When: Saturday, July 30 to Monday, August 1, 2022 (three nights)
Where: Buffalo River State Park (Glydon, MN)
Cost: $34/night + $7 registration fee ($190 total with taxes and fees; electric only)
Beer: Junkyard Brewing
Bucket List: Wood Chipper from the Fargo movie

“This is a true story. The events depicted in this blog and video took place in Fargo and Moorhead in 2022. At the request of the survivors, the names have been changed. Out of respect for the dead, the rest has been told exactly as it occurred.”
~ Class C Broads

Fargo is actually Fargo-Moorhead

Many people (ahem…me) picture Fargo as some remote snow-covered town thanks to the 1996 Fargo movie. It turns out that the real area is a thriving metropolis which includes both (1) Fargo, North Dakota and (2) Moorhead, Minnesota, the two of which are delineated the Red River. We were there in mid-summer for a few days and the weather was mid-70s and quite pleasant.

Admittedly, it’s hard to get a feel for a place in just a couple of days, but we found Fargo-Moorhead to be a friendly and quirky city with lots to do.

#1: Get a Photo with a Wood Chipper a The Fargo-Moorhead Visitor Center

Fargo is a dark comedy filled with funny accents and quirky characters about a kidnapping plot gone awry. Directed by the Coen brothers, the movie features Frances McDormand as pregnant cop Marge Gunderson and William H. Macy as used car salesman Jerry Lundegaard. It’s one of my favorite movies of the 1990s. Yet, despite the wonderful acting and storyline, the star of the show is still a yellow wood chipper. Who can forget Marge as she discovers Steve Buscem as he pounds a white sock-covered foot into the chipping machine with piece of firewood? “Action…and scene.”

Woodchipper replica from the *Fargo* movie at the Fargo-Moorhead Visitors Center

The wood chipper scene was shot at Square Lake, MN. After filming wrapped up, one of the camera dolly grips, Milo Durben, purchased the wood chipper to use it on his farm. He later got the Coen brothers to sign a section of the wood chipper. Then in 2011, the Farg-Moorhead Convention and Visitors Bureau asked Milo if they could display the wood chipper at the Visitors Center. The wood chipper was an instant hit and is now on permanent display.

Because we only had two days to spend in the Fargo-Moorhead area, our first visit was to the Fargo-Moorhead Visitors Center to see the infamous wood chipper. There’s a replica outside of the Visitors Center, but the real deal is inside. Yes, the city has embraced the movie so much that there are two wood chippers! The original even has its own Facebook page!

The main lobby of the Visitors Center is largely a tribute to the movie. The original screen play is on exhibition, as well as other props and a recipe for the blood from the movie. If you are curious, the magic ingredient is apparently “butcher shop leftovers.”

#2: Get Some Stamp on a Fargo-Moorhead Craft and Drafts Pass

While we were at the Visitors Center, we picked up a Craft and Drafts pass. The breweries on the pass were:
Drekker Brewing
DCR Brewing
Fargo Brewing
Ice Wind Brewing
Junkyard Brewing
Pixeled Brewing
Swing Barrel Brewing

All that we had to do was collect stamps for each of seven breweries in the area to receive a t-shirt or hat. We didn’t think we would actually be able to visit that many breweries in just two days though. So sad. It’s worth noting that Fargo Brewing has an IPA called the Wood Chipper!

#3: Check an Art Walking Tour!

Fargo is home to a pretty amazing public art scene. The city also has two google maps Fargo Walking Tours showing where art can be found. There’s a north art tour (~1 mile loop) and a south art tour (~2 mile loop), and a great way to explore the city by foot. Roberts Alley contains a lot of murals, but the Fargo Art Alley was my favorite because it invites people to just paint the wall and therefore is always changing. We even saw a guy with spray paint honing his craft on the wall!

#4: Try to Corral some Artsy Bison with Your Camera

At the Visitors Center, we also picked up a Herd About the Prairie map showing the location of various painted buffalo statues in the area. We figured a buffalo hunt would be a great way to get us to explore parts of the metro area. We love public art projects like this so THANK YOU, Fargo-Moorhead, for the bison art!

Note: The map needs updating as one of the businesses with a buffalo was closed and a few of the buffalo were in buildings that were not open on the weekend.

#5: Get Some Fresh Grub at the Red River Market

On Saturdays, the city uses several city blocks for the Red River Market — which features all sorts of local fresh produce, baked goods (we got some amazing beer cheese bread and focaccia from the Breadsmith), flowers, coffee, breweries, live music, trinket sellers, and other vendors. The Broadway Square contains a small performance stage for musical and cultural performances, along with some eating tables and kid’s play equipment. For a farmers’ market, the place gets a late start. The booths are open from 10 am to 2 pm, but the place is hopping!

#6: See the World’s Largest Dilly Bar

World’s Largest Dilly Bar at the Dairy Queen in Moorhead, Minnesota

Hot eats. Cool treats. And the World’s Largest Dilly Bar. All of these are found at the Moorhead Dairy Queen, which as been around since 1949. It’s a wonderful family-owned business with a lot of history to it, but the huge Dilly Bar wasn’t installed until 2017.

So what IS with the big Dilly Bar? According to the restaurant’s website:

[In 1955,] two young brothers from Stillwater, MN who were sons of a Minneapolis ice cream distributor came to the Moorhead Dairy Queen. They had been toying with a soft serve product they wanted to make. Bob Litherland watched as the brothers blobbed Dairy Queen soft serve on a wax paper and put a medical tongue depressor stick into the soft serve. After freezing the treat and coating it in chocolate, one brother held the creation up and said, “Now, isn’t that a dilly!”

Yes, the Dilly Bar was invented at the Moorhead Dairy Queen!

Not surprisingly, the ice cream place is not open during the winter. Fun fact: March 1st, 2014 was the coldest opening day in the history of the Moorhead Dairy Queen. The high temperature of the day was -11. Brrrr…..

#7: Walk (or Bike) along Viking Ship Park

Hopperstad Stave Church in Viking Park in Moorehead MN

There are walking/biking trails on each side of the Red River. On the Moorehead side, we strolled along Viking Ship Park, enticed by the name. However, ship actually resides inside the Hjemkomst Center located in the park. There’s a $10/person admission to the center so we skipped that. But we did learn that the name is pronounced YEM-komst and is the Norwegian word for "Homecoming".

The park also boasts the Hopperstad Stave Church, an authentic replica of a church from Norway. Guided tours are available at the Hjemkomst Center as well. There are some other landmarks in the park, like the Bergquist Cabin, which is the oldest house in Moorhead and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

#8: Stay at Buffalo River State Park

Buffalo River State Park near Glydon, MN

If you are traveling to the Fargo-Moorhead area via RV, consider staying at the Buffalo River State Park. The park is about a 20-25 minute drive along Highway 10 to the downtown area. Although the sites are electric-only, there are several big-rig friendly spots, and the shower-houses and campground are very well maintained. The campground contains several nature trails (mostly mowed grass) that cross the Buffalo River at times. The best part is that there is a swimming hole (although it was closed for the season when we were there).

#9: Enjoy the Fargo Walk of Fame

Back in 1989, a local printer named Mike Stevens had this idea to get famous musicians, athletes, movie stars, religious leaders, and other celebrities to sign their name and place their hand in concrete outside his shop. The walk of fame moved to the Fargo-Moorhead Visitors Center in 2000. It’s fun to spot names – ranging from Jimmy Walker, Alan Jackson, Roy Clark, and more!

While you are back at the Visitors Center, be sure and pick up your prize like we did for visiting all seven breweries. The hat is amazing!!

Two Days in Fargo-Moorhead