In my countdown to 50 states, North Dakota was still on my list and time was running out. I had not been there as a kid, did not have a reason to visit for work and there were no soccer tournaments in North Dakota. I decided if I was going to go to one of the coldest states, I wanted to be there in February and experience it. I assumed no one would have an interest in going with me so I booked a solo flight to Fargo for a weekend in February 2022 and got a hotel room in town near the airport in case I was totally snowed in. My two goals were 1) to see the famous wood-chipper from the Fargo movie and 2) go snowshoeing and check that off my bucket list.
As my trip grew closer, my closest cousin Peggy decided that she would join me. For those of you who know Peggy, you know that Peggy brings the fun everywhere she goes. She is the life of EVERY party and does not know a stranger. Peggy is always up for an adventure so I was excited for her to join me.
Upon arrival on our first day, the annual Frostival coffee crawl was going on in downtown Fargo. My superb planning put us within walking distance of the main drag so we put on our warm clothes and ventured out. As with so many things in life, I have learned that the experiences where you have no expectations often turn out to be the most fun. Downtown Fargo is freaking adorable and the people are amazing. We spent the afternoon walking through downtown visiting the boutique shops drinking coffee to keep ourselves warm. Surprisingly, the weather was beautiful and I only needed my Bengals sweatshirt!
During our coffee crawl, we found an Irish pub (shocking!). Dempsey’s Public House was featuring karaoke that night and, as luck would have it, there was also a drag show in the basement of the VFW hall. So many choices! Let’s do both! We went to the Irish pub first where the karaoke was actually amazing. It seemed to be the Friday night hangout for some super talented creative students from North Dakota State University. Then we ventured to the VFW hall where I was equally impressed. Both events were packed! Who knew Fargo had such a vibrant and eclectic downtown scene on a Friday night?!
The next day, we got up and had a North Dakota adventure. We went snowshoeing and sledding at Edgewood Park. The weather was absolutely gorgeous! I truly love to be bundled up outside on a cold winter day. We were slow snowshoers and the locals passed us up. We were also slow sled riders (and the only people sledding over 12) and all the kids passed us up. What a blast!
After that, we went on a self-guided walking tour through downtown Fargo to see their beautiful murals.
We finished our snowy adventure at the famous Fargo wood-chipper. Adventures are so much more fun when shared with the people you love. #48 checked off my list and I am glad it was with my Peggy. 🙂
