Are you looking for a wedding venue that will be unlike anything your friends and family have ever seen? Look no further than the magnificent Black Hills of South Dakota. Sure, they have the usual sort of picturesque spots, like lodges and barns and wineries. However, once you have purchased your Black Hills wedding rings of characteristic tri-color gold, you can find a really unique wedding venue if you’re willing to think a bit outside the box.Â
Would you like to get married in the middle of a lake? On a train? In a cave? These are all possibilities for your Black Hills wedding. Here are some of the top wedding venues in the area, from the somewhat tame to the completely outlandish.
1. Ruby’s Garden, D.C. Booth Historic Fish Hatchery, Spearfish
Getting married in a garden isn’t so unusual, but Ruby’s Garden is located in the D.C. Booth Historic Fish Hatchery in the picturesque town of Spearfish in the Northern Black Hills. The hatchery was founded in 1899 to raise several species of trout for purposes of stocking lakes and rivers. Ruby was the name of the wife of the first superintendent, D.C. Booth, and her garden is in back of the house where they lived, constructed in 1905 and now a tourist attraction in its own right.
2. Canyon Lake Park, Rapid City
The Gazebo in Canyon Lake Park is located on an island in the center of the eponymous lake. It is only one of several possible wedding locations in this gorgeous Southern Hills setting.
3. 1880 Train
Also called the Black Hills Central Railroad, the 1880 Train is an authentic steam engine and refurbished passenger cars. Its terminals are in Hill City and Keystone, near Mount Rushmore. Taking the 20-mile round trip on the 1880 Train is like stepping back in time. There is a certain romance about trains, and the two-hour trip should allow plenty of time to complete a beautiful, exciting ceremony.
4. Rushmore Cave
There is a whole system of caves running underneath the Black Hills, each featuring breathtaking limestone formations. Rushmore Cave near Keystone will allow you to rent the “Wedding Chapel,” a particular cavern inside the cave, for your big event. It is a cool venue, literally and figuratively. Black Hills caves maintain a consistent temperature of 40 degrees Fahrenheit no matter what the weather is like on the surface.
The Lakota people have regarded the Black Hills as a sacred area for hundreds of years. There is an indefinable sense of spirituality that permeates the entire area. Regardless of where in the Hills you decide to hold your wedding, you and your guests will likely feel it too.
