Tour to North Dakota
Tour to north Dakota
Last weekend, I travelled to North Dakota from St. Paul, MN. I want to use two blogs to record my experiences there. This is Part One of my trip journal:
- Part One: Moorhead, Fargo, and Bismarck (this post)
- Part Two: Theodore Roosevelt National Park
Moorhead
Moorhead is a city in Minnesota that borders North Dakota, separated by the Red River. My first stop was the Hjemkomst Center — a museum with a $15 per adult admission fee.
It features two main exhibits with guided tours.
The Viking Ship
The story of the Viking ship tells of 12 brave people, most from Moorhead, who built a traditional-style Viking vessel and sailed it across the Great Lakes, through the Atlantic Ocean, and all the way to Norway.
The ship is preserved indoors, with the crew’s story displayed along the walls.
Hopperstad Stave Church
This is a replica of an 11th-century Viking church. Visitors can step inside to imagine what Christian rituals felt like a thousand years ago.
Fargo
A short drive from Moorhead took me to the Fargo Air Museum.
It has two hangars open for tours, with an admission fee of $15 for adults.
Most planes are part of U.S. Air Force history and are not to be touched.
Fargo itself is a quiet city, with a large airfield in its northern part.
Bismarck
Heading west along I-94, the scenery changes dramatically on either side of the Missouri River:
- To the east — cornfields dominate.
- To the west — open grasslands and ranches prevail.
Bismarck sits right on the Missouri River. The riverside trail is excellent, with historical and technical information on signboards scattered along the path. It’s both an educational and scenic walk.
One highlight is the Lewis and Clark Expedition, including a full-scale replica of the explorers’ boat.