Best Things to Do in Fargo

In 2015, the city named the wall behind the Fargo Forum a legal street art location, and artists jumped on it. Today, this stretch on First Ave. N. (between Fourth St. and Fifth St.) is an ever-changing exhibit of overlapping pieces. 

This might be the most Instagrammed wall in North Dakota. Why? Because you can jump on a goomba, punch a question block and generally pretend to be everyone’s favorite Italian plumber. 

Technically, this is on the Moorhead side of Fargo-Moorhead. It’s literally a garden full of sticks (more like wooden posts), each one designed and/or painted by a local artist. 

This is your date-night or your “let’s celebrate” spot. An upscale New American eatery with a stylish, Prohibition-era interior. 

Authentic street tacos on fresh-daily, house-made tortillas. Pro tip: on Friday and Saturday nights from nine to close, margaritas are just two bucks. 

Fifty different burgers. Fifty different beers. It’s a North Dakota institution with an auto garage theme because why not? Plus, look at that burger.

Locations downtown and in West Fargo serve creative renditions of classic German beers and dishes. They also have a bacon flight with beer pairings. Bacon!

It’s not huge, but that’s part of the appeal. Situated above Dempsey’s Public House in downtown, this hidden gem has hosted some big names of its own, including Bon Iver, Father John Misty and Band of Horses.

Drekker (which means “drinking” in Norwegian) pays homage to Norway and North Dakota’s heritage with their sour beers and “Brewhalla” brewery, which features an awesome mural from local artist Punchgut. 

This urban cidery continuously experiments with North Dakotan apples, native yeasts and fermentation methods to produce some truly unique ciders. 

Situated on land that was once a 33-acre farm, the Red River Zoo has 600 animals, including rare cold-climate species like red pandas and Pallas’ cats. 

North Dakota’s largest art museum, with over 4,000 works in its permanent collection, including regional Native American art.

A West Fargo village with 40 historic buildings and 400,000 artifacts that makes you feel like you wandered into a turn-of-the-century North Dakota pioneer town.

Fargo’s tribute to their hometown hero, a Yankees legend and the first Major League Baseball player to hit over 61 home runs in a season.

Go-karts, bitches!  Plus it’s got laser tag, a mini-golf course and more.

First of all, HoDo is in a perfect location, on the corner of Broadway and First Ave. N., the crux of Downtown Fargo. It’s walking distance from all kinds of bars and restaurants (Vinyl Taco, see above, is across the street). But the in-house restaurant and lounge are solid, there’s local art in the rooms, and don’t forget the rooftop bar and hot tub. 

Also see:

Hotel Donaldson

The feather in its cap is the art-deco style of the historic vaudeville Fargo Theatre. You can catch an art-house film there, grab unique cocktails at Twist, then all-day brunch at The Boiler Room and pick up a latte at Atomic Coffee (or 20 Below Coffee Co. nearby). 

Didn’t think you were going to North Dakota for a beach vacation, did you? This mile-long, sandy beach is a hot spot for swimmers and sunbathers.

Yes, this is the original movie prop. No, it hasn’t actually chipped any dead bodies. You can find it inside the Fargo-Moorhead Visitors Center.

There are 20 or so fiberglass bison sculptures scattered around the city, each painted by a different artist. Keep an eye out for them.

It’s not as extensive as Hollywood’s, but it’s got a lot of charm (and a lot fewer tourists). These cement slabs sport handprints and signatures from 100+ celebrities, including Bill Gates, Neil Diamond, John Updike and KISS.