2025's 11 Best Small Towns To Visit In North Dakota
At the northern edge of the Great Plains, North Dakota is bordered by Canada to the north and the Missouri River cutting through its center. Proud as the “Peace Garden State,” it’s one of the least populated states in the United States, yet one of the most culturally diverse. Scandinavian immigrants left their mark in places like Minot, where a full-scale replica of a Norwegian stave church rises above the prairie. Further west, the heritage of the Mandan, Hidatsa, and Arikara Nations continues through community traditions and museums that preserve their deep ties to the Missouri River.
This guide highlights 11 of the best small towns to visit in North Dakota; communities that aren’t just waypoints, but destinations in their own right, with experiences very personal to this part of the United States.
Medora
Medora unrolls like a vivid Western postcard clinging to the Little Missouri River in North Dakota’s Badlands. The South Unit’s 48-mile scenic drive loops from Medora through painted canyons, hoodoos, and prairie dog towns, delivering wild views and wildlife, bison, prairie dogs, possibly wild horses, along pull-offs and short hikes like Wind Canyon Trail (0.4 mi) and Buck Hill. Hikers and bikers will delight in sections of the Maah Daah Hey Trail, which stretches 144 miles across varied terrain, from mesas to grasslands, and you can rent a bike in Medora (Dakota Cyclery) or shuttle overnight gear for multi-day trips.
In town, browse the North Dakota Cowboy Hall of Fame, whose exhibits celebrate Native American, ranching, and rodeo culture, and walk through De Mores Memorial Park with its stately bronze statue of the town’s founder set in a WPA-era courtyard. Evenings bring the high-spirited Medora Musical at Burning Hills Amphitheater, an open-air show of song and dance that honors Teddy Roosevelt’s legacy, best followed by the iconic Pitchfork Steak Fondue, where steaks are cooked over hot oil on pitchforks while you admire sweeping views.
Devils Lake
Devils Lake is an edgy and unpretentious lakeshore town with cultural and historic depth. Right beside town, Grahams Island State Park features a superb mix of lakeside fun: swim from sandy beach, stroll or bike the Sivert Thompson Loop (1.6 mi) or North Campground Loop (0.5 mi), picnic under oaks, or cast a line for walleye, perch, crappie, muskie or northern pike, with boat ramps, bait shop, fish-cleaning station, and rentals nearby. In winter, the park opens groomed 3-mile cross-country ski trails and snowshoeing, plus ice fishing on the ever-changing lake.
Back downtown, architecture buffs can admire the Classical Revival U.S. Post Office & Courthouse, now housing the Lake Region Heritage Center, where local and Native exhibits, a recreated doctor’s office and barbershop, and courtroom bring regional life to the fore. People praise Anna’s Cocina for Mexican food and The Ranch Steakhouse for hearty dinners. Oh, and don’t miss out on the guided ice-fishing trips by Perch Patrol when the season freezes.
Bottineau
Bottineau welcomes visitors to the fresh air and unique charm of the Turtle Mountains. Lake Metigoshe State Park presents a sandy beach along clear water. It gives the way for canoe and kayak rentals right at the park for paddling or fishing; several trails snake through the woods, including a 3-mile Lakeshore Trail for hiking or biking. Mystical Horizons serves as a modern solar calendar carved from granite. It frames solstices and equinoxes through notches and aligns with sunrise and sunset. Bottineau Winter Park includes nine ski trails across 40 acres, night skiing on Thursdays and Fridays to 9 pm, full snowmaking, and on-site ski and tube rentals.
History resides in the Bottineau County Historical Museum. Pioneer tools, household objects, and early settler stories fill the rooms. Meanwhile, Pride Dairy, the oldest working creamery in North Dakota downtown, scoops regional flavors like chokecherry and rhubarb. It also has cheese tasting and a retro soda fountain vibe.
Wahpeton
Wahpeton rests at a lively river junction where the Bois de Sioux meets the Otter Tail to form the Red River of the North. Chahinkapa Park unfolds over 85 acres of green space. It includes walking and biking trails, a summer swimming pool, sports fields, wooded paths, and a peaceful riverside area, great for family hikes or casual biking. Within the park sits Chahinkapa Zoo, open May through October. This 29-acre zoo houses over 200 animals from six continents, including white rhinos, orangutans, tigers, and a petting zoo. The Prairie Rose Carousel (a 1926 Spillman model) adds a nostalgic ride.
