A Monster Guide to the Best of Fargo and Moorhead

We spent over a week in the Fargo-Moorhead area as a base to explore this corner of my 49th state, and we were so pleasantly surprised.

Since then, I’ve been talking up the value of getting out to North Dakota to explore this underrated city as a response to most of the commentary we got before our trip. (Everyone was asking things along the lines of, “Why?”)

Well, I’ll tell you why.

Fargo has a great little beer scene, delicious food, and enough attractions to entertain even the most discerning traveler. This guide to the best things to do in Fargo and Moorhead, its sister city on the other side of the Red River, will show you the goods.

Is Fargo worth visiting?

Fargo is worth visiting for its surprising food and beverage scene, cultural attractions, and Midwestern vibes. Its downtown is a hub for shopping, dining, and entertainment.

The city is best known for being the largest city in North Dakota. The greater Fargo area boasts about 250,000 people, but Fargo itself has a population of about 127,000.

Fargo is also known for its cold weather and as the home of North Dakota State University, but you may be here thanks to a quirkier connection. The city was featured in the Coen brothers’ movie Fargo and the subsequent television series.

Things to Do in Downtown Fargo

If your time is limited, spend it in the city’s downtown area. Fargo’s downtown is walkable with some of the best eats in the city if that’s what you’re after.

Start with coffee.

I’m not super big on breakfast, but there definitely needs to be caffeine flowing in my veins before tackling even the mildest travel itinerary.

Youngblood Coffee Roasters was our favorite coffee shop in town for classic pours and matcha lattes if we were feeling fancy.

They usually have a few varieties of Sandy’s Donuts available for purchase, too, but I’d suggest just stopping by one of their actual locations for the biggest selection.

Grab a donut at Sandy’s Donuts.

There are a few locations of this local chain in Fargo and West Fargo, but if you’re exploring downtown Fargo activities anyway, go to that one.

They have fun flavors like mochi with fruity pebbles topping — they love their Fruity Pebbles here! — and orange creamsicle.

If you love the classics, it doesn’t get more satisfying than an old-fashioned blueberry. Those are typically my jam.

Hang out in Broadway Square.

This is Fargo’s main gathering space downtown. There was some yoga happening during our visit but I didn’t partake. 

I like my yoga in private because of my lack of flexibility. 

READ MORE: I also like it with goats sometimes. Check out more of what I mean.

If you’re here for shopping in Fargo, you’ll likely bop around the surrounding area anyway. 

Visit the Fargo Plains Art Museum.

This is one of the free museums in Fargo. They had three exhibits available to us when we came by, as several of the main art spaces feature rotating artists. We had a local Lakota artist on display during our visit, so it was a worthwhile stop for us. 

While modest, you won’t pay anything to stop in. You’ll also be in a historic building while you’re here. The museum operates out of the old International Harvester warehouse.

Snap a photo of Rollo.

The Rollo statue is a replica of an 1865 work by French sculptor Arsene Letellier. The one you’ll see in central Fargo is over 100 years old, so that’s still pretty impressive despite its replica status.

Rollo himself was a Norse conqueror who became Rollo (or Rollon) when he converted to Christianity. His given name at birth was Gange Hrolf, which also sounds pretty cool if difficult to pronounce. 

Fun fact: Rollo is one of five Norwegian monuments in Fargo that were erected here after Norway’s independence from Sweden in 1905. It was point of local pride for the local Norwegians in North Dakota.

Indulge in the best places to eat in Fargo.

The downtown area boasts many of Fargo’s best restaurants, so you may as well take advantage of that fact. If you love tacos, I love you. Start at Vinyl Taco in that case. 

The atmosphere is fun, with a giant bison overlooking your indulgences from atop the bar. I found it pricey for single tacos, but they were delicious. (We paid around $40 for five tacos and a Diet Coke for Brian before the tip.) The crispy fish was spicy but our fave.

Did I not sell that one well enough? Here are a few more options:

• Beer and Fish Company: We picked this one because it reminded us of a place we used to frequent that is now closed in San Diego. This one might have been better. They have a variety of fried fish options and items that aren’t fish at all. 

