The Top 10 Reasons to Travel to Fargo, North Dakota

With so many exotic vacation spots vying for your money and time, wouldn't it be refreshing to go somewhere that won't be mobbed by mai tai-drinking tourists in loud shirts, where there is not a mile of white sand covered with a semi-nude mob? If you answered, "Oh yes, please" then Fargo, North Dakota is the place for you.

Located between Minneapolis, Minnesota and, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Fargo is well known for the blazing success of their downtown renaissance. There is art, there are coffee bars, there is theater, and there are funky, family-owned businesses. For what more could you ask? Here is a list of 10 great things you can find there:

The Hotel Donaldson
This hip cornerstone of urban renewal has a lot to offer. Each guest room centers on the work of a different local artist. The ceilings are high, the décor is modernist, and the toilets are black. The place screams, "Culture!" When you're tired of exploring your room, you can head downstairs to the gourmet restaurant or, more fun, to Stoker's lounge. The menu is creative and not too expensive, the bar is fully stocked, and there is live music on weekends. Should you need a fix of greenery, head to the roof-top garden (growing year-round, thanks to heated beds) and relax in the hot tub. You don't even have to leave the building to have a lovely weekend getaway.

The Fargo Theatre
Built in 1926 and refurbished to its former glory, the home of the Mighty Wurlitzer is now the seat of artsy and foreign movies, as well as more intimate concerts and performances on its original vaudeville stage. The inside is beautiful, the neon is retro, and the organ is, indeed, mighty.

The Plains Art Museum
These folks are all about outreach to the community and offer free courses for children as well as classes and lectures for adults and a reference library. Cheap admission and two floors of fascinating artifacts and art make this museum a real winner. You can eat at Café Muse and visit the gift shop. They also have RPAG, the Rolling Plains Art Gallery - a semi-trailer filled with art and educational materials that travels rural North Dakota and Minnesota.