Skip to content
visitorfun
BusinessesGrow
MuseumsFamily FavoriteHistory Buff

National Presidential Wax Museum

609 US-16A · Keystone, SD

Why you should go…

The National Presidential Wax Museum in Keystone, South Dakota, displays more than 100 wax figures including every U.S. president, with a self-guided audio tour recreating moments in presidential history. Exhibits include original Florida voting booths from the 2000 election, life and death masks of historical figures, and a mock White House press briefing room where visitors can deliver a speech from a teleprompter. The museum, owned since 2000 by the operator KCJ Enterprises, sits on Hwy 16A a few minutes from Mount Rushmore, on the same property as the affiliated Grapes and Grinds coffee and wine bar and Holy Terror Mini Golf.

  • #museum
  • #history
  • #family
  • #presidents
  • #wax figures

Good to know

General museums guidance

Habits that pay off across this whole category, not rules for this one venue. Always check the official site for the specifics.

  • Check the special exhibition separately

    Touring shows usually carry their own ticket and their own opening hours, listed apart from general admission.

  • Look for the free window

    Many museums run community days, member evenings, or discounted late openings. It is worth a look before you pay full price.

  • Travel light through the door

    Large bags and backpacks often have to go to a coat check, and lines for it move slowly at opening.

  • Weekday mornings beat weekend afternoons

    School groups clear out by early afternoon midweek, while weekends stay busy from late morning on.

What's around here?

The closest stops to National Presidential Wax Museum, ordered by straight-line distance. A few more like it, plus some different kinds of fun so you can build a full day.

  • Sport & Outdoor
    Outdoor Adventure

    Rushmore Tramway Adventures

    $25–$50

    Adventure park near Mount Rushmore with a scenic chairlift, alpine slide, zipline course, and aerial ropes park.

    Right next doorSwitch it up: Sport & Outdoor

  • Museums
    History Buff

    Rushmore Borglum Story

    Under $25

    A Keystone, SD museum on Mount Rushmore sculptor Gutzon Borglum, with models, tools and a full-size replica of Lincoln's carved eye.

    Steps awayMore like this

  • Tours
    Iconic

    Black Hills Helicopters

    $50+

    Veteran-owned helicopter sightseeing tours over Mount Rushmore, Black Elk Peak, and the Black Hills.

    0.2 mi awaySwitch it up: Tours

  • Shopping
    History Buff

    Mount Rushmore Bookstores

    Free

    Nonprofit-run bookstores inside Mount Rushmore National Memorial selling books, apparel and gifts about the monument.

    0.3 mi awaySwitch it up: Shopping

  • Museums
    History Buff

    Museum at Black Hills Institute

    Under $25

    Fossil and dinosaur museum in the Black Hills with real T. rex skulls and mineral displays.

    8.0 mi awayMore like this

  • Museums
    Family Favorite

    Four Mile Old West Town Museum

    Under $25

    Recreated 1880s Black Hills stagecoach town with over 50 buildings, western artifacts and a comic Old West show.

    16 mi awayMore like this