Perhaps you'd like to see a tribute to the Presidents of the United States in a more, well, "life-like" setting.
Welcome to Keystone, South Dakota, home of the National Presidential Wax Museum. Keystone is known for being the tourist city at the base of Mount Rushmore, so why not be a fitting place for this sort of a place? The museum was first founded in 1971, and originally known as the "Parade of Presidents". Today, visitors are given a chance to take a self-guided tour of the museum, able to listen to the history of each of the various Presidents while viewing defining events created in wax, from Thomas Jefferson drafting the Declaration of Independence and Grover Cleveland getting married, to Richard Nixon visiting the Apollo 11 crew and George W. Bush surveying the 9/11 wreckage.
The creation of the National Presidential Wax Museum almost never happened. On December 15, 1963, founder Katherine Stubergh appeared on the panel show "What's My Line?", with the panel identifying her as a sculptor who more specifically "Makes Figures for Wax Museums". She lived in Los Angeles and was pursuing a dancing career, and although she made sculptures to make ends meet, always believed herself to belong in the dancing line. It wasn't until she sculpted Mae West that she heard from the subject, "Kid, anybody can make a piece of mud look like me shouldn't be no dancer." She would go on to sculpt many Hollywood celebrities, Presidents, and although she has since passed on, her legacy continues with sculptors to this day.
This museum was visited by us on accident, originally wanting to go to Mount Rushmore a second time before stopping here. We're glad we did, as this seasonal museum is something to behold for art and history buffs alike. Walking in, one can pretend to be the President making a speech from the Press Room, with words from both Trump and Obama at the time of our visit. The self-guided telephones allow you to feel like you're given a guided tour, but can go at your pace and view what you wish. Whether you stay for a few minutes or the entire day, the National Presidential Wax Museum will be a fun experience for everyone.
So the next time your Internal Compass takes you to the Black Hills, make a stop to admire more than just four presidents.
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