A friend of ours took this tour about 5 years ago and highly recommended it. We took the Mt. Rushmore Tour which included pickup and drop off at the RV park where we were staying, a delicious full breakfast before the tour, a comfortable air-conditioned coach (with clean restroom inside), an 8-hour tour of Mt. Rushmore, Custer State Park, and the Crazy Horse Memorial, and ended with a chuck wagon style beef or chicken dinner and a very entertaining western musical show. We also purchased tickets for the buffet lunch at the Game Lodge in Custer State Park. This package tour was a great value because our whole day was taken care of very smoothly by the Mt. Rushmore Tour staff. Our driver guide was Chris and although I think he said it was his first year as a guide, he knew plenty about the area and each of the major attractions. There were plenty of photo opportunities and we did not feel rushed at any of the stops. The tunnels that framed Mt. Rushmore were spectacular and we were able to stop to take photos from one of the best tunnels while Chris, our driver, watched out to make sure we were aware of any on coming traffic. The serving staff back at the Fort Hays dining room and theater were very well trained so even with a large crowd, the lines moved quickly and the food was very good. One of the things that we really appreciated was that bus seating was in the order by the date you made your reservation, so there was no pushing or shoving to get ahead.
For dinner and the show, the assigned theater seating at long picnic table style benches were clearly marked and had ample elbow room so that you didn't crowd ;your neighbor. The tour guides and staff are so helpful and friendly that it seems to set the tone for the guests on the tour. We had a really enjoyable group of just over 20 people on our bus! The drivers shared information about where to see the wildlife, so with a tip from another driver, Bill, Chris was able to drive us to see the herd of buffalo that were in Custer near the Game Lodge.
There is a new ride that incorporates a sort of maze with ski-lift type chairs and buffalo targets to shoot at as you ride by. I wish we had had more time to try it because it looked like lots of fun!
We would highly recommend booking your Mt. Rushmore area tour with this company. We were actually picked and dropped off at our RV park by the owner, Herman Jones, who is a wonderful story teller and we could tell that he really cares about his staff and his guests! He has been in this business for over 40 years and really knows how to train his staff to treat their customers very well!