By Alicia Underlee Nelson
North Dakota is a road tripper’s dream. Its wide-open spaces are dotted with laid back cities, untamed landscapes, quirky roadside attractions and stoic settings straight out of Great Plains history. Just over 760,000 people live here, so there’s plenty of room to roam under the endless sky.
It became a state on November 2, 1889. That’s the exact same day as its neighbor, South Dakota. And since nobody knows which order was signed first, North Dakota is either the 39th or 40th state. This nearly simultaneous signing set both states up as good-natured rivals (that just happen to have a lot in common) from the very first moments of statehood.

North Dakota Road Trips
- Medora to Theodore Roosevelt National Park
- The Old Red Old Ten Scenic Bywa
- Sakakawea Scenic Byway & Standing Rock National Native American Scenic Byway
- Public Art and Urban Eats
North Dakota Websites
Note that some locations only have a phone number.
Medora to Theodore Roosevelt National Park North Unit Scenic Byway
- Medora
- Theodore Roosevelt National Park
- The Capital Gallery West
- Western Edge Books, Artwork, Music
- Medora Boot & Western Wear
- North Dakota Cowboy Hall of Fame
- Boots Bar & Grill
- Medora Riding Stables & Trail Rides
- Elkhorn Ranch
- Rough Riders Hotel
- Wooly Wagon
- The Teddy Roosevelt Show
- Chateau de Mores Historical Site
- Medora Musical
- Pitchfork Steak Fondue
- Bully Pulpit Golf Course
- Sully Creek State Park
- Maah Daah Hey Trail
- Dakota Cyclery
- Devils Pass
- CCC Campground
- TRNP North Unit
- Watford City
- Pioneer Museum of McKenzie County and Long X Visitor Center
- Six Shooters
- Stonehome Brewing
- Roosevelt Inn and Suites
- Medora Fudge & Ice Cream Depot
- The Farmhouse Cafe
- Medora Uncork’d
- Outlaws Bar & Grill
The Old Red Old Ten Scenic Byway and the Enchanted Highway
- Bismarck Mandan CVB
- Visit Dickinson
- Kroll’s Diner
- Bismarck Big Boy
- Old Red Old Ten Scenic Byway
- Native Artists United
- Udderly Caffeinated
- Dacotah Clayworks
- Dark Side of the Brew
- Assumption Abbey
- Schnell Recreation Area
- Ukrainian Cultural Institute
- Dickinson Museum Center
- The Brew
- Fluffy Fields Vineyard & Winery
- The Enchanted Highway
- The Enchanted Castle
- Copper Dog Waffles & Coffee
- Laughing Sun Brewing Co.
- The Wurst Shop, 701-483-6384
- LaVonne’s Cheese Button Factory Plus, 701-223-3640
Sakakawea Scenic Byway and Standing Rock National Native American Scenic Byway
- Bismarck Mandan CVB
- Bread Poets
- Bearscat Bakehouse
- Fort Abraham Lincoln State Park
- Knife River Indian Villages National Historic Site
- Sakakawea Scenic Byway
- Fort Clark State Historic Site
- Killdeer Mountain Four Bears Scenic Byway
- Fort Mandan State Recreation Area
- Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center
- Bismarck Ale Works
- The Paddle Trap
- Paddle On North Dakota
- Terra Nomad
- Brick Oven Bakery
- Arboretum Trail
- North Dakota Heritage Center and State Museum
- Standing Rock Sioux
- Prairie Knights Casino and Resort
- R&B’s Grill
- Peacock Alley
- 510.2 Speakeasy
- Missouri Valley Millennium Legacy Trail
- Lewis and Clark Riverboat
- Huckleberry House
- Noodlezip
- The Walrus
- Fireflour Pizzeria & Coffee Bar
- Dakota Farms Washburn
Public Art and Urban Eats
- Fargo Moorhead Convention and Visitors Bureau
- Fargo Brewing Company
- Downtown Fargo
- Sandy’s Donuts
- The Boiler Room
- Broadway Square
- Red River Market
- Island Park
- Front Street Taproom
- Nichole’s Fine Pastry
- Silver Linings Creamery
- Orange Records
- Gallery 4
- Scoop N Dough Candy Co.
- Fargo Theatre
- Zandbroz Variety
- Fargo Walking Tours
- Hotel Donaldson
- Jasper Hotel/Rosewild
- Hillsboro Cafe
- Sundae Brew
- Visit Grand Forks
- Rhombus Guys Brewing
- Widman’s Candy Shop, 701–775-3480
- Urban Stampede
- North Dakota Museum of Art
- Browning Arts
- Badman Design
- The Greenway
- The Blue Moose
- Bernie’s
- Boathouse on the Red
- Red River State Recreation Area
- Splashers of the South Seas
- Sky’s Fine Dining
- The Toasted Frog
- Bernbaum’s
- Rhombus Guys
- Drekker Brewhalla