Best North Dakota Attraction (2017)

Strolling through Scandinavian Heritage Park in Minot is like stepping across the Pond to Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Finland and Iceland, thanks to a series of replicas. Highlights include a 25-foot Swedish Dala horse and a replica stave church.
Photo courtesy of North Dakota Tourism

Fargo is home to North Dakota's largest and most diverse art museum. The Plains Art Museum specializes in regional contemporary artwork, American Modernism and Native American traditional and contemporary works – some 4,000 pieces in total.
Photo courtesy of North Dakota Tourism

One of the largest uninterrupted swathes of woodlands in the state can be found within Pembina Gorge – 12,500 acres in total. The area, popular for hiking, biking, canoeing and winter sports, is also home to 30 plant species and 21 animal species considered rare in the state.
Photo courtesy of Copyright 2008, Dan Koeck

This historic site in North Dakota tells the story of the Cold War years in the state. Visitors can tour two sites, the Oscar-Zero Missile Alert Facility and the November-33 Launch Facility, two remnants of a larger ballistic missile launch complex once spread across a 6,500-square-mile area.
Photo courtesy of North Dakota Tourism

The North Dakota Buffalo Foundation established the National Buffalo Museum in 1991 as a herd of five buffalo from nearby Theodore Roosevelt National Park. Today, modern museum facilities showcase buffalo related artifacts, artwork and historic items spanning 10,000 years of history.
Photo courtesy of 2007, Dan Koeck

In 1883, Theodore Roosevelt came to the North Dakota badlands to hunt buffalo, and the trip altered the course of history, as it would shape the conservation policies that have benefitted the park system ever since. Aside from its historical significance, the park also offers green prairie expanses, fascinating rock formations, lonely rivers and abundant wildlife, including iconic American bison.
Photo courtesy of North Dakota Tourism

Straddling the border between North Dakota and the province of Manitoba in Canada, the International Peace Garden began in 1932 as a symbol of the fact that the U.S. and Canada have been at peace for (today) more than 200 years. The sprawling gardens comprise 2,300 acres, including hiking trails and two freshwater lakes.
Photo courtesy of North Dakota Tourism

Fort Mandan served as the winter home of the Lewis and Clark expedition in the cold months of 1804 and 1805. Reconstructed and fully furnished quarters show what life was like for the Corps of Discovery men, while the Lewis & Clark Interpretive Center has a series of exhibits on the expedition, fur trading and the history of agriculture in North Dakota.
Photo courtesy of North Dakota Tourism

The North Dakota Heritage Center & State Museum in Bismarck is the state's largest museum – home of a collection of natural and cultural artifacts from the state's 600,000 million year history. The free museum is divided into several different galleries covering themes like geology, North Dakota's native tribes and the modern-day people of North Dakota.
Photo courtesy of North Dakota Tourism

A popular base for exploring the North Dakota badlands, the town of Medora is travel-worthy in its own right. In-town attractions include the North Dakota Cowboy Hall of Fame, Chateau de Mores mansion and the Medora Musical, a stage performance celebrating the American West through square dancing and country music. The spectacular Theodore Roosevelt National Park sits right in the town's backyard.
Photo courtesy of North Dakota Tourism