Note: You’ll walk down Roberts Alley to get there. This is another area popular for dining and entertainment. We spotted Scoop N Dough Candy Co. along the way that looked very cute, but we were on a mission for lobster bisque. 

• BernBaum’s: Locals love this popular lunch spot as their answer to Jewish delis in New York City. It was recommended to us a few times by locals, but we didn’t make it. Bagels are enough reason to make a return trip somewhere, right?
• Brew Bird: This fried chicken and beer shop is on the fringe of downtown, but I’ll allow it because they pride themselves on being mostly gluten-free. You’re here for the chicken but go for their Fargo Hot for a local spin.

Pick up some unique gifts at Zandbroz Variety.

This quirky place sells books, crystals, and various oddities that could be a fun stop if you want unique gifts for loved ones back home.

It’s a good stop if you’re at all into journaling or scrapbooking, too. They have loads of colored pencils and paper products for you to peruse. 

Stop by the historic Fargo Theatre.

The Art Deco-style Fargo Theatre has seen a lot of change since its opening in 1926. It started as a vaudeville theater before it was restored as a classic movie theater experience. 

The Super Mario Bros. Movie was playing during our visit. No, we did not go. I don’t support Italian plumber erasure.

Take some goofy photos at the #FargoMarioWall.

Speaking of Italian plumbers, if you’re at all nostalgic about Mario, you’ll want to stop by this artistic oddity.

This spot is a little awkward when you’re trying to do funny things with locals hollering at you or asking you for money. It’s a cute enough mural that you’ll likely pass by anyway, so you may as well do your best impressions.

Take a walk down the Fargo Art Alley.

It’s a graffiti wall down an alley in Fargo with some neat self-expression, but also things like “boobies” spray painted across large sections of brick. When you don’t reign in the artists, this is what they pull, and I guess I’m here for it. 

Check out the rest of Fargo’s public art.

Fargo has a nice public art scene if you know where to look. Don’t miss the large Bob Dylan Mural across from Zandbroz Variety or the Greetings from Fargo Postcard Mural closer to the Plains Art Museum.

Both are a fun way to get yourself acquainted with Fargo’s public art. Look out for bison along the road while you’re at it. I mean the sculptures, a public works project, not actual bison.

READ MORE: Looking for the real thing? Theodore Roosevelt National Park is a gem of a park with loads of wildlife opportunities.

Have a beer at Fargo’s best breweries.

Fargo has a modest but tasty craft brewery scene that you can start exploring in the city’s downtown area. Drekker Brewing Company was our favorite. We loved the Viking vibes with lots of funky options for me, including smoothie-style beers and sours. 

You don’t have to go all that wild if you don’t to. Brian liked their brown and Irish red ale. For an added dose of fun, they had boozy ice cream during our visit, too. Yep, we tried it. Yep, it was awesome.

Fargo Brewing Company is another good option, especially on a nice day. They have a great patio space to soak in the sun when it cooperates in this fickle state. We really liked their peanut butter porter during our visit. 

If you love mead, Fargo has you covered there, too. Try Prairie Rose Meadery, a spot that has won national awards for its delicious mead.

Try Fargo’s best cider, too.

If you prefer cider over beer or just like both (that’s me!), Wild Terra Cider is a delight in a very cute space. I taste-tested all of the options on the top row, which were the dry ciders, with no regrets.

They have a full beer and wine menu and guest snacks from a barbecue place nearby if you’re hungry.

Note: If you really want to have some fun and seeking Fargo day trips, take a trip to the Cottonwood Cider House in Ayr. They’re only open on Friday evenings with more hours on Saturdays and Sundays. It’ll take you about 45-50 minutes to get there from Fargo.

Enjoy something sweet at The Silver Lining Creamery.

They do this great thing at this ice cream shop where you can have little baby scoops of ice cream of different flavors. You can get four or six in a cup. I’m a lady so only got four, but it was plenty. 

