10 Best Things to Do in North Dakota

Theodore Roosevelt National Park is located at the point where the Great Plains run into the Badlands and is a natural habitat for prairie dogs, elk, and bison. It's bisected by the Little Missouri River, which serves as a link to its 3 areas, and is famed for sites like the Maltese Cross Canyon and Painted Canyon. President Roosevelt once lived here, and there's a Scenic Loop drive you can cruise to get great photos of the colourful rock formations and wilderness areas. Whether you're in it for panoramic views or wildlife viewing, you'll find it here.

The Bison Monument and Frontier Village in Jamestown feature original buildings from North Dakota's frontier as well as the World's Largest Buffalo Monument, the National Buffalo Museum, and a live herd of Buffalo. If you're looking to explore all things bison, this is the place to be. It's also a living museum and a window that will take you back in time to the pioneer days. The original frontier buildings are filled with artefacts of days gone by and were transplanted here from across North Dakota. There's even Louis L'Amour writer's shack where the famed author wrote some of his iconic works.

Medora Musical is a live music venue and review that goes on every summer at the open-air Burning Hills Amphitheatre in Medora. It bills itself as "The Greatest Show in the West" and offers a tribute to the Great American West as well as to President Theodore Roosevelt and the idea of patriotism and pride in our nation. It's performed live every night from June to September with country music and dancing, a variety act, live horses, a reenactment of Roosevelt's charge at the Battle of San Juan Hill, and a fireworks finale. It's a family-friendly event that's full of fun and adventure.

The North Dakota Heritage Centre is the official state history museum of North Dakota and is located within the State Capitol complex. The museum features 4 different galleries tracing the various eras of the state from 600 million years ago through to the modern day. Exhibits are designed to showcase the landscape, people, and events that have shaped North Dakota through the ages. Here you can see dinosaur skeletons, artefacts from ancient indigenous peoples, art and design galleries including a 1950s soft drink shop, and exhibits about the role the horse has played in the region's development.

The North Dakota State Capitol Complex is much more than just the house of the state's government; it's also a monument to history in the state. The building is a 21-story tower that sits on 160 acres and houses many different government offices and buildings, and it stands as one of the largest liveable buildings in the state. The campus also houses the state history museum where you can learn all about the cultures, people, and geological events that shaped North Dakota, and you can take tours to see the workings of government in action.

The Maah Daah Hey Trail covers 144 miles of track running from the USFS Burning Coal Vein Campground to the USFS CCC Campground. This nonmotorized trail is designed just for hiking and biking and showcases some of the most breathtaking terrain in the country with jagged peaks, winding valleys, and majestic plateaus. You'll traverse endless expanses of rolling green prairie fields and rivers through the North Dakota Badlands. It's a popular attraction that draws thousands of outdoor adventurers every year.

The International Peace Garden is nestled in the Turtle Mountains and traverses the border between North Dakota and Manitoba, Canada. It's a symbolic, scenic location where you can explore hundreds of acres of unspoiled green space, see immaculately tended and colourful floral and cactus gardens, and experience its mission to be defined by nature instead of map borders. It's symbolic of the fellowship between nations and offers not only formal gardens, but also a historic lodge, an educational conservancy and interpretive centre, picnic areas, and a 9/11 memorial, as well as hiking and biking trails.

The Scandinavian Heritage Park memorialises the first group of settlers who arrived in North Dakota and began forming the culture that still exists today. It's located in the Minot area and offers replicas and monuments dedicated to Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, and Iceland. It's a magical place with a world of Scandinavian history right in the heartland of the United States. You can see a genuine stabbur, visit a stave church built to match one in Gol, Norway, and see the 25-foot-tall statue of a Swedish Dala horse.

Four Bears Bridge traverses the Missouri River and is one of the largest bridges in the state. The bridge offers stunning panoramic views of the river and Lake Sakakawea's deep-blue waters set against the endless North Dakota horizon. It's located on the Fort Berthold Reservation. The original bridge, which was about 70 miles downstream, was the first way to cross the Missouri in the US back in the 1920s. It was rebuilt in 2005 to modernise and stabilise it, and it still stands as an important historic marker of ingenuity and days gone by.

Fort Mandan Overlook State Historic Site is named after the original Fort Mandan, where Lewis and Clark established a base of operations, and overlooks the place where that fort stood. This triangular fort was essential in protecting the expedition as well as offering a place where the explorers could engage in cultural exchange with the region's native inhabitants. The original site has been overrun by the river, but the remains of ancient indigenous peoples have been discovered here with many arrowheads, pottery, tools, and artefacts dating to the 14th and 15th centuries.