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Reptile Gardens

8955 S Hwy 16, Rapid City, SD 57709
605-342-5873
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Ranked #1 of 29 attractions in Rapid City
Type: Nature/ Wildlife Areas, Zoos
Activities: Viewing wildlife
Owner description: World-renowned adventure park, Reptile Gardens is a must-see family attraction no matter what your age. We maintain the finest collection of tropical... more » Owner description: World-renowned adventure park, Reptile Gardens is a must-see family attraction no matter what your age. We maintain the finest collection of tropical plants, colorful flowers, and exotic reptiles anywhere - we have more species and subspecies of venomous reptiles than any other zoo or park in the world! « less
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328 reviews from our community

Visitor rating
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    28
    4
    2
Date Rating
Cedarburg, Wisconsin
Senior Contributor
25 reviews 25 reviews
6 attraction reviews
Reviews in 7 cities Reviews in 7 cities
11 helpful votes 11 helpful votes
5 of 5 stars Reviewed June 19, 2013 NEW

Seeing the signs along the freeway on the way to Rapid City, I was prepared to be underwhelmed. But Reptile Gardens is actually pretty cool. Gator wrestling, snake handling, giant turtles (that you can pet!), prairie dogs, a beautiful bald eagle, dozens of poisonous snakes, spiders, bugs. It's like a little boy's dream zoo. Definitely worth checking out if you're... More

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See 3 more reviews by William A for Rapid City
Reviewer
4 reviews 4 reviews
4 attraction reviews
Reviews in 2 cities Reviews in 2 cities
4 of 5 stars Reviewed June 17, 2013 NEW

This was the first stop for our family vacation, and it was a good one. Very clean grounds. Nice sites. The shows are entertaining and well timed. It was worth it for us and started our vacation off right.

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Johnbrockelsby, Public Relations Manager at Reptile Gardens, responded to this review
June 19, 2013

I'm very happy we got your vacation off to a good start. We strive to provide quality education and entertainment for all our guests. Thanks for visiting. Tattling Yours Johnny B More

Idaho
Senior Reviewer
6 reviews 6 reviews
4 attraction reviews
4 of 5 stars Reviewed June 17, 2013 NEW

We spent about 5 hours here (more than we expected) and was well worth the value. The shows were entertaining, and there is a lot to see!

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See 5 more reviews by crickets1319 for Rapid City
Miles City, Montana, United States
Reviewer
4 reviews 4 reviews
4 attraction reviews
1 helpful vote 1 helpful vote
5 of 5 stars Reviewed June 17, 2013 NEW

My husband and I went to reptile gardens when we were kids and still remember it to this day.We recently took our own family there and it is even better than when I remember it. The staff there is so friendly and I love how the encloses are set up for the animals (very nice living conditions). My daughter was... More

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See 3 more reviews by Jillian P for Rapid City
Johnbrockelsby, Public Relations Manager at Reptile Gardens, responded to this review
June 18, 2013

Thank you for the very kind review of our attraction. My father started Reptile Gardens 76 years ago and I'm happy to say we now have the 3rd generation working here. We strive to maintain a first class attraction with excellent customer service. Thanks Rattling Yours Johnny B More

Plano, Texas
Contributor
16 reviews 16 reviews
11 attraction reviews
Reviews in 10 cities Reviews in 10 cities
12 helpful votes 12 helpful votes
4 of 5 stars Reviewed June 16, 2013 NEW

A little high priced and bigger than expected (however hubby thought it was too small). There are 3 shows - crocodiles, snakes and bird show. All are suitable for all ages. The dome with the plants and birds is really nice too (not too humid others that I have been to). We spent close to 3 hours there so it... More

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See 2 more reviews by D R for Rapid City
Greeley, Colorado
Senior Reviewer
7 reviews 7 reviews
3 attraction reviews
5 of 5 stars Reviewed June 14, 2013 NEW

Great place to take the kids. We learned a lot from their shows and information placed around the critters.

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See 6 more reviews by KrissyB4 for Rapid City
Melbourne, Australia
Reviewer
4 reviews 4 reviews
Reviews in 2 cities Reviews in 2 cities
2 helpful votes 2 helpful votes
4 of 5 stars Reviewed June 13, 2013

beautiful gardens great croc show wonderful list of attractions bird show very entertaining pass out to revisit next day at no charge

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See 2 more reviews by hopperoo60 for Rapid City
Milaca, Minnesota, United States
Senior Reviewer
8 reviews 8 reviews
Reviews in 4 cities Reviews in 4 cities
2 helpful votes 2 helpful votes
5 of 5 stars Reviewed June 11, 2013

We arrived early, just after opening. The staff that greeted us was the most friendly we've encountered during our entire vacation! It is a bit pricey, but for $52 for the four of us, I think it was worth it for the three hours we spent there. When we first entered, we thought we would just kill some time before... More

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Fort Morgan, Colorado
Senior Reviewer
6 reviews 6 reviews
4 attraction reviews
5 of 5 stars Reviewed June 9, 2013

The family had a great time at Reptile Gardens. The place was spotless, and the animals were well cared for. The gardens were very pretty, I wish we lived closer I would love to see the gardens in full bloom. Employees were very friendly. It was a bit on the costly side, although it does take money to maintain the... More

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See 5 more reviews by coloradogirl531 for Rapid City
Denver, Colorado
Senior Contributor
22 reviews 22 reviews
5 attraction reviews
Reviews in 18 cities Reviews in 18 cities
60 helpful votes 60 helpful votes
3 of 5 stars Reviewed June 8, 2013

For all the hype about this place on national websites and TV stations, it wasn't that great. :-( The highlights were the snake and alligator shows. Other than that, it was a bit of a dud.

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See 3 more reviews by KMG8 for Rapid City

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