Astride the Missouri River near the center of the state, its capital and second-largest city (pop. 74,000) was founded in 1872 and is very much along the lines of Fargo in terms of low-slung Americana, with a great little craft beer scene to boot. Besides touring the state capitol (above, not your usual neoclassical domed affair but rather a 21-story Art Deco tower built in 1932), you can check out the North Dakota Heritage Center and State Museum, near the capitol; the Cape Hancock Historic Site, originally a military installation dating back to the city´s founding; the Victorian Former Governor´s Mansion; Lewis and Clark Riverboat Cruises (this was originally on the route of the famous expedition of 1804-1806); and the 15-acre Dakota Zoo. (And fun fact: this is the only U.S. state capital named for a foreign statesman – Otto von Bismarck – thanks to brown-nosing by the railway that initially opened up the area wanted to attract German immigrants and investment, bur the 1874 discovery of gold in the nearby Black Hills did a better job of it.)
Read more in my post 8 of North Dakota´s Top Draws.
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