Many people who travel to all 50 states leave North Dakota for last. Although we left ND until late in our 50 state road trip, it was state 47 and was far more interesting than people give it credit for.
There’s some natural beauty to the state, interesting museums, quirky activities and more. Here’s our best and worst things from our 2.5 weeks in North Dakota.
Favorite Accommodation We Stayed At
Stephen – This is a toss-up between the Candlewood Suites that we stayed at in Dickinson and the Residence Inn in Bismarck. The staff at the Candlewood Suites were lovely, it seemed to be a well-run hotel and having stayed at several Candlewood Suites properties on our road trip, this was one of the best.
However, I think the Residence Inn Bismarck North has the edge because we were in a one bedroom suite there (rather than a studio suite at the Candlewood Suites) and the Residence Inn also had a great buffet breakfast as Residence Inn breakfasts go.
Shae – I’m usually swayed by great hotel staff, so I’m going with the Candlewood Suites in Dickinson.
Favorite Meal
Stephen – We didn’t eat out much in North Dakota as we had kitchens in our suites at each of the three hotels we stayed at. As a result, by default this award goes to Wurst Bier Hall in Fargo; to be fair though, it was tasty and definitely wasn’t the wurst of what we ate.
Shae – I didn’t have a favorite meal while we were out in North Dakota.
Most Disappointing Meal
Stephen – By default I guess that makes it something I cooked 😉
Shae – I can’t think of anything but probably any time Stephen said we had food at home… I’m always disappointed by that. I love eating out.
Favorite Free Activity
Stephen – Ordinarily I’d have said the Thomas Dambo trolls we visited while staying in Fargo. However, those were an hour away in Detroit Lakes, MN and so I can’t really count them here despite us visiting them while in Fargo.
We didn’t do many other free activities, so my favorite of what was left is the Enchanted Highway running south of Dickinson.
Shae – Ummm… I’m going to say seeing the mirror on the wall from Thomas Dambo’s exhibits since there was one in Fargo and it was my favorite free activity we did.
Favorite Paid Activity
Stephen – Theodore Roosevelt National Park. It’s a beautiful National Park with badlands, lovely scenic views, all kinds of wildlife and more. I’m counting this as a paid activity as it does have an entrance fee; we didn’t have to pay anything though as we have an annual National Parks pass.
Shae – Ooh, I agree about Theodore Roosevelt National Park, but an honorable mention really needs to go out to the Badlands Dinosaur Museum. It was very good, especially for its compact size.
Favorite Pet-Friendly Activity
Stephen – Probably the Fargo Air Museum as it provided an opportunity for Truffles to get her aviator on.
Shae – Absolutely the day we went to the Fargo Air Museum – I’d have put it down for an honorable mention in paid activities too but knew it would end up here.
Least Favorite Activity
Stephen – There wasn’t anything we did in North Dakota that I didn’t enjoy. That said, I guess maybe the State Capitol building as it’s not a pretty building. We had Truffles with us and so I stayed outside while Shae went in to get our State Capitol passport stamp, then we went on our way.
Shae – My least favorite was the Hjemkomst Viking Ship. Technically it’s over the border from ND into MN by about 10 minutes, but Stephen was way more interested in that than Truffles and I were, so we napped in the sun on the grounds.
Favorite Hike
Stephen – We didn’t go hiking in North Dakota, but Theodore Roosevelt National Park had a few short paths to overlooks and other attractions in the path.
Shae – Yeah, there really wasn’t much hiking. But our day in TRNP was a wonderful day outside.
Favorite Quirky Thing We Did
Stephen – Again, normally I’d say Thomas Dambo’s trolls but they were in Minnesota. We saw quite a few of North Dakota’s “World’s Largest” roadside attractions both up close and at a distance, but my favorite North Dakota quirkiness was the Enchanted Highway.
Shae – Excuse me Stephen Pepper, we saw the World’s Largest Buffalo, that’s definitely the most quirky.
Favorite Memory
Stephen – Our day out in Theodore Roosevelt National Park. It was a long day with quite a bit of driving due to us visiting both the north and south units, but it’s a beautiful park.
Shae – Within ND? Definitely TRNP, but my favorite memory from the time there was our day out looking for trolls in Detroit Lakes, MN since it was a beautiful day.
Funniest Moment
Stephen – Truffles dressed up at the Fargo Air Museum.
Shae – Definitely my stroke of genius when I was trying to go for an aviator-inspired look with goggles and a scarf and grabbed toilet paper for her scarf – it worked perfectly with the fan they had on to keep the hanger cool. You’ve not enjoyed an air museum if you haven’t seen a dog, wearing toilet paper around her neck, while her mom lays on the floor for the picture and her dad hops around with treats for her attention (the dog’s, not the mom’s) while getting her picture taken.
Thing We Most Regretted
Stephen – Only having time to spend 2.5 weeks in North Dakota. There were quite a few other places we’d have liked to visit if we’d had time.
Shae – Yeah, I’d agree. I think North Dakota gets a bad rep!
Something We Missed And Want To See
Stephen – Dickinson, Bismarck and Fargo are all along the I-94 corridor that runs through the middle of the state. That meant we missed all the attractions in the northern and southern parts of the state, including Knife River Indian Villages National Historic Site, Lake Sakakawea State Park, Garrison Dam and Power Plant Towers (which has a tour of a hydroelectric dam), Mystical Horizons (similar to Stonehenge), Sitting Bull Burial Site and Memorial and more.
Most of all though, I’m sad we missed the opportunity to hike on the Maah Daah Hey Trail. We stayed near it, but it was 90°+ the day we could’ve gone hiking and I just wasn’t interested in hiking in that kind of heat.
Shae – I don’t know what we missed really – it was a whirlwind but looking at what Stephen has listed I’d definitely agree with wishing we’d seen more historical indigenous sites.
Our Biggest Surprise
Stephen – How enjoyable the state was, particularly our first four days there in Dickinson.
Shae – How much I enjoyed North Dakota – as I said above I think it get’s a bad rep and definitely isn’t at the bottom of my list of states.
My North Dakota Drinking Game Would Be…
Stephen – Take a drink every time you see a sign for the ‘World’s Largest’ something.
Shae – Take a drink every time you see “last and best” – North Dakota tourism has doubled down on the fact that many people leave ND as their last US state to visit because they don’t see it as a worthwhile place to go. It is!
Summary Of North Dakota In 10 Words Or Less
Stephen – Don’t leave it until last – visit Theodore Roosevelt National Park.
Shae – There’s more to North Dakota than meets the eye.
North Dakota Cities We Visited In Order From Favorite To Least Favorite
Stephen – Dickinson, Fargo, Bismarck.
Shae – Dickinson, Bismarck, Fargo
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