12 Tastes of North Dakota From Fargo to Bismarck and the Badlands

U.S. travelers aiming to visit all 50 states often leave North Dakota for last. Many know little about the Peace Garden State – perhaps just that it lies between South Dakota and Canada or that the Coen brothers’ classic movie Fargo was set there. This lack of attention prompted the Fargo visitors bureau to create the “Best for Last Club” campaign a decade ago and to display the movie’s famous woodchipper in its lobby.

This summer, my husband, Mike, and I traveled from Ohio to drive across North Dakota twice, making five memorable stops along I-94, which spans the state’s heart. From the lively city of Fargo in the east to Bismarck’s stunning Art Deco architecture, and the breathtaking Badlands in the west, North Dakota proved well worth a visit long before completing a 50-state list. Along the way, we discovered a variety of culinary gems and intriguing sights.

Fargo

Fargo may be the state’s largest city, but it retains the warmth and charm of a place that’s proudly “North of Normal.” Downtown, colorful street art in the ever-changing Art Alley and the unmistakable college-town vibe from North Dakota State University fill the air. The energy is contagious, with fashionable young professionals bustling among retro record stores and lively bars.

Our first meal was at Marge’s Diner, a quirky homage to the iconic Marge Gunderson from Fargo. Nearby, Marge’s Bar welcomed us with its cozy, exclusive vibe. We embraced the “Dealer’s Choice” experience, where Mike challenged bartender Tom Schwartz to craft a mezcal-inspired cocktail. Tom passed the test with a cocktail of smoky mezcal, rum, house-made coffee liqueur, and orange bitters.

We spent two nights at the Jasper Hotel, a well-appointed retreat named after Fargo’s third mayor, Jasper Chapin. Our room on the 14th floor offered breathtaking views of the skyline, including the historic water tower and trains cutting through the city.

Dining at Jasper’s Rosewild restaurant was an exploration of flavors inspired by the Dakota Plains. The strawberry rhubarb salad was a refreshing start, followed by hearty knoephla soup, and rich, flavorful parmesan walleye, each dish a nod to the region’s rustic, Nordic roots.

At Prairie Kitchen, we sampled traditional Scandinavian and German-inspired dishes. The standout was a lefse platter – thin, rolled bread served with smoked butter, cheese, and jam. Our server, Jordyn Danielson, shared her connection to the dish: “It’s a traditional Norwegian flatbread. Every holiday, my family makes it from scratch.”

We also visited Wild Terra, a cider bar offering unique brews made from North Dakota apples. We enjoyed a flight of ciders while playing a lively game of Trivial Pursuit, toasting our wins with each sip.

Jamestown

A short drive west brought us to Jamestown, where bison — pronounced with a “z” here — are central to the city’s identity. Or should we say buffalo? In “Buffalo City,” the distinction is often blurred, but the love for these majestic creatures is undeniable.

Our first stop was Frontier Village, home to the World’s Largest Buffalo Monument, Dakota Thunder. This 26-foot-tall, 60-ton statue has proudly stood as a tribute to the American bison since 1959. Nearby, the North American Bison Discovery Center captivated us with exhibits explaining the differences between bison and buffalo. Outside, a herd of real bison grazed, their massive humps and powerful heads a striking contrast to the smaller, hump-less buffalo found in warmer climates.

For lunch, we headed downtown to the Buffalo Grill, where Mike savored a bison burger topped with candied bacon, jalapeño jam, and pepper jack cheese on a toasted egg-washed bun. “The bison burger is our bread and butter,” Jim Boyd, the grill’s owner, told us. Surrounded by dark wood, brick, and paintings of bison, we felt fully immersed in Jamestown’s culture. Just outside, we admired a vibrant, 250-foot-long mural celebrating North Dakota’s culinary traditions including the hotdish.

And that’s not all there is to Jamestown, we learned — it’s also the birthplace of legendary singer Peggy Lee.

Bismarck

Bismarck offers both history and modern flair. We started with a visit to the North Dakota State Capitol, the tallest building in the state, where the Art Deco design transported us back to the 1930s. Strolling through the capitol grounds, we couldn’t resist touring the North Dakota Heritage Center, a veritable “Smithsonian on the Plains,” housing everything from dinosaur fossils to Native American artifacts.

Our first culinary stop was at Butterhorn, where chef Stephanie Miller treated us to her signature butterhorns, delicate pastries inspired by her grandmother’s recipe. “Butterhorns were my first food memory,” Stephanie said. The warm, flaky pastry, paired with cinnamon butter and a dollop of vanilla icing, evoked a sense of nostalgia that was hard to resist.

