100 Things To Do in Fargo Before You Die

North Dakota’s largest urban enclave perches on the banks of the Red River of the North, just across from its sister city, Moorhead, Minnesota. This practical prairie community prizes grit, resourcefulness, and a DIY spirit. But there’s a whimsical side hiding under that stoic surface.

This is a place where you can ride an indoor Ferris Wheel at Scheels, take photos with macabre movie props and an oversized ice cream treat, color on the walls in the Art Alley, and do yoga in the snow at Frostival. Join a thunderous crowd cheering for NDSU, kick back with beer, crafts, and pinball at Brewhalla, and visit the Hjemkmost Center to see a dream transformed into a ship that sailed the Atlantic.

This practical, easy to read guide includes insider tips, locals’ only spots, and detailed itineraries tailored by season and by traveler type. Read it from cover to cover or pick a page at random to choose your own adventure.

North Dakota Beer: A Heady History

Before North Dakota obtained statehood and entered the Union as a dry state, the region’s commercial beer industry thrived. A lengthy era of temperance forced locals to find clever ways to get a beer, such as crossing the Montana and Minnesota borders for a pint, smuggling beer over the rails and brewing at home.

After Prohibition, the state’s farmers became national leaders in malting barley production, serving the biggest brewers in the world. However, local breweries struggled until 1995, when the first wave of brewpubs arrived on the scene. A craft brewing renaissance this century led to an explosion of more than a dozen craft breweries and brewpubs in less than a decade.

Alicia Underlee Nelson recounts North Dakota’s journey from a dry state to a booming craft beer hub.