Bismarck

We went to Bismarck North Dakota when I was growing up, because my father had a business trip there. I did not know what to expect when we went - I knew very little about North Dakota, other than that the movie Fargo had been filmed somewhere there, or at least that's what I thought. Well, I was very pleasantly surprised when we arrived there. It turned out to be a wonderful paradise of fantastic outdoor adventures ready to be had. If you like to do anything at all outdoors - walk, hike, look at wildlife, sail, canoe, or commune with animals - Bismarck will have something amazing to offer you. The people are laid back and friendly, everyone likes to be outside, and everyone is willing to stop and chat and help you out in finding your way or finding something fun to do. It really and truly felt like one of the most wholesome and fun family vacations that you could ever take - almost like a visit to a simpler time in America.

One of the first things I discovered was that Lewis and Clark, the famous explorers, had done quite a bit of exploring in Bismarck. The town had a Lewis and Clark trail consisting of 27 different stops, many of them throughout the city itself, and in the surrounding outdoor areas. The trial really allowed you to commune with nature, and to follow the explorers on their magical journey. It gave you both a rich sense of history and a rich sense of the outdoors and communing with nature. It was a really great experience to try to visit many points on it and feel like you, too, were getting a tiny glimpse into the adventures that must have been had when all of natures bounties were first discovered in this small town in North Dakota.

There were also plenty of other things to do - there was Theodore Roosevelt National Park, a Riverboat Paddle Cruise, The Enchanted Highway, tons of wildlife and state forests, and of course the Dakota Zoo. This is not a place where you will be bored, especially if you are a kid who just wants to play outside. For the adults who like golf, there are also a wide variety of amazing golf courses. Overall, this is a great, warm and friendly place to experience. It wasn't fancy, but it was great!

Quick Tips:

The Dakota Zoo is a great place to visit. It doesn't have quite the abundance of wildlife that say the Cincinnati Zoo or the Toronto Zoo have, but what it does have, it does very well. It's a large zoo, and has a very rustic sort of feel to it, with log cabin type buildings. It also has an amazing bear habitat, and an even better otter habitat. I have never seen so many otters, or seen them in such a natural environment, and it gave me a glimpse into the idea that they could be really cute little fascinating animals.

The Enchanted Highway is a must drive, especially if you have kids. Often, when you go and see art, it is paintings on a wall in a museum and this can be boring for kids. However, here, it is a whole different experience. There are tons of large, amazing and fun sculptures dotting these few miles of highway. And they are fun subjects too - robots and grasshoppers and all sorts of natures wild creatures - they are folksy and many are made out of metal, and it is a really different and unique and innovative way to get to see art. There is also an abundance of wildlife here, and you can go and see many different species of birds and small animals just existing right in nature. There are 17 state parks, and of course Theodore Roosevelt National Park. We went in the fall and were able to arrange a fall foliage tour which was truly amazing, as we got to walk along a trial and see the leaves changing colors and really experience nature. There are ample hiking trials so you will never get bored taking a nice walk, and there are some easier ones at different levels so you don't have to necessarily be in amazing shape or be an advanced hiker to enjoy the wildlife here.

Finally, if you only do one thing, visit the International Peace Garden. 2300 acres of forests and plants and flowers. It's peaceful, it's serene and it's amazing in every way. They also offer performances in the summer time, and an indoor center which explains the history.

Best Way To Get Around:

You pretty much have to drive here. It is theoretically possible not too, if you can get a hotel shuttle to your hotel and your hotel is located in the city center. Many of Lewis and Clarks trails are walking distance from the city. However you will miss out on a lot if you are not able to drive to the different areas like the national park and the enchanted highway. Your hotel may offer tours, as ours did, but they won't necessarily cover everything or be as complete as you want them to be, so you are much better off being able to drive on your own. There is no real public transportation to speak of, and there aren't taxis just driving around, if you want one you have to call well in advance to arrange for them to come and pick you up on both ends of your trip.

However, driving is not a problem - there is ample parking almost everywhere, and almost always free. There is not a ton of traffic, and people are friendly and helpful and willing to give you directions if you need help finding your way.
You can also rent boats and take the River Paddle Cruise to get to see the city in a different way.

The Dakota Zoo was visited the 2006 Best City Attraction and it's easy to see why. Getting to the zoo from the center of Bismarck where we stayed was very easy. It was about a 15 minute drive, driving cautiously because we weren't a hundred percent sure where we were going. It was easy and simple to get there. Once we did, there was a large parking lot to park in and parking was free. We paid our admission, which was reasonably priced for a zoo - it is $6 for adults, $3 for kids, and babies under $2 are free, and there are reduced winter rates.

The first thing you see is the Discovery Center, this large log-cabin type building where you can get maps of the zoo or other information. Its a pretty large zoo (about 88 acres) so you will probably want a map so you can know where you are going and go and see the animals that you wish to see.

There are over 600 different animals - everything from bears to birds to bugs to snakes. This is not as big of a zoo as the Cincinnati or the Toronto Zoo and doesn't have quite the same selection of animals to see, however they do have a wide variety of different species and their habitats feel natural and large and safe so you don't feel guilty watching the animals or feel like they are just crowded into little cages.

One really nice thing this zoo offers is The Tribune Express and the Leach Express. These are little trains that you can take to get around the zoo so you can see more animals in less time, without having to walk all around. This can be nice because you get a wider view of more animals, however you can't necessarily get off at every cage that you wish, so you don't necessarily get as close up as you would if you were walking around on your own. The two best exhibits at this zoo were the Bear Habitat, and the Otter Habitat. Both were large and offered many different animals to gaze at and observe. The habitats felt really natural and wonderful and you felt like you were observing the animals in their own habitat in nature.

There was a decent selection of food to eat if you get hungry- all amusement park style food, i.e. not very healthy. There were ice cream stands, and pretzels and pizza and stuff. If you prefer healthy snacks for your kids you will have to bring them in with you when you come because there aren't a lot of them here. Overall, this is a great way to spend an afternoon and I would schedule at least a couple of hours to get to walk around and see everything you want to see (or take the train). Don't forget to get your souvenirs at the Trading Post, a great store with reasonable prices and lots of cool zoo stuff.