What to do in Fargo?
June 9, 2009 9:16 PM Subscribe
What to do with a free weekend in Fargo?
I am traveling to Fargo on business and will be there over the coming weekend. I like the outdoors, history, bookstores, and small town weirdness. I will be alone and I will have a car. Any suggestions?
I am traveling to Fargo on business and will be there over the coming weekend. I like the outdoors, history, bookstores, and small town weirdness. I will be alone and I will have a car. Any suggestions?
Best answer: Here's a list of events (starting Friday) from The Forum:
http://www.inforum.com/?event=calendar&date=2009-06-12
If your Saturday afternoon is free I would suggest taking some time to walk up and down Broadway between Main Avenue and 6th Avenue North. There are lots of fun shops to browse and the atmosphere on Broadway is great. I suggest Zandbroz Variety, O'day Cache, and getting a boba tea at Teaberry.
Just down the street in West Fargo is Bonanzaville.
There are a lot of parks in the Fargo-Moorhead area. My favorite is Oak Grove park, although I'm not sure what state it's in right now from flooding. Another good park (that's on higher ground) is across the river in Moorhead - Davy Memorial Park.
Google map of parks near Fargo-Moorhead.
The Plains Art Museum has a neat exhibit on guitars right now.
posted by geekchic at 6:55 AM on June 10, 2009
http://www.inforum.com/?event=calendar&date=2009-06-12
If your Saturday afternoon is free I would suggest taking some time to walk up and down Broadway between Main Avenue and 6th Avenue North. There are lots of fun shops to browse and the atmosphere on Broadway is great. I suggest Zandbroz Variety, O'day Cache, and getting a boba tea at Teaberry.
Just down the street in West Fargo is Bonanzaville.
There are a lot of parks in the Fargo-Moorhead area. My favorite is Oak Grove park, although I'm not sure what state it's in right now from flooding. Another good park (that's on higher ground) is across the river in Moorhead - Davy Memorial Park.
Google map of parks near Fargo-Moorhead.
The Plains Art Museum has a neat exhibit on guitars right now.
posted by geekchic at 6:55 AM on June 10, 2009
Best answer: Bonazaville is in West Fargo and has some history exhibits. The Fargo theatre occasionally has some interesting small films.
For nature, lindenwood park is the biggest city park in Fargo. There may be a lot of mud from flooding. There's a prairie preserve I think I went to for a science class that is about a 15 minute drive. A lot of people go to Detroit Lakes or other MN Lakes nearby (1 or 2 hour drive) in the summertime for swimming, etc.
It's pretty to drive outside of town around sunset (I always used to drive west on 94 towards Casselton). North Dakota has some great skies, especially when you're outside of town and you can see it all.
Also look at the Fargo-Moorehead site for general information. It seems to be pretty through. The mall is fun for people-watching as it tends to be very busy (and there's many restaurants in the surronding blocks).
posted by ejaned8 at 7:21 AM on June 10, 2009
For nature, lindenwood park is the biggest city park in Fargo. There may be a lot of mud from flooding. There's a prairie preserve I think I went to for a science class that is about a 15 minute drive. A lot of people go to Detroit Lakes or other MN Lakes nearby (1 or 2 hour drive) in the summertime for swimming, etc.
It's pretty to drive outside of town around sunset (I always used to drive west on 94 towards Casselton). North Dakota has some great skies, especially when you're outside of town and you can see it all.
Also look at the Fargo-Moorehead site for general information. It seems to be pretty through. The mall is fun for people-watching as it tends to be very busy (and there's many restaurants in the surronding blocks).
posted by ejaned8 at 7:21 AM on June 10, 2009
Best answer: Since your forte is in American Indian history and the American West, Bonanzaville (link above) would be a good place to start; the building exhibits are moved from small towns, including an old sod house. You have to go westward to find Native American museums; there's a good, but small, museum at Fort Abraham Lincoln, 3 hours west of Fargo near Bismarck; here's a list of more historical museums in ND. The Visitor's Bureau has a calendar, which says there's a car show at Bonanzaville on Saturday, too. The Fargo Theatre usually has something artsy or Oscar-winning playing, but this weekend is the LGBT film festival; it's a nicely restored art deco movie house. The Hjemkomst center isn't just a big boat: the lower level has the Clay County Historical Society, which is a pretty good traditional museum. There's an arts & culture calendar here. If you like baseball and beer, the local baseball team, the Redhawks, play night games. Fargo and surrounding area (Moorhead, West Fargo) are quite laid-back; we don't have excitement happening every weekend, and even what we call "exciting" is usually pretty lame from a big-city standpoint.
