Tag Archive for: bismarck

Summer Rodeos, Powwows & Haunted Forts in the Fall in Bismarck-Mandan, North Dakota

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Mandan Rodeo Days Celebration

July 2-4, 2020
www.mandanrodeo.com

Three nights of nationally ranked PRCA rodeo performances, specialty acts, and western entertainment – bucking broncs, swinging ropes and big, bad bulls. Also enjoy Art in the Park, concerts, street dances, pitchfork fondues, golf tourney, 5K walk & run, baseball, and the biggest Fourth of July parade and fireworks celebration in the Northern Plains.

Credit: North Dakota Tourism

Annual United Tribes Technical College International Powwow

September 11-13, 2020
www.unitedtribespowwow.com

This celebration showcases champion dancers and drums from across the US and Canada, competing for top honors. Judges selected by the powwow committee evaluate each of the dancers’ performances based on knowledge and skill of their category; keeping time with the drum; and regalia. It is one of the last large outdoor events on the northern Great Plains powwow circuit. For that reason, this annual event is known as the Home of the Champions. Grand Entries: Friday 1 & 7 pm, Saturday 1 & 7 pm, Sunday 1 pm. $20 weekend pass/$10-day pass. Seniors (65 and over) and children (5 and under) enter free.

Credit: North Dakota Tourism 

Papa’s Pumpkin Patch

September 12-October 24 , 2020
www.papaspumpkins.com

When fall rolls around, this is where you want to be! Your one-stop shop for pumpkins, gourds, squash, and corn. They offer tons of free activities including bale mazes, a corn maze, log jam, nature trail, Papa’sville wooden play structures, swings galore, and photo opportunities for you, your family, and friends. Additional activities, including their pumpkin cannons and trebuchets, are available for a minimal fee Thursdays-Sundays. They include: zip lines, horse-drawn hayrides, pony rides, train rides, sling shots, pedal carts, a side-by-side Obstacle Course, concessions and a gift store. New activities from 2019: Papa’s Splash Zone and ping pong rapids, more ziplines, human foosball, a new bale maze, and more. 12-7 pm daily, weather permitting. $5/person, under 3 free.

Credit: Bismarck-Mandan CVB

Haunted Fort

October Weekends (2020)
www.hauntedfort.com

Fort Abraham Lincoln State Park. North Dakota’s Scariest Haunt! Fort Abraham Lincoln, home of General George Custer and the 7th Cavalry, has long insinuated itself among the ranks of haunted places in North Dakota. Interpreters and tourists have both reported paranormal experiences and hauntings of the strange and unexplained, so in 2002 they created the Haunted Fort. Each October the buildings are transformed into a terrifying experience, attracting over 8,000 annually. Four haunts: The Custer Manor, The Old Circus Freakshow, Post Asylum, and the Guard House 2 Extreme Haunt – the only haunt that you have to enter all alone! It’s up to you whether you escape. Also introducing the all new Haunted Fort Midway with the famous Monster Shop, Zombie Battlefield Paintball, where you can shoot live zombies with paintballs, and The Cellar, the haunted craft beer lounge! Pricing varies. New, frightening experiences are added each year.

Credit: Bismarck-Mandan CVB

 

For more information North Dakota’s Bismarck-Mandan area, visit NoBoundariesND.com.

Culturally Unique Events Draw Fans by the Thousands in North Dakota

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What makes North Dakota different from anywhere else? Is the bison? The great fishing and hunting? Biking and hikings spectacular trail? The majestic scenery? Or is the people? Judge for yourself. We think the people are every bit as important to the story of North Dakota.

