Reptile Gardens

Reptile Gardens For hours and rates, check our website or give us a call. www.reptilegardens.com
(8914)

Founded in 1937, and still under ownership of the same family, the Black Hills’ Reptile Gardens has steadily grown to one of the leading tourist attractions in the Midwest. Since its beginning, Reptile Gardens has been a source of entertainment and family fun as well as an unforgettable learning experience for millions of visitors by providing them the rare opportunity to observe these exotic animals up close.

"You can tell the age of a rattlesnake based on the length of its rattle!" 🐍Actually, no. The only thing you might learn...
11/07/2025

"You can tell the age of a rattlesnake based on the length of its rattle!" 🐍

Actually, no. The only thing you might learn if you try to count the segments of rattlesnake's rattle is how it feels to get bit.

Just like our fingernails, a rattlesnake’s rattle is made up of a material called keratin. Every time they shed, a rattlesnake gains a new segment, and a young rattlesnake might shed 5-10 times within a year! Also like our fingernails, these rattles face wear and tear, and old segments will often break off. Thus, the only way to truly know a rattlesnake's age is to see its birth certificate, and since they don't have pockets, we're usually left with just admiring this incredible group of snakes and respecting them when they use that rattle.

Learn more about rattlesnakes during our daily Snake Shows (10:30, 12:30, and 2:30) and in the Sky Dome!

“It’s not a phase Mom!” Our Living Wall butterfly seems to be going through its gothic metamorphosis with the changing t...
11/05/2025

“It’s not a phase Mom!”

Our Living Wall butterfly seems to be going through its gothic metamorphosis with the changing temperatures. 😂

Time to take notes from our prairie dogs and curl back into bed for that extra hour of sleep. 😴
11/02/2025

Time to take notes from our prairie dogs and curl back into bed for that extra hour of sleep. 😴

Happy November! 🍂 Reptile Gardens is open daily from 9am to 3pm this month. Don’t miss your chance to visit before we cl...
11/01/2025

Happy November! 🍂

Reptile Gardens is open daily from 9am to 3pm this month. Don’t miss your chance to visit before we close for the season...November is the final month of our 2025 season! Learn more at ReptileGardens.com!

Witches?! 🧙‍♀️ Ghosts?! 👻Whatever your costume, Shelly and all of us at Reptile Gardens hope you have a Safe and Spooky ...
10/31/2025

Witches?! 🧙‍♀️ Ghosts?! 👻

Whatever your costume, Shelly and all of us at Reptile Gardens hope you have a Safe and Spooky Halloween!! 🎃 🖤🧡🖤

🎃Spooky Season Spotlight- Snakes. As one of the main phobias experienced by people, it's no wonder snakes are a prominen...
10/30/2025

🎃Spooky Season Spotlight- Snakes.

As one of the main phobias experienced by people, it's no wonder snakes are a prominent symbol for Halloween, a holiday that revolves around the frightening and macabre.

Throughout history, many societies have held a wide range of beliefs and connections with snakes. In many Western Cultures, snakes were symbols of fear, death, and witchcraft, due to various religious connections, and their natural mystery: stealthy movements, forked tongues, and venomous species.

In other cultures, though, snakes represented eternal life due to the shedding of their skin, along with being viewed as symbols of wisdom, healing, and fertility.

At Reptile Gardens, we love our Spooky Symbols and are constantly fascinated by their diversity and lifestyles. We promise no tricks, but only treats when you come to visit our beautiful slithery friends in the Sky Dome, or up close at our Snake Shows. 🐍

Hawks, falcons, and owls... Oh my! 😮Learn about the amazing world of raptors at our daily Bird Show! 🦉⏰ Show times at 10...
10/29/2025

Hawks, falcons, and owls... Oh my! 😮

Learn about the amazing world of raptors at our daily Bird Show! 🦉

⏰ Show times at 10:30, 12:30, and 2:30.

One of our Dome lizards seems to be really getting into the spooky Halloween spirit. 🦎🎃 No, he's not turning into a ghos...
10/29/2025

One of our Dome lizards seems to be really getting into the spooky Halloween spirit. 🦎🎃

No, he's not turning into a ghost, he's just shedding his skin. 👻

10/27/2025

🎃 Spooky Season Spotlight- Scorpions.

When it comes to Halloween, one of the most common images that comes to mind are arachnids, such as spiders and scorpions. While spiders tend to take most of the focus with their webs, scorpions might almost be just as spooky.

One of the main reasons for this is due to their ability to glow. No, not just anytime, but specifically under UV light. Scorpions possess a substance called the hyaline layer in their exoskeleton, which causes them to fluoresce a blue/green color under blacklight. Scientists aren't sure exactly how this benefits scorpions, but it definitely ups the spooky scale for this Halloween creature.

You can find our scorpions and other amazing arachnids in the Lower Ring of the Sky Dome. 🦂🕷

It can't get much better than being a turtle relaxing in Tortuga Falls. We hope your Sunday is just as enjoyable. 🥰
10/26/2025

It can't get much better than being a turtle relaxing in Tortuga Falls. We hope your Sunday is just as enjoyable. 🥰

Today, October 25th, Reptile Gardens will be closing early at 3:00 for a private event. We apologize for the inconvenien...
10/25/2025

Today, October 25th, Reptile Gardens will be closing early at 3:00 for a private event.

We apologize for the inconvenience, and will resume our normal hours tomorrow, October 26th. 🐍

Address

8955 South Highway 16
Rapid City, SD
57702

Telephone

+16053425873

Website

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Our Story

Founded in 1937, and still under ownership of the same family, the Black Hills’ Reptile Gardens has steadily grown into one of the leading tourist attractions in the Midwest. Since its beginning, Reptile Gardens has been a source of entertainment and family fun as well as an unforgettable learning experience for millions of visitors by providing them the rare opportunity to observe these exotic animals up close.