Next, we explored the local wine scene with Wolfe Creek Winery owner Randy Albrecht, who introduced us to the burgeoning world of North Dakota wines. “In the last six to eight years, the quality of wine in North Dakota has really improved,” Albrecht explained. We sampled a few varieties, each reflecting the rugged spirit of the region.

At Huckleberry House, set along the Missouri River, we savored European fare, indulging in a vegetarian take on the traditional fleischkuekle, a deep-fried meat pie with a rich history. “This one has potato, roasted onion, herbs, and cheese,” said chef Cody Monson. The dish was both familiar and innovative, capturing the essence of North Dakota’s diverse culinary traditions.

Dickinson

The drive from Bismarck to Dickinson is where North Dakota’s landscape shines. We saw fields of pale-yellow grain, round hay bales by the hundreds, and sunflower fields that astonished the eyes in their black-and-yellow splendor.

Before arriving in Dickinson, we explored the Enchanted Highway, a 32-mile stretch south of I-94, where oversized metal sculptures line the road. Envisioned in the late 1980s by local artist Gary Greff, the attraction features six stops, beginning at the Gladstone exit and ending in the town of Regent, where Greff operates the Enchanted Castle Hotel.

The starting point, Geese in Flight, is recognized by Guinness as the world’s largest scrap metal sculpture. It beckons drivers from a hilltop just north of the interstate.

We followed the two-lane, rolling roadway for several miles southward, viewing sculptures of horses, a giant grasshopper, big fish, Teddy Roosevelt, and colorful, oversized pheasants. Along the way, we happened upon a vibrant sunflower field and couldn’t help but stop and take photos. A nearby mailbox contained packets of sunflower seeds that North Dakota Tourism contributed.

In Dickinson, we met Kevin and Deb Kinzel, owners of Fluffy Fields Winery. North Dakota is known for its acidic “cold weather” grapes, such as Valiant, King of the North, and Marquette. They explained that the region’s high-acid fruit requires special treatment — longer fermentation, cold maceration, even freezing hard fruits to make rhubarb, apple, and carrot wines. We tasted the bold, semi-dry potions while basking in the scenery of a “fluffy field” of grain nearby.

Later, we enjoyed filet mignon, fresh salmon, craft cocktails, and wine at BrickHouse Grille. This locally owned hot spot is housed in a brick building that has defined Dickinson’s downtown for more than a century.

Medora

On the last day of our journey, we exchanged manmade metal sculptures for mind-blowing natural sights.

The destination was Teddy Roosevelt National Park, the heart of North Dakota’s Badlands, a rugged yet beautiful landscape shaped by erosion, sedimentation, wind, and water over millions of years. The park’s entrance lies in Medora, a small town that’s part tourist trap, part charming frontier village, and home to surprising gastronomic pleasures.

One memorable dish was the walleye sandwich, which we found on nearly every menu we came across. It’s cooked to perfection at Little Missouri Saloon, where we also discovered a frothy pint of 1882 Lager, brewed by Black Leg Brewery on a ranch 20 miles east of Bismarck.

After indulging in more food, we toured the park’s South Unit via the 36-mile Scenic Loop Drive, taking in green-brown fields, isolated buttes, a vast sky, and deep, sparsely covered ravines that evoke the Old West. We paused to photograph a small herd of wild horses, and later, a lone bison seemingly at rest.

We parked across from Peaceful Valley Ranch and hiked part of the Lower Paddock Creek Trail. Our trek took us through an active prairie dog town, where the curious mammals scurried around us before diving into their holes, only to peer out moments later.

Famished, we headed to the Rough Riders Hotel, where Theodore’s, Medora’s fine-dining establishment, served us well-trimmed steaks, luscious lobster bisque, and zingy, New Orleans-inspired shrimp. But the real treat was the bar, where bartender Cory Fueyo wowed us with his mixological talents. The highlight was a Manhattan topped with a smoke bubble. Upon puncturing the wobbling glob, a perfumed ball of smoke wafted, flavoring the cocktail.

Before heading home, we visited the Chateau Nuts shop and its remarkable owner, 98-and-a-half-year-old Norma Myers, who established the business at age 60. Norma chatted with us about the shop, politics, and what makes Medora special as she hand-wrote our receipt.

“I like the rough country in North Dakota — I was raised on a ranch,” she said as she wrote up our purchase. “And I do think it’s a nice place to live.”