The Red Door Art Gallery also serves as the visitor center. It exhibits local paintings, sculptures, books by regional authors, and rotating collections from the Wahpeton Area Arts Council. A sprawling piece of whimsy, the “Wahpper,” the world’s largest catfish, stands in Kidder Park by the river. At 40 feet long and over 5,000 pounds, it's an iconic photo op and neighborhood landmark. History buffs will feel at home at the Richland County Historical Museum, which is open Tuesdays and Thursdays (April-October) and by appointment otherwise. It spans 12,500 square feet and holds collections like Rosemeade pottery, Native American artifacts, historic quilts, and more.
Williston
Williston is where the Little Muddy River flows into the Missouri River. Harmon Park spans ample green space with playgrounds, a skate park, basketball and tennis courts, picnic shelters, and carved animal sculptures lining paths; it's centralized, friendly, and hosts summer events, like the Chokecherry Festival on its performance stage. The Frontier Museum gives you a walking tour through a school, church (built in 1909), general store, and homes filled with artifacts from the 1800s to 1950s. Just steps downtown sits the James Memorial Art Center, housed in the beautiful 1911 Beaux-Arts former library. It now hosts rotating galleries, community art classes for adults and kids, performances in its auditorium, and art markets.
Across town, the Old Armory (1915) stages live theater through Entertainment, Inc.!, a local nonprofit putting on several shows yearly in this historic hall. The Williston Visitor Center welcomes you year-round with maps, free restrooms, a North Dakota-themed product shop, plus striking outdoor carvings of Sakakawea and regional fish.
Minot
Minot finds its place along the Souris (Mouse) River, cradled by gentle green spaces and a spirited arts scene. Roosevelt Park is the city’s largest park along the river. You can hike or bike its winding trails, float the Magic City Express miniature train, splash in the pool and water slide, play at the skate park, or picnic under a band shelter, making it a full-day, intergenerational stop. On the cultural front, Scandinavian Heritage Park is a unique 14-acre outdoor museum honoring Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden. You can wander among a recreated wood stave church, a 25-foot Swedish Dala horse, a Finnish sauna, a Danish windmill, and serene garden paths.
Kids (and adults) gravitate toward the Magic City Discovery Center, a hands-on, interactive museum. It invites play, learning, and wonder across more than 150 creative exhibits and rotating displays. Aviation fans will be drawn to the Dakota Territory Air Museum, a standout within the city. Its collection spans WWII warbirds, replicas like the Wright Flyer, and rotating aircraft exhibits. It hosts seasonal flight demonstrations and enriches the story of flight in North Dakota.
Mandan
Mandan unfolds along the Missouri River’s western bank, a mere 9 minutes from Bismarck. The Missouri Riverwalk traces the riverbank through the city, presenting paved paths perfect for walking, jogging, or biking, flanked by shaded picnic areas and wildlife viewing spots right in town. Just inland, the North Dakota State Railroad Museum displays fascinating exhibits, vintage railcars, and artifacts that trace the vital role of trains in the region’s development, and is open Memorial Day through Labor Day.
The Mandan Aquatic Center is an excellent place for a full day of family fun with a 50-meter lap pool, diving area, and five different water slides, including ones for younger children. The Fort Abraham Lincoln State Park is just within the city’s southern boundary. It contains 6.75 miles of non-motorized hiking, biking, and horseback trails, plus living history programs at the reconstructed Custer House and On-A-Slant Mandan Village within park grounds.
Dickinson
Dickinson urges discovering prairies near the Heart River. The Dickinson Museum Center spans a 12-acre campus where the Badlands Dinosaur Museum reveals the largest collection of real dinosaur fossils in North Dakota. It boasts a complete Triceratops skull, full Allosaurus and Albertosaurus mounts, molten-feathered models, and a visible fossil prep lab where paleontologists work behind glass. Housed in the same complex, the Joachim Regional Museum showcases Western-edge art, historical artifacts, and rotating regional exhibits. Meanwhile, Pioneer Machinery Hall displays early agricultural tools and tractor-era implements as part of museum admission.
