Cheyenne Frontier DaysSturgis Motorcycle RallyNorsk HøstfestBuffalo RoundupFort Abraham Lincoln State ParkLittle Bighorn Battlefield National MonumentFrontier Village & World’s Larges BuffaloWorld’s Only Corn PalaceInternational Peace GardenLaura Ingalls Wilder HomesteadVirginia City & Nevada CityFort MandanFort UnionCoeur d’Alene’s Old Mission State ParkWallace, Idaho
Cheyenne Frontier Days
A Brief History of CFD
Since 1897, Cheyenne has celebrated its Old West roots with this eye-popping festival. The centerpiece of this Western celebration is the world’s largest outdoor rodeo, which draws top professionals who compete for more than $1 million in cash and prizes.
Complementing the daily rodeo action are behind-the-chutes tours, trick riding, and a wild-horse race. A Native American Village, an Old West town called “Wild Horse Gulch,” a saloon, square dancing, a chuck wagon cook-off, pancake breakfasts, and an art show carry through the frontier theme.
Rounding out the program are a carnival midway, an air show, top-name entertainment, professional bull riding shows, and several parades that include antique carriages and automobiles.
Sturgis Motorcycle Rally
It’s Biker Heaven…Each year, Sturgis’ Main Street becomes a sea of motorcycles, leather and denim, not to mention, people. Since 1938, Sturgis has welcomed motorcycle enthusiasts from across the United States and around the world to the annual Motorcycle Rally.
Based out of this small community in the northern Black Hills, the Rally is annual held the the first full week of August.
Learn more about Sturgis Motorcycle Rally
Norsk Høstfest
Norsk Høstfest is a nonprofit Scandinavian Festival held annually in the fall in the N.D. State Fair Center on the North Dakota State Fairgrounds in Minot, N.D.. The late Chester Reiten and a group of friends who shared his interest in celebrating their Nordic heritage founded the festival in 1978. The festival has grown into North America’s largest Scandinavian festival with tens of thousands of people attending from all over the world.
The festival features world-class entertainment, authentic Scandinavian cuisine, Scandinavian culture on display, handcrafted Norsk merchandise, plus a fine dining establishment lead by guest chefs. Norsk Høstfest celebrates Scandinavian culture from Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden.
Learn more about Norsk Høstfest
Buffalo Roundup
Custer State Park in the beautiful Black Hills of western South Dakota is full of lush forests, quiet and serene meadows, and majestic mountains. This 71,000-acre state park is also home to one of the world’s largest publicly-owned bison herds, nearly 1,300 strong.
Each fall, the ground rumbles and the dust flies as cowboys, cowgirls and park crews saddle up to bring in the thundering herd. The annual roundup, held on a Monday in late September or early October, is open to the public.
Learn more about Buffalo Roundup
Fort Abraham Lincoln State Park
North Dakota has preserved several forts built in the 1800s to protect workers and settlers a westward expansion shifted into high gear.
The most noticeable of these is Fort Abraham Lincoln near Mandan. This was the last home of Lt. Col. George Custer and much of the 7thCavalry, which rode west from here to the Little Bighorn. Many structures, including the Custer House and bastions on bluffs above the Missouri River remain.
Learn more about Fort Abraham Lincoln State Park
Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument
Located in southeastern Montana, Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument memorializes the site of the Battle of the Little Bighorn which took place on June 25-26, 1876 between the United States Seventh Cavalry Regiment led by Lt. Col. George Armstrong Custer, and the Sioux and Cheyenne under the political and spiritual leadership of Sitting Bull. The Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument was originally named Custer Battlefield National Monument. President George H.W. Bush renamed the site on December 10, 1991. It is now representative of those who were in the battle, Native Americans and the 7th Cavalry.
A visitor center and museum contains exhibits relating to the 1876 Battle of Little Bighorn in which a total of 263 US Cavalrymen, of the regiments 650 men, were killed in action by Sioux and Northern Cheyenne warriors. Lieutenant Colonel G.A. Custer was killed leading a contingent of 209 men. The Museum features exhibits of the history of the battle, Custer, weapons, archaeology, Plains Indian life, and a walking tour with interpretive markers. It is wheelchair accessible. Adjoining the visitor center is Custer National Cemetery, which includes interments from abandoned frontier military posts, the world wars, Korea and Vietnam.
Learn more about Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument
Frontier Village and World’s Largest Buffalo
Take a step back in time at this re-created prairie town. Original buildings from the frontier villages of North Dakota have been moved to this site and filled with antiques and artifacts that bring the world of the prairie pioneers to life.
