I saw Mt. Rushmore as a child and I'm happy that my 2 kids have now been here. I love what they did to the observation deck and the addition of the flags, just made it so more colorful. Mt. Rushmore is just an awesome place. I would love to visit it at night too, but we couldn't stay. You have to go at least once in your life. As others mention, parking is easy, and walking right up to the deck just takes minutes. The gift shop is huge and there's a lot to see. There is a dog walking area and pets cannot be up on the deck. There is no fee to see the monument, but there is a fee for the parking garage. (when you pay for the parking garage, I did notice the parking permit is good for one year.)