The Bismarck-Mandan area has welcomed visitors since Lewis and Clark paddled up the Missouri River in 1804. The capital of North Dakota, Bismarck, is a hub of culture, history and shopping. Don’t miss attractions like the Dakota Zoo, the State Museum at the North Dakota Heritage Center and Fort Abraham Lincoln.
Experience the recently re-opened 39,000 feet of the North Dakota Heritage Center. Start your chronological journey through time with the Adaptation Gallery. Dinosaur tracks in the hallway floor lead you to the story of early North Dakota life and geology, featuring life-sized skeleton casts of a Tyrannosaurus rex and a Triceratops ready to battle.Follow the footprints symbolizing the arrival of the first people to inhabit North Dakota to the Innovation Gallery with more than 1,000 artefacts telling the story of early life on the Northern Plains. Don't miss the exquisite 6x50-foot hand-painted mural of Double Ditch Indian Village in 1550.
Soak up the atmosphere of the United Tribes Pow Wow which is held annually in early September and draws nearly 20,000 people who come to see 1,500 Native American drummers and dancers from 70 tribes celebrate their tribal traditions.
Just to the north of Bismark is Fort Abraham State Park. Rich in history, the park’s visitor centre, reconstructed cavalry and infantry post buildings and Mandan Indian earthlodges feature exhibits about the area’s early inhabitants. Also within the Park is the Custer House. This is where General Custer gathered his troops and began is journey to Montana to fight the Sioux and Cheyenne Indians at the Battle of Little Bighorn, where he eventually made his last stand and lost his life.