7 Offbeat North Dakota Towns To Visit In 2025

Not all of North Dakota is made up of rows of grain silos and gas stops. Some have giant turtles, roadside Stonehenge, and cowboy poetry festivals better attended than football games. They are situated along the Red River Valley and the Missouri Plateau, formed by glacial lakes, rolling prairies, and long winters, where people learned to get creative. It is not scenery they share in common, but attitude. They embrace the weird, keep it real, and revel in what is strange about themselves. There are no theme parks or big resorts, but if you are the kind of traveler who prefers weird to polished, these seven off-beat towns are for you.

Bottineau

You will know you are in Bottineau when Tommy the Turtle grins at you from a hilltop snowmobile. This 26-foot mascot is something of a legend in the area and is fitting for a town that celebrates winter in its full glory. Skiers and snowboarders take to the slopes of Bottineau Winter Park, and Lake Metigoshe State Park fills with hikers, paddlers, and campers once the snow has thawed.

Tourists queue up at Pride Dairy, the sole remaining small-town creamery in North Dakota, for fresh curds and homemade ice cream. Nearby, west of Bottineau, is Mystical Horizons, a prairie reproduction of Stonehenge built as a solar calendar with wide views of the Turtle Mountains and the night sky.

Rugby

Rugby made its claim to fame as the Geographical Center of North America with its concrete marker and lots of small-town pride. Its accuracy is questionable, but that is half the fun. This is not an area focused on facts. It’s all about spirit. Outside of downtown, the Northern Lights Tower is a steel salute to the aurora borealis, which dances across the winter sky now and then.

In late June, the Pierce County Fair packs the calendar with music, livestock shows, and Midwestern competitions. At the Prairie Village Museum, visitors can stroll through pioneer town exhibits. This ‘N’ That Antiques is packed with railroad relics and oddities that sum up Rugby’s eccentric side.

Regent

This offbeat town isn’t known for its skyline unless you count a 60-foot grasshopper and a giant tin family on the horizon. This is the start of the Enchanted Highway, a 32-mile stretch lined with massive steel sculptures created by Gary Greff. From flying geese to a giant fisherman reeling in steel trout, the whole route becomes an outdoor museum.

The Enchanted Castle awaits at the end of the drive, with dungeon décor, knight statues, and its own tavern. Within town, the Hettinger County Historical Society Museum holds frontier artifacts in preserved buildings. South of Regent, Indian Creek Dam offers a remote spot for fishing and quiet lake views.

Medora

If taxidermy shows and cowboy poetry sound like a good time, Medora is your kind of town. This old cowtown near Theodore Roosevelt National Park goes all in on its Western roots. Catch the Medora Musical, an outdoor summer show with fireworks, singing cowboys, and horses trotting across the canyon stage. Or visit the North Dakota Cowboy Hall of Fame, where rodeo legends and ranching life are on full display.

The 150-mile Maah Daah Hey Trail cuts through dramatic Badlands just outside of town and welcomes hikers, bikers, and riders. The Billings County Courthouse Museum holds tales of shootouts, land feuds, and a few rowdy outlaws who helped write local history.

Fort Ransom

You won’t find strip malls or traffic lights here, but you will find a wagon you can sleep in. The Fort Ransom State Historic Site preserves the footprint of an 1860s military fort, while the nearby Fort Ransom State Park offers lodging in yurts and restored Percheron wagons. The Sunne Farmstead recreates the 1800s homesteading era with restored barns and hands-on demos.

Every September, Sodbuster Days brings threshing, forging, and old-school craftsmanship back to life. And for scenic cruising, the Sheyenne River Valley Scenic Byway begins right here, winding past meadows and woodlands that haven’t changed much since those early days.

New Salem

You will spot New Salem’s most famous resident before you even reach town, and yes, it’s a cow. Salem Sue, the world’s tallest Holstein, stands 38 feet high atop a grassy hillside and has overlooked the town since 1974. Beneath her, New Salem City Park gives picnickers a peaceful place to rest and loop around the prairie trail.

The Cow Town Hoe Down takes place each summer with cow-themed contests, dancing, and down-home food. Don’t skip the Custer Trail Museum, which preserves ranching and pioneer artifacts, including wagons and original cabins that feel like walking through the past.

Garrison

Fishing comes first in Garrison, and everything else follows. The Governor’s Walleye Cup lures anglers from all over each summer for a tournament weekend full of tackle talk, fierce rivalry, and pirate flags on pickup trucks. The North Dakota Fishing Hall of Fame celebrates the legends who helped make Garrison the “Walleye Capital.”

Just outside town, Douglas Creek Campground and Recreation Area offers peaceful lakeside trails and shoreline casting spots. Fort Stevenson State Park rounds out the mix with a blufftop walking path and a re-created military outpost from the 1800s. Whether fishing or exploring, the rhythm here is refreshingly slow.

Naturally Strange, Quietly Memorable

You don’t need neon signs or guided tours to find something unforgettable in 2025. These towns prove that odd landmarks, slow traditions, and a strong sense of self leave the biggest mark. One town built a turtle as big as a van. Another sleeps in wagons from the 1800s. There is poetry on Main Street, towering cows on hills, and festivals that make no apologies for their eccentricity. That is the charm. None of it feels staged. None of it is filtered. It is North Dakota at its quirkiest, and it is still proudly real. So hit the road with curiosity, and leave room in the trunk for weird souvenirs.