Places to eat: Duane's House of Pizza, Isabella's (gourmet italian), Grand Junction subs.
Used books: BDS Booksellers (1st ave N and 12th st), any of the Dakota Boy's Ranch thrift shops,or ARC thrift shops. BDS, a Boys' Ranch, and an ARC are all on the western edge of downtown within walking distance of each other. Broadway Antique Mall (near the train tracks, on the south end of Broadway downtown) used to have a lot of books, but it's been a while since I've been in there.
Books+small-town-wierdness+thrift-shop: Moorhead Thrift Shop, Main avenue and 5th street in Moorhead, just across the river from Fargo. Staffed by interestingly strange people on most days; open Saturdays until 3.
Museum+small-town-wierdness: The Roger Maris Museum, honoring our hometown hero with a row of glass display cases in a hallway of the mall. Bonanzaville, depending on people's expectations, can also fit into the 'museum+small-town-wierdness' category.
My email is in my profile; the Wifey and I won't have time to be guides, but email me if you'd like a resource if you get lost or are looking for something specific, and I can give you our phone number.
posted by AzraelBrown at 9:43 AM on June 11, 2009
Places to eat: Duane's House of Pizza, Isabella's (gourmet italian), Grand Junction subs.
Used books: BDS Booksellers (1st ave N and 12th st), any of the Dakota Boy's Ranch thrift shops,or ARC thrift shops. BDS, a Boys' Ranch, and an ARC are all on the western edge of downtown within walking distance of each other. Broadway Antique Mall (near the train tracks, on the south end of Broadway downtown) used to have a lot of books, but it's been a while since I've been in there.
Books+small-town-wierdness+thrift-shop: Moorhead Thrift Shop, Main avenue and 5th street in Moorhead, just across the river from Fargo. Staffed by interestingly strange people on most days; open Saturdays until 3.
Museum+small-town-wierdness: The Roger Maris Museum, honoring our hometown hero with a row of glass display cases in a hallway of the mall. Bonanzaville, depending on people's expectations, can also fit into the 'museum+small-town-wierdness' category.
My email is in my profile; the Wifey and I won't have time to be guides, but email me if you'd like a resource if you get lost or are looking for something specific, and I can give you our phone number.
posted by AzraelBrown at 9:43 AM on June 11, 2009
Response by poster: Wow, thanks for all the good advice. Fargo is a charming little city, actually, with a powerful sense of place. I also got one great Mefi Mail from someone who did not want to out herself, but she said I could post it here so I will:
Fargo native, but a bit shy about broadcasting my location on the internet. Fargo isn't great, but the downtown has been nicely renovated in the last decade and is pretty lively especially if you like to drink. The trendiest bar with an ok atmosphere is the Hotel Donaldson (HoDo) which is good for martinis. I don't drink enough to have any local gems to suggest in that area. There are no good independent bookstores in town, with the exception of Zambroz Variety which is full of an assortment of neat things ranging from wind up metal toys to fancy fountain pens.
The Historic Fargo Theatre is a nice old fashioned movie theatre to visit since it has a wurlitzer pipe organ that gets played on Friday and weekend afternoons; there is also a carved wooden statue of Marge from the film Fargo upstairs. There are two museums, The Plains Art Museum and the Rourke Gallery, both of which are alright. I prefer the Rourke even though it's the smaller of the two since I think it has the more interesting permanent collection. If you want to do more of the touristy thing, there is the Hjemkomst Center, which has a full size replica viking ship indoors, some historical stuff in the basement, and a stave church outside. Probably the most interesting historic site is Bonanzaville which is a collection of preserved buildings that were moved to one location. For the small town weirdness category, Scheels in Fargo is supposedly the largest sporting goods store in North America and boasts a ferris wheel inside. Also of note is the Prairie Home Cemetery in Moorhead, which lends its name for Garison Keillor's radio show.
