center of the nation monument

an interesting place with a monument to war vets & cafe & of course the chance to stand on the centre of the nation point.

I bet most people do not know the center of the USA is in this location. This is a well designed museum filled with local history of this area bordering the Black Hills. We love museums and this was a pleasant surprise for such a small community. It should be included in travelers' itineraries while visiting in the Black Hills.

We had no idea that the center of the nation was in Belle Fourche, SD! They have a great monument, visitor center, history descriptions, as well as tributes to our Veterans! Wonderful place to visit. Well worth the time!

Free parking and this place is right behind the Tri-State museum which is also free. So much history in one spot. Stop by here, give yourself about thirty minutes to tour the little cabin and museum then take your picture at the Center of the Nation!

If you are in the general vicinity of Mount Rushmore and looking for something less commercial to do or see, this is an interesting stop. Listed as the geographic center of America, there is a very large compass plaque behind a small museum and gift shop. This geographic center is of the entire 50 states, not just the continental US- that "center" is in Kansas. It was interesting, although not spectacular. I will admit- it was really cold- and snowy outside, and I was on a travel deadline, so I didn't linger as much as I could have. The grounds, including an old log cabin, and the museum, are free, although they do request donations to help with upkeep.

Honestly this place is a good area for a pit stop, but that's about it, if traveling through the area to get to another destination. We added this to our itinerary during our trip to see the Black Hills, Custer State Park, the Badlands, Mount Rushmore, Crazy Horse and the other major attractions in South Dakota. It wasn't too far off from the path and was our last stop before traveling back to Minnesota.The actual geo-center of the United States is located about 20 miles on private property, although visitors are welcome to drive there if they want. The monument was built here in Belle Fourche, the nearest town, to make for easier access. The monument itself isn't too huge. It's located outside behind the Visitor Center which you can walk through to get to the monument or you can just go around the building if it's closed. Inside the visitor center there are restrooms, books and brochures of the local area and surrounding states as well as a museum that's open for limited hours. Also right next to the monument is an original log cabin that you can go in to check out artifacts from the past. The volunteer here was so cute and informative and even told us a story of how the bullet holes on the outside may have gotten there.Finally, there are a few picnic tables and a walkway next to this area to stretch the legs and walk the dogs. I feel bad giving this such a low rating because everyone we encountered were super nice and friendly but this monument is just okay. We did contribute a donation to keep this place open, however, because history is a great thing to learn about!

The monument is beautifully made! The avenue of flags is well presented with placards that tell about each state. The Riverwalk is adjacent for a good little walk to stretch your legs. Nice picnic area, small cabin to explore, and nice people staffing the building.

While out west don't miss stopping in Belle Forche at the Geographic Center of the Nation. It won't take long and you can mark it off your bucket list, plus make sure you step inside the authentic Cabin while there too... and there is a great Chinese Restaurant just a few blocks away.

This was a very nice place to stop and stretch our legs. We had passes a sign showing the geographic center of the nation about 20 miles from the city. It pointed down a small road. We asked about this in the museum and was told that the geographic center was actually on private property. They had a brochure giving directions to that location. We walked around and enjoyed the whole park. There was a log cabin that could be toured. The volunteer inside was very nice and shared a lot of information. If you have time tour the museum.

The monument is pretty neat but the museum is awesome. So much to look at inside. Well worth the time to check it out.

A great leg stretching place in a pretty spot with some fun local history thrown in for good measure!

If you're in the area, this is a very enjoyable place to stop. There is the Center of the Nation structure, a delightful museum, a 19th century restored log cabin and the visitors' center as well, all which are looked after extremely well. While the geographic center of the USA is actually around 20 miles away, in a field, the marker has been placed in the nearest town. They provide a brochure explaining how to get to the actual geographical center, if you just HAVE to get there. While it was slightly disappointing that it wasn't the exact spot, we decided that seeing the monument was good enough for us.I want to thank the ladies at the visitors' center for helping me to locate a hairdresser, for an immediate appointment, as we were about to leave the town. It was fun talking to them all. Two of them rang hairdressers for me & I ended up going to the next door neighbor of one of the ladies & was very satisfied with the result. Thanks again.

In downtown Belle Fourche, this Center features a large 16-point compass set in the ground, surrounded by flags of the 50 U.S. states. While highlighting the geographical (using each state's weighted center) center of the United States, the Visitor's Center is nearly 20 miles south of the calculated center of our country. The museum and Center staff are extremely friendly and helpful, especially with school-age children. As a purist, I drove with my reluctant wife to view the calculated geographical center of the U.S. The only difficulty, for those of us not used to the dirt-and-gravel roads of the midwest, was that the final 8.5 miles to the U.S. Flag marking the actual center in a farmer's field, are on a dirt road. Your car will need to be run through a car wash if you take this additional trip. It all depends on whether or not you are a purist for the calculated geographical center of our country, or if visiting the Visitor's Center in Belle Fourche is good enough for you.

I stopped here while on my motorcycle to wait out a passing thunderstorm. The staff was gracious enough to let me sit it out and wander about. It's kind of interesting, but what I found out was that Belle Forche was the site of the largest earthen dam in the world at one time. It's good for a quick stop and a picture.

I wouldn't go out of my way to visit here, but if you are traveling between Devil's Tower and Mount Rushmore, it is a neat stop. It is a marker indicating the center of the nation, including Alaska and Hawaii. The marker is impressive and the area is surrounded by flags of each state. The visitor's center was closed as we arrived just after 5:00. Overall, it's pretty cool to say we've been to the center of the nation (even though the actually point is somewhere in somebody's nearby field).