“With Enchanted Eyes We Watch As These Sweet Moments Turn To Memories”

North Dakota may not be at the top of your list for your next vacation destination but there are many reasons to visit this road less-traveled. North Dakota is one of the least populous of all the states, with only about 640,000 residents, so the traveler can find a solitude here that’s a welcome respite from the hubbub of a big city and the never-ending traffic jams.

The Missouri River runs through the center of the state and the capital city, Bismarck, sits on the Missouri Plateau across the river from its sister city, Mandan. The Capitol Building of Bismarck is unique in that it is a skyscraper, nineteen stories tall, rather than a domed building. If you’re a history buff, Fort Abraham Lincoln near Mandan was the home of General George Armstrong Custer and is where he spent his last days before heading west to meet his fate at the Little Big Horn in Montana. The Custer House has been reconstructed and is available for tours as are the remaining buildings at the Fort. Also nearby is the On-a-Slant Indian Village which consists of reconstructed earth lodges and depicts the life of the Mandan Indians who lived in this area from the late 1500’s to 1781.

Traveling west towards the North Dakota Badlands and the Theodore Roosevelt National Park, you will be enjoying the rolling prairies of the wheat farms and cattle ranches that dominate this part of North Dakota. North Dakota is the least forested of all the states so traveling through this country, you will truly understand the term “Great Plains.”

Be sure to visit the Badlands and stop at the restored western town of Medora. This town was named for the wife of the Marquis De Mores who came to North Dakota to establish a meat packing plant. This business failed after a few years and the family left North Dakota forever. The Marquis De Mores mansion, overlooking the town of Medora, still remains and is a popular tourist attraction. The Burning Hills Amphitheater is just outside of Medora in the Badlands and every night — from June to early September — you can enjoy a highly-acclaimed musical that pays a patriotic tribute to Teddy Roosevelt who ranched in the Badlands prior to his Presidency. The traveler also has a unique dining opportunity before enjoying the show by partaking in the Pitchfork Fondue which is served in the outdoors on top of the bluffs above the Amphitheater.

The Red River, flowing north into Canada, forms the eastern border of North Dakota and the surrounding flat land is known as the Red River Valley. This is the most fertile farm land in the state and produces crops of sugar beets, soybeans, and sunflowers every year. This Valley is also the location of Fargo, North Dakota’s largest city with a population of just under 100,000.

Other attractions for the traveler in North Dakota include the International Peace Garden; the Geographical Center of North America in Rugby, ND; Lake Sakakawaea, the largest man-made lake, behind the Garrison Dam; Devils Lake in northeastern North Dakota which is a prime lake for ice-fishing in the winter; and “Salem Sue” the world’s largest Holstein Cow who gazes out over I-94 near New Salem, paying homage to this center of the dairy industry in North Dakota.

North Dakota is a unique state creating unique vacation opportunities for the unbridled traveler. Visit North Dakota and discover why it is truly “Legendary”!