Summer rodeos draw fans by the thousands to arenas all across North Dakota

The largest of these are held around the Fourth of July, a time commonly referred to as “Cowboy Christmas.” Click here for more on these events and others like them in North Dakota. Or for some truly unique activities, try these:

  • United Tribes International Powwow: Sept. 11-13, 2020, in Bismarck: This is not the only powwow in the state, but it is the largest and attractions dancers, drummers and spectators for all across the country.
  • Roughrider Days, **2020 event cancelled due to COVID-19** (next year’s dates: June 23-July 4, 2021) This annual event pays homage to all the events commonly associated with an Independence Day celebration, complete with music, a pro rodeo, parade and, of course, fireworks.
  • Big Iron Farm Show, Sept. 15-17, West Fargo: The immense farm equipment show draws people and displays from around the world. More than 900 booths and 70,000 attendees will file through the Red River Valley Fairgrounds for the celebration or rural living.

Powwows and rodeos are two of the more culturally unique events in North Dakota.

Credit North Dakota Tourism

Native American powwows are celebrations of culture and you are invited to take part. Some of the larger events include United Tribes International Powwow in Bismarck, the Mandaree Powwow, Twin Buttes Powwow and FM Crossroads Powwow in Fargo.

Rodeos take fans back to the bronc-busting and calf-roping days on the ranch. The performers might be professionals or neighbors from the ranch over there. Some things never change: Eight seconds is eight seconds, horses are fast, bulls are mean and the action is nonstop. North Dakota’s largest powwows include the Mandan Rodeo, Killdeer Mountain Roundup Rodeo, the Champions Ride. Click here for a list of rodeos and powwows in North Dakota in 2020.

In the Badlands, deer and horses and bison actively herald a new season. Wildlife viewing is great at any time in Theodore Roosevelt National Park. Lodging, fuel and food can be found outside the park in Medora or Watford City.

Learn more about the storied history of North Dakota at the North Dakota Heritage Center and State Museum in Bismarck, the Cowboy Hall of Fame in Medora, the Plains Art Museum in Fargo and the Badlands Dinosaur Museum in Dickinson.

Places to Stay

Woodland Resort (below) is an all-inclusive resort on Devils Lake, one of the nation’s top fisheries.

  • Black Leg Ranch. High-end, full-service ranch accommodations. Honeymoon suites, cabins, etc. No glamping yet.
  • Yurting in North Dakota State Parks. Bring you own bedding, food and sense of adventure. Three state parks feature yurts as part of their lodging packages.
  • Hotel Donaldson. In downtown Fargo, boutique style property where all 17 suites are designed around the work of a different regional artist – sculptors, painters, photographers, modern artists…
  • Woodland Resort. Devils Lake full-service resort with a restaurant, cabins, motel, campground, bait shop and boat rental.
  • Coteau des Prairie. Full-service lodge in souitheast North Dakota. Perched on the northernmost ridge of the Coteau des Prairies, where the breathtaking view is second to none. Prairie farms and fields unfold from below like a patchwork quilt.
  • Lady on the Lake B&B. Located on the north shore of Lake Elsie. A truly romantic respite steeped in history and comfort. Has five acres and 463 feet of private shoreline.
  • Enchanted Castle. On the Enchanted Highway in Regent. A 19-room hotel in the old Regent School has lounge and restaurant.
  • Riverdale High Lodge. Full hotel and restaurant in the old school in Riverdale on the shore above Lake Sakakawea.

Credit North Dakota Tourism

Find more accommodations at “Places to Stay.“

For more information on the Great American West state of North Dakota, visit NDTourism.com.

Overlooking the Missouri River, Heritage River Landing in Bismarck expected to complete Summer 2019

The Heritage River Landing broke ground summer 2018 and when finished will be open year round. It will be a place that will be a twenty-first century take on the post-and-beam warehouses that crowded the riverfront in the nineteenth century.

The Heritage River Landing will be home to a restaurant & bar, an expansive patio overlooking the Missouri River, a gift shop with ticket sales for the Lewis & Clark Riverboat, an interactive kiosk with interpretive programming to encourage visitors to explore the many scenic, historic, and recreational sites along the river and will be available to reserve for private events.

The build is scheduled to be completed June 2019.

To learn more, contact:
Bismarck-Mandan Convention & Visitors Bureau
1600 Burnt Boat Drive
Bismarck, ND 58503 USA
701-222-4308
www.discoverbismarckmandan.com