Just outside, Prairie Outpost Park gathers historic and replica buildings, a train depot, a blacksmith shop, a Czech town hall, and a German-Russian house, creating an open-air history tableau. Rocky Butte Park, a lush park with disc golf, playground, climbing rocks, walking paths, and native trees, is just across from the bandshell and Memorial Park. Culture finds a delicate thread at the Ukrainian Cultural Institute, a weekday-open center displaying fine Ukrainian embroidery, pysanka (decorated Easter eggs), folk crafts, and artwork, sometimes offering cooking classes and events.
Jamestown
Jamestown stands where the James River converges with Pipestem Creek. Jamestown Reservoir delivers 3 miles of paved walking and biking trails, two sandy swimming beaches, seven public boat launches, and a challenging 27-hole disc golf course around the island, perfect for floating, fishing, trail walking, or admiring wildlife and prairie views year-round. A signature photo spot, the World’s Largest Buffalo Monument, aka Dakota Thunder, rises 26 ft tall, 46 ft long, weighs 60 tons, and presides over Frontier Village, making for an unforgettable roadside icon. Adjacent to this, the National Buffalo Museum features exhibits on North American bison, a gift boutique, and deck views where you may glimpse live bison grazing. The nearby Stutsman County Memorial Museum (in a 1907 home) reveals regional pioneer life, photography, sports memorabilia, the town’s first hospital incubator, and interactive displays that bring history to life.
Creativity finds its way to the town at The Arts Center, where rotating art exhibitions, visual art workshops, theater and performance events, and a glass-front gallery host local and regional artists. Meanwhile, St. James Basilica, built between 1910-1914 in soaring Gothic Revival style, features twin towers (125 ft tall), gold-leaf crosses, and dramatic stained-glass windows, all recognized on the National Register of Historic Places.
New Town
New Town attracts visitors to the heart of Lake Sakakawea on the Fort Berthold Indian Reservation. It’s a hometown steeped in Native heritage and warmed by lakeside views. The Three Affiliated Tribes Museum gives deep insight into Mandan, Hidatsa, and Arikara history through living exhibitions, tribal art, and immersive storytelling. Guided visits highlight their enduring legacy. Just across the river, Four Bears Memorial Bridge spans Lake Sakakawea. Storyboards at the west end reveal the cultural significance of this mile-long bridge, which frames rippling water and distant shores beautifully. Meanwhile, Crow Flies High State Recreation Area, about two miles west, rewards visitors with an elevated viewpoint over the lake. You may even glimpse the ghostly outline of old Sanish town beneath low water.
4 Bears Casino & Lodge is the place for gaming, live events, dining, and lakeside access through its marina. Along the shore, the reconstructed Earth Lodge Village, run by the MHA Nation, unfolds ancient homes built from earth and grass. You can climb into these structures for a glimpse of Indigenous life on the Missouri River. A cultural pulse runs through town with Powwow celebrations hosted periodically by the MHA Nation, giving visitors a chance to experience dance, music, food, and community firsthand.
Cavalier
Cavalier radiates warmth with the Tongue River winding nearby. The Cavlandic Trail stretches 6.5 paved miles from town to Icelandic State Park and the Cavalier Country Club. Along the way, you'll pass gentle sand-dune formations, native prairie grasses, pine windbreaks, chokecherry bushes, and a gradual climb of about 119 feet. City Park invites families with a safe, easy layout: a 9-hole disc golf course, sand-volleyball pit, tennis and basketball courts, play areas, picnic shelters, and an outdoor pool. A 1.5-mile Fuller-McKechnie trail system snakes through it year-round for walking and light hiking.
Right downtown, the Cavalier Cinema organizes classic movie nights in a cozy, historic 185-seat venue that’s been flickering since 1949. The Pembina County Courthouse stands as a stately 1912 Beaux-Arts landmark, unique among Buechner & Orth designs in ND for having no central dome, yet rich in period architecture and local government heritage. Round out your day with friendly community events, like the legendary Motorcycle Ride-In every Father’s Day weekend, when Main Street fills with bikes, music, and energy. Alternatively, the Off The Charts Music Festival takes place each August at City Park, a free, family-friendly night under the stars.
What makes these 11 towns to visit in North Dakota stand out in 2025 is how much they pack within their modest boundaries. Wahpeton gives you a chance to trace the Red River to its source while visiting one of the state’s most respected zoos. In Minot, a centuries-old stave church from Norway sits just blocks away from a modern arts district. Together, these places remind you that the real depth of North Dakota isn’t in its size but in its towns, each one holding a piece of the state’s rivers, prairies, and layered cultures.