I’m also an aging lady, so too much dairy isn’t ideal for the belly.

During our visit, they had yummy flavors like huckleberry, Fruity Pebbles, and lemon poppyseed, a flavor that I gravitate toward when faced with tough ice cream decisions. I was telling you this city loves its Fruity Pebbles!

Explore Fargo nightlight.

Fargo doesn’t have the wildest nightlife scene in the country, but there are a few options to keep the party going if you’re seeking some adult fun after dark. Enjoy some cocktails and other revelry at these venues:

• The Aquarium: This one is listed as Dempsey’s Public House on your maps because it’s above the bar. Make the effort to find it to enjoy the city’s best live music venue.
• The Boiler Room: This basement tavern has a full food menu if you need something to nosh on, but it’s more well-known for its signature cocktails.
• Pixeled Arcade and Beer Hall: This is a fun option if you’re feeling a little competitive. Enjoy retro arcade games and a long list of beers to suit any palate.

What to Do in Fargo Outside of Downtown

Downtown Fargo isn’t the only game in town when it comes to planning your trip. Here are a few more of our favorite things from our time in Fargo.

Grab some treats at Nichole’s Fine Pastry & Cafe.

This charming cafe sells very cute sweets, eclairs, and other French treats. The only problem is that you likely won’t be able to choose just one item. That’s why we came home with three.

You’ll be near the old train depot from here, too. The Northern Pacific Railway Depot is no longer running, but it’s important enough that it warranted placement on the National Register of Historic Places.

Chat with the experts at the Fargo-Moorhead Visitors Center.

This is technically three visitor centers in one, as you’ll get information here on travel in Fargo, West Fargo, and Moorhead. If you’re having trouble finding the place, it may be listed as “Visit Fargo-Moorhead” on your map apps. It’s all in the same spot.

Pop inside to meet the friendly staff and get additional hot tips about travel in the area. You can also walk the short Fargo Walk of Fame to see if you have better luck deciphering the weathered names of celebrities who have visited the towns than we had.

I was able to read Garth Brooks, Metallica, and Bert and Ernie, but that’s about it.

See the Woodchipper while you’re there.

The visitors center is also where you’ll find some memorabilia from the movie Fargo. You’ll need to go inside to see the real goods like a copy of the movie script signed by the directors, but if you’re here after-hours, you’re not out of luck.

They’ve set up a silly photo op for you outside with a replica of the Eager Beaver, the woodchipper famous for being responsible for one of the grisliest scenes in the movie.

If you know, you know.

Pop by the Roger Maris Museum (if you’re a huge fan).

Calling this a museum is a bit much. It’s a wall of memorabilia at the entrance of the West Acres Shopping Center.

There’s a small room with a documentary of his life playing, but if you arrive and it’s full of dudes, you’ll have to awkwardly stand there as it plays or skip it altogether.

If you do get a seat, you’ll be sitting in real Yankee Stadium seats, probably the coolest bit about visits here.

It’s free because it’s the mall, but this one is otherwise skippable unless you’re a huge Roger Maris fan.

Don’t miss the mall art.

The more interesting thing about the mall is the artwork that has nothing to do with Roger Maris. Apparently, this is the place to display art from local artists. I can’t hate on that. The mall itself is still just a mall.

Feel like a kid again at the Fargo Air Museum.

Explore two hangars of planes and famous flyers in North Dakota history. I thought this one was pricey for the time we spent here — it was around $15 per person when we went —  but you can arrive closer to closing time for a discount on admission.

It was still fun to climb into the planes. Any fun extras, like the simulator, cost extra. If you’re traveling with kids, it’s good to be warned about these things because they are definitely going to want to check out that simulator.

We didn’t know it at the time, but this one is dog-friendly, too. I’m not sure our anxious pup would have handled it well, but if you have a more well-behaved pet, they might enjoy exploring the state’s air transportation roots.

Stroll the grounds of North Dakota State University.