The Village also features several shops selling handmade goods and souvenirs, light lunch and snacks at the General Store, an outdoor amphitheater with regular live entertainment, and stagecoach and pony rides. Cowboys hold Wild West-style shootouts every other Saturday from Memorial Day to Labor Day. The World’s Largest Buffalo Monument, National Buffalo Museum and live herd of Buffalo are also on site.
World’s Only Corn Palace
During the summer months the World’s Only Corn Palace in Mitchell, SD offers free-guided tours led by friendly guides full of a-maize-ing facts (like how many nails and staples are used in the decoration process).
The tour also features an outstanding video explaining the Corn Palace story. After the tour you can view displays about the Corn Palace, watch murals being created, learn how the different colors of corn are grown, and shop for souvenirs in our large gift shop.
Learn more about World’s Only Corn Palace
International Peace Garden
The International Peace Garden is a 2,339-acre botanical garden commemorating peace between the United States and Canada along the world’s longest unfortified border. It blooms annually with more than 150,000 varieties of flowers and showcases the Peace Chapel.
It is also home to the International Music Camp, Friday night concerts in June and July, and interpretive center, floral clock and souvenir shop. RV-friendly campground.
Laura Ingalls Wilder Homestead
A trip to De Smet, takes visitors to the homestead of famed author, Laura Ingalls Wilder.
The area was featured in several of her Little House on the Prairie books, including “By the Shores of Silver Lake,” “The Long Winter,” “Little Town on the Prairie,” “These Happy Golden Years” and “The First Four Years”.
Virginia City and Nevada City
Virginia City and Nevada City was born with the discovery of gold in Alder Gulch in 1863. A boomtown of the post-Civil War era, Virginia City served as the Montana Territorial Capital for 10 years, until the gold ran out. Just a mile away lies Nevada City, a western town created from a collection of buildings from other ghost towns.
Both towns have been largely restored and preserved as they once stood living examples of the real Old West. The Montana Historical Society has certified 150 authentic buildings. Original buildings, dating from the Territorial days, are filled with merchandise and implements used when gold camps flourished in the West.
Boardwalks, mechanical music machines, a penny arcade, antique automobiles and even a two-story outhouse add to the Old West atmosphere. The majestic Madison River Valley, just east of Nevada City, features some of the world’s finest trout streams, as well as a beautiful mountain backdrop.
In Nevada City and Virginia City, shop, dine and sleep without leaving the atmosphere of the 1890s. You will find fascinating nuggets of history and memories to treasure. The restoration of these towns began decades ago, and the state of Montana purchased much of Virginia City and all of Nevada City so that the preservation can continue.
Fort Mandan
Explorers Meriwether Lewis and William Clark and the Corps of Discovery came up the Missouri River in 1804 looking for a route to the Pacific Ocean. By the time they got to the Washburn area, it was obvious they needed a winter camp – and some friends. They built Fort Mandan, so named in honor of Native Americans living nearby at what is now Knife River Indian Villages. There they found a trapper named Charbonneau, whose young wife – Sakakawea – had knowledge of the lands west. She would prove valuable on the journey ahead.
Fort Union
Fort Union was established as a fur trading post on the Upper Missouri river near what is now the North Dakota-Montana state line. Many tribes came to the fort to trade with the American Fur Company.
Coeur d’Alene’s Old Mission State Park
Located in the Silver Valley of Northern Idaho, Coeur d’Alene’s Old Mission State Park preserves a rich history of the Jesuit missionaries who settled in the area and their interactions with the local Coeur d’Alene Tribe.
Home to the oldest standing building in Idaho, The Mission of the Sacred Heart has been preserved since its construction in 1848 using only mud, dowels and straw. Tour the Sacred Heart Mission church and Parish House, stroll the grounds to learn about how the missionaries and natives lived on the land and check out the visitor center to see the Sacred Encounters exhibit, which showcases the histories of the land and people.
Wallace, Idaho
Known as the “Silver Capital of the World,” Wallace, Idaho and the surrounding area is the richest silver mining district in the world. Founded in 1884 after the discovery of silver lodes, the area blends wild west mining history with modern day techniques as it continues to produce silver and other metals.
A town with a long history, bold personality and charm to spare, there’s plenty of quirky fun to be found during a stop in Wallace. In 2004, the town officially declared itself the Center of the Universe, because why not? The locals dare you to prove otherwise. The entire downtown of Wallace is also on the National Register of Historic Places, preserving a stretch of quaint and eccentric buildings ideal for wandering and exploring this unique destination.
Jump on the Sierra Silver Mine Tour to hear stories from a hard-rock miner and witness how silver is extracted from underground, learn about the town’s history of bordellos at the Oasis Bordello Museum and enjoy a pint of local beer at Wallace Brewing.
