Things to do in Bismarck
And where to stay, the best time to visit, what a day costs, and the traps to skip.
Best time to visit Bismarck
• a note or something on ✦ an occasion worth the trip
Peak summer. Long daylight, riverboat, Fort Lincoln tours, Larks baseball and the festival stack all running.
Single best month. Powwow, marathon and street fair, warm days, thinner crowds.
Late May shoulder bargain. Most seasonal operations open, crowds absent, a jacket still required.
Muddy, windy thaw. March can still be deep winter and river trails can close in high water years.
Season winds down. Haunted Fort in October, golf and river done by late October, first storms possible in November.
Worst months. Highs in the teens to 20s F, routine subzero lows, blizzards and most seasonal sights closed.
What's on
- Buggies-N-Blues Mid June
Classic cars and blues on Mandan Main Street, the metro's best street party weekend.
- Mandan Rodeo Days 2-4 July
Long running rodeo over the Fourth of July in Mandan, with the metro's biggest holiday energy.
- Capital A'Fair Early August, usually the first weekend
Juried art fair on the Capitol grounds, Bismarck's most specific summer weekend.
- United Tribes Technical College International Powwow Usually the weekend after Labor Day, in mid September
One of the largest intertribal powwows in the US. Book hotels early.
- Bismarck Marathon September
Marathon weekend on the Missouri River trail system.
- Downtowners Street Fair September
Downtown street fair with vendors and food filling the core.
- Applefest late September
Fall harvest festival at Buckstop Junction on the east edge of the city.
- Haunted Fort October
After dark haunted event at Fort Abraham Lincoln State Park.
Best things to do in Bismarck
North Dakota Heritage Center & State Museum
North Dakota's largest museum, free, with fossils, Native history and modern state life in four strong galleries.
Fort Abraham Lincoln State Park
Custer House tours, rebuilt barracks, blockhouse river views and Mandan earth lodges in one historic park.
On-A-Slant Village
Six reconstructed Mandan earth lodges inside Fort Abraham Lincoln, showing the village world before the fort.
North Dakota State Capitol
The Skyscraper on the Prairie, a 19 story Art Deco tower with free tours and a huge prairie view.
Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center
The expedition's North Dakota winter story, with artifacts and Karl Bodmer art, near Fort Mandan.
Fort Mandan State Historic Site
Reconstructed 1804 to 1805 winter fort where Lewis and Clark met Sakakawea and her family.
Knife River Indian Villages National Historic Site
Free national park site with a full size earth lodge and a trail through three Hidatsa village sites.
Dakota Zoo
A 90 acre zoo in Sertoma Park with tigers, grizzlies and penguins, plus a train ride children love.
Where to stay in Bismarck
Downtown Bismarck
first trip, best base overall
Walkable to the best restaurants, the Belle Mehus Auditorium and the historic walk, with the riverfront a short drive west.
North Bismarck (State Street / Century Ave corridor)
families, longer stays, predictable rooms
Newer hotels and shopping north of downtown with easy I-94 access, but a drive to every sight and dinner.
South Bismarck / Bismarck Expressway
zoo, river trails and Fort Lincoln trips
Closest to Sertoma Park, the Dakota Zoo and the Mandan crossing, with the waterpark hotel and a value inn.
Northwest Bismarck / I-94 Exit 157
road trippers, golf and the Lewis and Clark loop
Highway side Hilton base, minutes by car from downtown and handy for Hawktree and the drive north.
Mandan
budget base, closest to Fort Lincoln
Sister city across the Missouri with cheaper rooms and a small historic Main Street, 5 to 10 minutes away.
Think twice about
- Isolated I-94 exit and older Expressway motel rows booked on price alone
Not a safety issue. Properties range from fine to tired, and a bad pick means highway noise and driving to everything. Judge the specific property by recent reviews.
Best restaurants in Bismarck
Pirogue Grille
Seasonal Midwest fine dining built on walleye, bison and duck, with the city's deepest wine list.
40 Steak & Seafood
Classic upscale steak and seafood room, loved for lobster bisque, crab cakes and prime cuts.
Butterhorn
Top Chef led Midwestern cooking with French and Italian technique, plus the namesake pastry.
Anima Cucina
Cafe by day and house made pasta and wine bar by night, with award-nominated chefs.
Bistro 1100
Reader poll favorite for regional Italian and American cooking that handles mixed groups well.
Peacock Alley American Grill and Bar
Historic Patterson Hotel dining room and bar, famous locally for its martini and grill menu.
