Gardner, ND Road Trips

Fargo is named after William G. Fargo, one of the founders of American Express and Wells Fargo. Fargo has an extreme humid continental climate with cold, snowy winters, and warm to hot, humid summers. Average summer heat indices factoring in humidity are around 84 °F (29 °C) for daytime highs and around 62 °F (17 °C) for overnight lows. Some exceptionally hot, sweltering summer days can see heat indices climb upwards to around or even exceeding 95 °F (35 °C), and not go below 71 °F (22 °C) at night. The 1 Fargo-Moorhead Visitors Center features the original woodchipper from the notorious scene in the movie Fargo, as well as an exact replica. There's other memorabilia on display too, and a gift shop.

1 Roger Maris Museum, 3902 13th Ave (West Acres Mall (at I-29)). open year-round. Museum of the baseball player Roger Maris, who went to high school in Fargo and went on to play for the New York Yankees. Free. (updated Sep 2023) 2 North Dakota State University, 1401 Administration Ave, ☏ +1 701 231-8241. 7 AM - 11 PM M-F. A nice campus to walk around and see Midwest college life in all its glory. They also have tours. It's a decent size campus with lots to see like the Memorial garden and the creek. (updated Apr 2025) 3 Germans from Russia Heritage Collection, 1201 Albrecht Blvd, ☏ +1 701 231-6596. M-F: 8AM-4PM. A collection of various photographs and artifacts from Germans from Russia who immigrated to the surrounding area. Hosts various exhibits from within the NDSU library building. (updated Apr 2025) 4 Plains Art Museum, 704 First Ave, ☏ +1 701 232-3821. Daily 11AM-5PM. Surprisingly interesting contemporary art museum. Free admission. (updated Sep 2023) 5 Fargo Air Museum, 1609 19th Ave N, ☏ +1 701-293-8043, [email protected]. Tu-Sa 10AM-5PM. Museum focused on aviation history and machinery. Closed on all major holidays such as Easter, July 4, Christmas Eve and Day, and New Year's Day. Some days may be booked for private events, so check the website. Adult $15; student, military, veteran, or senior $12; child (5-11) $10; children under 4 free. (updated Sep 2023) 6 Red River Zoo, 4220 21st Ave SW, ☏ +1 701 277-9240. Open daily May to October, weekends only rest of year. Has red pandas. 7 Celebrity Walk of Fame, 2001 44th St.

1 Horse Racing, 5180 19th Ave N (North Dakota Horse Park), ☏ +1 701 277-8027. Season is from early August to mid-September. 2 Thunder Road Family Fun Park, 2902 Thunder Rd S, ☏ +1 701 282-5151. Go-kart racing, bumper cars, laser tag, batting cages, mini golf, and an arcade. Open May–September. Inside usually opens in April. Free entry. , 3 Sky Zone Fargo. 4 Bill's Gun Shop & Range, 1040 35th St N, ☏ +1 701-353-8748. M–Sa 10AM–8PM, Su 10AM–5PM. Indoor gun range with a huge variety of firearms available to rent for target shooting. The staff is friendly, helpful, and happy to teach beginners, so even if you've never touched a gun before, you'll be welcomed. High-quality eye and ear protection is essential and available for sale. Closed-toe, closed-heel shoes are required. Make sure to fill out the online waiver on their website, and be prepared to give them your ID to hold on to while you're on the range. (updated Aug 2024) 5 Suite Shots, 3400 James Wy S, ☏ +1 701 532-4653, [email protected]. M-Th 11AM-10PM, F 11AM-midnight, Sa 10AM-midnight, Su 10AM-10PM. A large golf driving range. Many lanes and indoor simulators. Clubs can be rented or you can bring your own. They have left handed and right handed clubs. Also serves food. (updated Feb 2025) 6 Fargo Billiards and Gastropub, 3234 43rd St S, ☏ +1 701 282-4168. 11AM-2PM. Pool hall in southern Fargo, also serves bar food. There are 56 tables. Also has trivia nights. (updated Apr 2025) 7 Kingpinz Social, 3485 Jacks Way S, ☏ +1 701 532-2695. M-Sa: 11AM-11PM, Su: 10AM-10PM.