Check out the Fargodome, walk around a bit, and contemplate the passage of time on this modest campus. There isn’t a ton to see as it’s not the most scenic college we’ve visited, but it’s worth a quick look if it’s a nice day.

Find your favorite green space. 

Fargo’s best green spaces ARE worth your time. Island Park is a lovely start as Fargo’s largest public park. Enjoy a large gazebo and various sculptures throughout, including a statue of Norwegian author Henrik Wergeland.

If you think bigger is better, Lindenwood Park is a local favorite and the city’s largest park.

For some added intrigue, walk the pedestrian bridge to Moorhead’s Gooseberry Park on the other side. You can start at the park’s main entrance for this, too, at 1905 Roger Maris Drive.

Get your history fix at Bonanzaville USA.

This historical attraction is in West Fargo, which is still within the greater Fargo area. The price is reasonable for what you get, which is a complex of buildings that tell the story of North Dakota.

Start with the museum indoors. There was some interesting stuff in there about the Spanish influenza and its effects on the local population.

From there, you’ll walk outside to the main event. Bonanzaville USA is a series of historical buildings like barbershops, an old train depot, and a printing office that are one part ghost town and one part historical reenactment.

You’ll get the ghost town bits in the old homes still inhabited by dead-eyed dolls and mannequins. Honestly, it’s all a little unsettling if you’re the only one here as we were.

There wasn’t even anyone working in any of the buildings during our visit. That meant artifacts and exhibit spaces covered in what seemed like decades of layers of dust.

The large hangar was probably the most interesting. There was a plane inside that you could walk into, but I skipped it as I had lost Brian by that time and it was way too dark.

Feel free to pick and choose where you’d like to spend your time here because you can definitely get historical fatigue along the way.

Grab brews and eats at Brewhalla.

Brewhalla is a large concept space from Drekker Brewing Company that includes shops, eats, multiple bars, and a hotel on top if you find that you need to stay overnight.

We really liked this one for lunch. You can mix and match a few different things like snacks from Mangata Wine & Raw Bar and more substantial items from Unicorn Park Fine Foodery, a sandwich spot.

I went to town at their market, too, buying fancy boxes of pasta I didn’t need. There’s also a cheese shop, plant shop, wine shop, and a smaller version of Drekker Brewing itself.

Things to Do in Moorhead

I usually hate when bloggers suggest things to do outside of the city you’re visiting, but in this case, Moorhead is Fargo’s sister city in the Red River Valley.

You can also say you got to visit two different states on your trip to Fargo. Moorhead is just over the border in Minnesota.

We actually stayed in Moorhead during our own trip but were able to walk right into Fargo whenever we pleased. The two are that close. Here are a few of our favorite things to do in Moorhead on your Fargo trip.

Walk over the Veterans Memorial Bridge and back.

This bridge will connect you to downtown, but the bigger draw is that you can cross into Minnesota from here. You’ll be walking from Minnesota to North Dakota and back if you do the full out-and-back.

You can turn around where you see the Statue of Liberty replica on the Fargo side or continue walking to eventually get to downtown Fargo. This was my usual jogging route from our pad in Moorhead, and it was always super scenic.

There are some great walking paths down below along the Red River, too.

Visit the Hjemkomst Center.

This multi-use facility is home to the Hjemkomst Viking Ship, a huge replica of the Norwegian Gokstad ship. The fact that it’s a replica doesn’t mean it hasn’t seen any action on the seas.

The ship spent six weeks on a voyage from Duluth, Minnesota, to Bergen, Norway, after its completion.

This was the dream of Robert Asp, a guidance counselor at one of the local junior high schools and a big fan of Norwegian vessels. Sadly, he died before she set sail, but that made its successful voyage that much more poignant.

Your ticket also gets you access to guided tours of the Stave church, a replica of a Norwegian wooden church. Time your visit around the hour so that you can get in a 15-minute tour of the church. You won’t be able to see the interior otherwise.

Once you’re done with ships and churches, head to the lower level for exhibits on the history of native people in the area, Native American artifacts, and Ralph’s Corner Bar. Yes, these are all very different topics. It was still pretty interesting.

