birds that pray...prey.

What an amazingly beautiful zoo, garden, and mineral exhibit. It was all well thought out and animals well cared for. I never been to such a beautiful place! Highly recommend

I love this place. Completely worth the stop, all the animals are happy and spoiled. An easy walk around and I saw all of my favorite animals in one spot. Kneel down and look an amazing predator or tortoise in the eye

This is literally the most interesting place with animals I’ve seen. We were stopping by absolutely randomly and was extremely surprised!The biggest alligator is omg so impressive! He’s almost 50yo his name Maniac and he really is And from the first sight you can tell that animals are treated very nicely in that place! All the cages very clean! Stuff very friendly. Animals feeling happy and calm. You would see so many reptiles they all healthy and wonderful! I wish I would come back one day to see the again. And birds show also super interesting for kids and adults as well.

Awesome experience. Kids had a blast. Went to gator and snake show. Presenter on both was the same and a great speaker and funny. After the show kids got to pet baby alligator and a snake. Turtles were amazing and the kids got to pet them. Facility was clean and well maintained. Try and avoid peak times, it gets crazy busy. Well worth the visit.

Absolutely wonderful place to take your kids, lots of stuff to see!

I just visited the Reptile Gardens with my family and I noticed that many of the enclosures were far too small for the animals inside. There were two dozen alligators crammed into a small arena, crocodiles crammed into rooms with barely any room to move or even turn around, turtles in small fish tanks. This is inhumane and terrible to do to these wild animals. I will include some photos. Not to mention not a single mask was seen on any employee. This place is grimy.

Cool place to visit, lots of interesting reptiles

Loved it! The kids had a great time. If youre in the area multiple days, take a picture by the season pass turtle, and youll be able to come back without additional fees. Lots of reptiles, bugs, and some birds.

Excellent adventure for all ages! The giant tortoises were so adorable and sweet. The amount of flowers was incredible and so colorful. It was a bit pricey for entrance admissions, but was 100% worth it. The leader of the snake show was very funny and the snake show was overall interesting. A fantastic experience!

Very neat place. They have very nice and informative staff. There are 3 different shows, the bird show, the snakes, and the alligator show. They have several times each day for the shows. There is a prairie dog exhibit, tortoises, as well as a dome that hosts many reptiles, including their massive alligator, as well as some different birds.

This is a great place for children and adults. We learned a lot about reptiles (what they eat, where they are from, rare facts about them, etc). My kids had a blast and so did I. The staff was very nice and professional. The kids really enjoyed seeing the giant tortoises and having the opportunity to touch/pet them. I would visit again if we are ever back in the area.

I used to live in South Dakota and when I was youngs the school would take us on field trips here. I remember it being so much fun, and there was so very much to look at! This year I convinced my husband to take the kids there this year. They had such a blast and I cannot wait to take them again! If youre going to check this place out, just plan on spending all day there. If you dont like creepy crawlies this probably isnt the place for you. Thanks for the great time Reptile Gardens!!!

This place is a whole lot of fun, especially for kids! They have giant tortoises that you can walk amongst and pet, definitely the highlight of our visit. The gators and crocs are truly impressive and as a bonus you can also feed them. There are a lot of activities and attractions to keep little ones preoccupied and a nice variety of reptiles and some other animals and birds.

Tank I love that tortoise! Had a wonderful time with the family. Wish we had more time to be there be prepared to slow down a bit more to see every creature there. Well worth it!

I love it because you can see all these cool animals and touch the giant turtles

We had fun at this mom and pop road side Attraction. My kids loved petting the tortoise and peaking their heads up in the prairie dog exebit.

Cool stop. Bring the family for a quick trip to the Reptile Gardens. Lots of snakes, lizards, turtles and birds. Nice gift shop. Worth dropping by.

Very nice. Probably never seen and unattended snake that close. Incredible. #reptiles

Was there 35 years ago and loved it. Loved it again. Help was knowledable & looked like they enjoyed their jobs

It was great! Beautiful. Wished there was shows but seeing the workers still informed us about the birds and turtles. Kids really enjoyed it. My son is a big reptile person.