Fireflour Pizza
True Neapolitan pizza from a Naples built wood oven, plus serious coffee, gelato and wine.
Laughing Sun Brewing Co.
Bismarck's first brewpub, with its own ales, above standard pub food and live music nights.
Outdoor things to do in Bismarck
Hawktree Golf Club
Jim Engh prairie course with black coal slag bunkers, ranked among North Dakota's very best.
Riverwood Golf Course
Bismarck's best municipal round, a tree lined 18 along the Missouri River bottom.
Tom O'Leary Golf Course
Friendly, forgiving public golf with a par 3 companion course, ideal for relaxed group rounds.
Pebble Creek Golf Course
Value public 18 on the east side with a practice setup locals use heavily.
Sertoma Park
Three miles of Missouri riverfront park with paved trails, the zoo, picnic lawns and river views.
Missouri River
Big river paddling and walleye fishing from Bismarck launches, best with a rental or guide.
McDowell Dam Nature Park
Small reservoir park east of town with a swim beach, paddle rentals, fishing and picnic shelters.
Cross Ranch State Park
Wild Missouri River park with about 14 miles of prairie and cottonwood trails, cabins and ski rentals.
Best hotels in Bismarck
Radisson Hotel Bismarck
Downtown full service fixture by the Event Center, with a pool, restaurant and airport shuttle.
Residence Inn by Marriott Bismarck North
Top rated suite hotel with full kitchens and free breakfast, best for families and longer stays.
Hampton Inn & Suites Bismarck Northwest
Reliable Hilton by I-94 with free breakfast, handy for the Lewis and Clark loop and Hawktree.
Bismarck Hotel and Conference Center
Large hotel with an indoor waterpark and casino, picked for family events, not quiet couples.
EverSpring Inn
Local value inn with breakfast and specialty coffee included, the city's best cheap sleep.
La Quinta Inn & Suites Bismarck
Newer budget chain hotel in the north cluster, the safe cheap choice for road trippers.
Is Bismarck expensive? What a day costs
| Budget | $70 a person |
|---|---|
| Classic | $130 a person |
| Splurge | $260 a person |
A day of food, drink, sights and getting around, before the room
What to book ahead
- Fort Abraham Lincoln State Park: a few days ahead
- Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center: a few days ahead
- Lewis & Clark Riverboat: a few days ahead
- Belle Mehus Auditorium: a few days ahead
- Hawktree Golf Club: a few days ahead
- Riverwood Golf Course: a few days ahead
- Cross Ranch State Park: a few days ahead
- Pirogue Grille: a few days ahead
- Reserve Pirogue Grille and 40 Steak and Seafood on weekends, and Butterhorn for dinner and brunch.
- Book riverboat dinner cruises, Larks theme nights, Hawktree weekend tee times and guided walleye fishing ahead in summer.
- Book downtown and north corridor hotels early during the legislative session, the United Tribes Powwow and Mandan Rodeo Days.
Is Bismarck safe?
- The Missouri River has strong current, shifting sandbars and cold water. Wear life jackets and swim only at designated beaches.
- In winter, wind chills can reach minus 30 to minus 40 F and blizzards close highways. Dress for it and treat No Travel Advisories as final.
- In summer, take tornado and severe thunderstorm warnings seriously and know your hotel shelter area.
- Never walk on Missouri River ice in winter, whatever it looks like.
Bismarck travel tips: tourist traps to skip
- Huckleberry House is shown as permanently closed in current listings, despite older national features still recommending it.
- Keelboat Park alone is a 15 minute photo stop, not a standalone sight.
- The riverboat is a river ride with food, not a fine dining destination. Book it for the sunset.
- Do not stack Fort Lincoln, Washburn, Knife River and Medora into one or two days. The distances punish it.
Getting around Bismarck: public transport and more
- You need a car for the full brief. Bismarck Mandan is spread out and transit does not run a visitor itinerary.
- Downtown is the walkable exception. Base there and your evenings are on foot.
- Build one day trip per day at most. Medora is about 2 hours, Washburn about 40 minutes and Knife River about an hour.
- In winter, check NDDOT 511 before any intercity leg and keep the tank above half.
Who Bismarck suits
| Solo travellers | Good |
|---|---|
| Groups of friends | Good |
| Couples | Good |
| Bachelor parties | OK |
| Families | Great |
| Bachelorette parties | OK |
Make Bismarck your trip
Swearby drafts the days from places people swear by. Swap any stop, then invite the crew by text, even friends without the app. Vote on dates, track costs as you go, and everyone gets one number at the end.
Get Swearby on the App Store