If you like diner food, Krolls Diner is fun and they have great knoephla soup. Bertrosa's Chicago Cafe has Chicago style hotdogs and good beer cheese soup, but is hidden away downtown. Cafe Aladdin is middle eastern cuisine and is good for gyros and baklava. Taste Of India is a very good Indian restaurant, and I'd recommend going for the excellent lunch buffet rather than ordering off the menu. Grand Junction in Moorhead has fantastic East Coast style grilled subs, particularly the chicken cordon blu. If you're looking for more upscale dining, John Alexander’s in downtown Moorhead is good. A fun independent coffee shop is the Red Raven, but it is mostly an evenings kind of place.
I'm not much for outdoors type things, but Buffalo River State Park is nearby and it has a large area of preserved prairie land if you're interested in seeing that kind of thing. This is the time of year to be outside at any rate since the mosquitoes aren't out yet. Feel free to repost this or not if you like.
Thanks again to all, my weekend is much improved for your advice!
posted by LarryC at 9:44 AM on June 13, 2009
Fargo native, but a bit shy about broadcasting my location on the internet. Fargo isn't great, but the downtown has been nicely renovated in the last decade and is pretty lively especially if you like to drink. The trendiest bar with an ok atmosphere is the Hotel Donaldson (HoDo) which is good for martinis. I don't drink enough to have any local gems to suggest in that area. There are no good independent bookstores in town, with the exception of Zambroz Variety which is full of an assortment of neat things ranging from wind up metal toys to fancy fountain pens.
The Historic Fargo Theatre is a nice old fashioned movie theatre to visit since it has a wurlitzer pipe organ that gets played on Friday and weekend afternoons; there is also a carved wooden statue of Marge from the film Fargo upstairs. There are two museums, The Plains Art Museum and the Rourke Gallery, both of which are alright. I prefer the Rourke even though it's the smaller of the two since I think it has the more interesting permanent collection. If you want to do more of the touristy thing, there is the Hjemkomst Center, which has a full size replica viking ship indoors, some historical stuff in the basement, and a stave church outside. Probably the most interesting historic site is Bonanzaville which is a collection of preserved buildings that were moved to one location. For the small town weirdness category, Scheels in Fargo is supposedly the largest sporting goods store in North America and boasts a ferris wheel inside. Also of note is the Prairie Home Cemetery in Moorhead, which lends its name for Garison Keillor's radio show.
If you like diner food, Krolls Diner is fun and they have great knoephla soup. Bertrosa's Chicago Cafe has Chicago style hotdogs and good beer cheese soup, but is hidden away downtown. Cafe Aladdin is middle eastern cuisine and is good for gyros and baklava. Taste Of India is a very good Indian restaurant, and I'd recommend going for the excellent lunch buffet rather than ordering off the menu. Grand Junction in Moorhead has fantastic East Coast style grilled subs, particularly the chicken cordon blu. If you're looking for more upscale dining, John Alexander’s in downtown Moorhead is good. A fun independent coffee shop is the Red Raven, but it is mostly an evenings kind of place.
I'm not much for outdoors type things, but Buffalo River State Park is nearby and it has a large area of preserved prairie land if you're interested in seeing that kind of thing. This is the time of year to be outside at any rate since the mosquitoes aren't out yet. Feel free to repost this or not if you like.
Thanks again to all, my weekend is much improved for your advice!
posted by LarryC at 9:44 AM on June 13, 2009
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Zandbroz variety is a nice, kooky bookstore. It is downtown at 420 Broadway North. Should you have a jonzing for a Barnes and Noble, there is one at 1201 42nd street SW. It is across the street from the mall.
For small town weirdness (and by the way, Fargo is the largest town in North Dakota [official state drink: milk. Unofficial state drink: beer]), I would like to point you to the Hjemkomst Center just across the mighty Red in Moorhead. Pronounced "Yom-cost," the center encloses a Viking ship made by a man of Norwegian heritage whose family sailed it to Norway after his death. Behind the center is a stave (church) made out of carved wood by one man. See that, and you will understand the winters better, and how the locals cope. Beyond the stave is an easy trail that will let you walk along the Red. It flooded there badly this year, so you might seen signs of that. The even closed my alma matter for a week to help with sandbagging.
Feel free to use my name to get the VIP treatment.
posted by Monday at 10:43 PM on June 9, 2009