For a leg-stretcher, you’ll be adjacent to Viking Ship Park. This becomes a cross-country trail in the winter months, so the fun isn’t stopped by snow in Fargo. I mean, I guess that’s only true if you’re into cross-country skiing. I’ve never tried.

Fun fact: Fargo is regularly in the running for “Toughest Weather City” from the Weather Channel. Meteorologists don’t just find the weather here awful. It can be inconsistent, too. We’re talking nasty blizzards and flooding in the spring from all of that snow on top of weather patterns that aren’t as predictable.

Grab a pint at Junkyard Brewing Company.

This was our favorite brewery in Fargo-Moorhead. Since it was almost summertime during our visit, they had mostly lighter options on tap which suited me just fine.

Their Berry Season, a blueberry marshmallow mashup, tasted like a Belgian lambic beer. If you want to sip on something that tastes like vacation, Cocomondo is a coconut delight. 

Tour the Comstock House.

This Victorian beauty built in 1882 is open for weekend tours during much of the year for fans of historic homes. You’ll learn about Solomon G. Comstock, the original owner, and the women in the family who helped bring educational opportunities to the city.

The home also hosts a number of seasonal and special events throughout the year. That includes yoga sessions on the lawn. Check out their site for more information on tours and special events.

Check out the art at the Rourke Art Museum.

Hours are limited to a few afternoon hours on Friday through Sunday, but you can’t expect a ton when you find out it’s completely free to all visitors.

You’ll know you’re there when you see the bison out front imitating Van Gogh. Start with the outdoor sculptures. It was an Icelandic theme during our stay, but that can change alongside the traveling exhibits inside.

We also visited during Pride Week in the city, so there was a great exhibit inside under the theme “Queer Joy.” It’s a small museum, but worth the effort if you can time things right.

With More Time in the Fargo-Moorhead Area

By this point you know I was pleasantly surprised with Fargo and the greater Fargo region. That’s true enough that I can say with a straight face that I’d definitely return to the city if I had to. I’d even return by choice!

Here are a few more things to consider on trips in and around Fargo:

• Catch a game at Newman Outdoor Field, home of the Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks.
• See a show at the Fargo Moorhead Opera.
• Enjoy some sips at Bear Creek Winery.
• Meet the critters at the Red River Zoo.
• Ride the bumper cars at the Thunder Road amusement park.
• Shop at the Red River Market, but only on Saturdays in the summer. 
• Work on your Insta game at Selfie WRLD Fargo.
• Marvel at the butterflies at the Northern Plains Botanic Garden Society.
• Drive up to the KVLY-TV mast, the tallest mast in the world, in nearby Blanchard.
• Take a day trip out of town to Fort Ransom State Park.

Where to Stay in Fargo

We stayed on the Moorhead side during our week in the greater Fargo area. It’s just what was budget-friendly and available at the time of our booking vs. any other reason. Fargo is safe and cute with quite a few options for overnight accommodations.

Use the map below to browse your options for Fargo hotels:

There are so many fun things to do in Fargo.

Add Moorhead into the mix and you have the makings of a fantastic weekend away.

South Dakota often gets more love when you’re out this way because of their parks, but don’t sleep on the type of fun to be had in North Dakota.

North Dakota feels more Midwestern to me, too, especially in Fargo. There’s just something familiar about the prairies, and I’m here for it.

On a longer road trip out this way? Check out these posts:

• Should You Visit Deadwood? An Honest Review
• A Detailed Guide to Devils Tower National Monument
• Plan a Trip to Underrated Laramie, Wyoming
• Charming Fort Collins: How to Make the Trip!
• Plan an Itinerary for Grand Teton National Park

This is the Midwest! Here are my favorite stops:

• A Guide to Milwaukee, Another Underrated Gem
• How to Visit Impressive Cave Point County Park
• Visiting Cuyahoga Valley National Park
• Top Attractions in Bay City, Michigan
• Plan a Weekend Trip to Iowa City, Iowa

Want to see more?