M H-Creations

The Mandan Rodeo Days Celebration has been proudly named one of the “Top 100 Events in America” by the North American Bus Tours Association. If it's excitement you're after this is the event to see, as this three-day PRCA rodeo is packed with three fast-paced rodeo performances. The festival also extends beyond the rodeo to offer visitors Art in the Park, live music, a carnival, dancing, baseball, pitchfork fondue, a golf tournament, and, as the event is held every July, an Independence Day Parade.

Even though it began as a fur-trading outpost, the Fort Abraham Lincoln State Park now stands as a stunning haven for nature lovers and history buffs alike. Located in nearby Mandan, Fort Abraham Lincoln dates all the way back to the 18th century. One of the most stunning aspects of the fort is that it looks almost as it did back in 1876 around the time of Custer's last stand. There are also some carefully reconstructed sights that you won't want to miss like an On-a-Slant Indian Village that features earthen lodges to look like early settlements.

There are several opportunities for the whole family to make a big splash when you venture out to Bismarck's Super Slide Amusement Park. Race down the super slide, chase each other around in bumper cars, go for a spin around the carousel, or take a whack at a baseball in the batting cages.

If you think that the concept of the cowboy was invented by John Wayne-types, Bismarck's North Dakota Cowboy Hall of Fame will challenge everything you think you know about cattle rustlers from the past. This attraction is an interpretive center for the history of Native Americans, and you will see the dramatic link between their culture to various “western” traditions like the rodeo, ranching, and the rustic “cowboy” lifestyle that owes much to the tribes that first inhabited the land.