1 Grand Junction, 3051 25th St S, ☏ +1 701 364 9421. Daily 11AM-8PM. East Coast Style Subs serves hot subs grilled fresh right in front of you. A local favorite. Try the Chicken Cordon Bleu sandwich, very delicious. (updated Jul 2024) 2 Boppa's Bagels, 3051 25th St S, ☏ +1 701 241-7800. M-F 8AM-3PM, Sa Su 8AM-2PM. Boppa's Bagels makes wonderful bagels, of note are their speciality bagels, that are also available at some coffee shops around the city. (updated Jul 2024) 3 Brewhalla, 1702 1st Ave N. 10AM–8PM daily. Indoor market with several food stalls. Also has an attached hotel. (updated Aug 2024) 4 Los Vaqueros Taqueria, 3001 13th Ave S, ☏ +1 701 232-0645. 11AM-9PM. Mexican restaurant offering authentic dishes and drinks. Friendly staff and nice decor inside. Free. (updated Jan 2026) 5 Labby's Grill and Bar, 1100 19th Ave N, ☏ +1 701 478-5227. M-Sa 11AM-2AM. Grill and bar featuring sandwiches, hamburgers, and more. Good atmosphere. (updated Feb 2025) 6 Kroll's Diner, 1033 45th St S, ☏ +1 701 492-2319. 6AM-11PM. German and American 1950s diner. Also has locations in other North Dakota cities. (updated Feb 2025) 7 The Bison Turf (The Turf), ☏ +1 701 235-9118, [email protected]. M-F 11AM-2AM, Sa 9AM-2AM, Su 9AM-midnight. Bar and grill right by the NDSU campus. Popular with students. Features a pool table, darts, a second floor bar, and a rooftop lounge. (updated Feb 2025) 8 Herd and Horns, 1414 12th Ave N (inside of Bison Block, directly south of the NDSU campus), ☏ +1 701 551-7000. Th-Tu 11AM-2AM, W 11AM-2AM.

While you're in the area, see if you can try the local soft drink Flannel Fizz, sold in several unique flavors at the Red River Market and some local restaurants. A few of the bars (such as The Bison Turf, Herd & Horns, and Chub's Pub) will have mug night once a week, where you can buy a large mug which you can then get filled with beer or booze at a discount. This makes them very crowded with students that night! 1 Bismarck Tavern, 522 Broadway N, ☏ +1 701 235 6607. 9AM-2AM. The PBR is always cold, all the whiskey drinks are doubles, and pull tabs litter the dirty floor. This downtown Fargo watering hole is Fargo's best dive bar. Black jack tables, off-sale liquor, pool, and pinball are available. Also the oldest bar in Fargo. (updated Apr 2025) 2 Dempsey's Public House, 226 Broadway N, ☏ +1 701 235 5913. 4PM-2AM. Irish pub. Free popcorn, karaoke, and a side room with various amenities. LGBTQ+ friendly bar! (updated Apr 2025) 3 Blarney Irish Pub, 101 Broadway N (Inside the Hotel Donaldson), ☏ +1 701 478 8888. M-F 11AM-1AM, Sa 10AM-2AM, Su 10AM-1AM. Irish pub featuring pub food as well as beers and ales on tap. (updated Apr 2025) 4 Rooters Bar, 107 Broadway N (Down Broadway on the left-hand side of the block before 1st Ave.), ☏ +1 701 235 4082. M-Sa 4PM-2AM. Bar made up of two different buildings with the center wall removed, and bars on each side. It has darts, pool, and a blackjack table. Mostly serves drinks and the only food is microwaved pizza. There are specialty drinks like their root beer and green lantern. No entry fee.

Great variety of hotels and motels ranging from budget to luxury. Major national chains like Motel 6, Comfort Inn, Best Western, Howard Johnson's, Ramada, Radisson, Courtyard by Marriott, and Travelodge all have Fargo locations. Fargo has three primary hotel areas, being by the Fargodome, downtown, and in the West Acres neighborhood. Most, if not all, of the hotels are in these three areas. In addition, you may rent rooms from $300 per month or less. There are signs everywhere and some interesting residential hotels scattered about. 1 Days Inn & Suites by Wyndham Fargo 19th Ave/Airport Dome, ☏ +1 701 404-9564. 2 C'Mon Inn, 4338 20th Ave SW, ☏ +1 701 277-9944, toll-free: +1-800-334-1570. Check-in: 4PM, check-out: noon. Lodge style hotel next to the 94 freeway. Nearby the mall. 3 Lindenwood Park Campground, 1955 Roger Maris Dr, ☏ +1 701 232-3987. Campground right by the Red River. Might be hard to be immersed in the outdoors considering it's in the city and next to the freeway, but more power to you. Pet friendly. 4 AmericInn Lodge and Suites, 1423 35th St S SW, ☏ +1 701 237-1634. Pretty standard chain hotel. Right next to I-29 and West Acres. 5 Best Western Plus Kelly Inn & Suites, 1767 44th St S, ☏ +1 701 282-2143. Best Western hotel in a sort of awkward location. About what you'd expect from a 3-star hotel. Has a pool and jacuzzi. $96-125. 6 Candlewood Suites Fargo-N. Dakota State Univ, 1831 NDSU Research Park Dr N, ☏ +1 701 235-8200, toll-free: +1-888-226-3539. Check-in: 3PM, check-out: noon.

Fargo's tiny 1 Hector International Airport (FAR IATA) is served by Allegiant, American, Delta, Frontier, and United with flights to Chicago, Denver, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, Orlando, Phoenix, and Dallas. The airport only has five gates but there are a few food options, mostly outside of security. North Dakota souvenirs are also sold outside security (including local jams in containers too big to take through TSA – it is unclear how that's supposed to work). There are no buses to the airport, so if you're not renting a car or having a someone pick you up, your main ground transportation option is taxi/Uber/Lyft. If you can't find a decent flight and want to get creative, the nearest major airport is Minneapolis–Saint Paul, about four hours from Fargo by car or five hours by bus. 2 Fargo railway station, 420 4th St N. The station is nearby downtown, with many restaurants and bars nearby. In the summertime, food trucks are found by the station. (updated May 2020) Amtrak's Empire Builder serves this station daily on its route between Seattle/Portland and Chicago, including stops at Spokane, Glacier National Park, Saint Paul, and Milwaukee. The trains split into separate branches between Seattle and Spokane, and between Portland and Spokane, while operating as trains consisting of train cars from both branches between Spokane and Chicago. Unfortunately, arrival time is in the middle of night, about 2:30AM, and delays are quite common on this route too. 3 Jefferson Lines, ☏ +1 858-800-8898.

Fargo has maintained a charming and very walkable downtown area, which is also within tolerable walking distance of downtown Moorhead across the river. Matbus bus transportation is available Monday–Saturday to most parts of the city and to Moorhead, but not to the airport. Parking around Fargo is plentiful, even on the main thoroughfares in downtown areas. Uber and Lyft operate in the area.

Fargo is a safe city, with little violent crime. The only area in which a person would need to be on the look-out is downtown on the weekends, especially during the school year. With the many colleges and bars it makes for a rowdy atmosphere. Uncommonly, crimes such as carjackings and assault happen around the NDSU campus, but these events are few and far between. Be wary of your surroundings like anywhere else. The region is known for bitterly cold winters. Be sure to have appropriate attire, and know the forecast ahead of time for the day. If you need to drive, learn how to drive in snowy and icy road conditions, and follow weather warnings. It will save you a lot of headaches. Cover extremities such as fingers, ears, and your head with warm clothing, as the wind chill can be far colder than what a thermometer reads. The region is frequented by severe thunderstorms, bringing lightning, damaging hail, and the threat of tornadoes. If you see a large dark cloud looming on the horizon, check the National Weather Service for storm watches and warnings to see what is in store.