Hey Nerds,
Do y’all count the states you’ve visited in the U.S.? In our household, we definitely do! Spoiler alert: we’re up to 36! That’s states visited together. We both have more knocked out individually.
To knock out two states, we took a weekend trip to Fargo, ND/Moorhead, MN. If you’re looking to knock these two states off your list, they straddle the border between North Dakota and Minnesota and make for a fun little trip.
Fargo is a city of ~126,000 people (according to the 2020 US census), making it the most populous city in the state of North Dakota. You probably know of Fargo from the movie and TV series named for the city. (Fun fact: not actually filmed in Fargo!) Moorhead is a city of ~44,500 just across the Red River. Between these two cities, and a little bit of help, we discovered quite a few cool things to do and breweries to visit.
The List
What do I mean by “The List?” Great question.
While we flew up to FAR from DFW, a woman behind us overheard me tell the flight attendant that this was our first time visiting Fargo. She took it upon herself to create “The List” for us, which became our guide for this trip. She shared restaurants, breweries, sights, and much more. I thanked her profusely and proceeded to share this list with locals as we went, adding on to it as we went as a sort of living document. Below I share this list with you to help continue sharing the love.
Where We Stayed
Once upon a time, I had the Radisson credit card in order to take advantage of some amazing cardholder benefits that were removed. Because of this, I had Radisson Rewards points sitting around that I wanted to use up.
Hello the Radisson Blu Fargo! With a complimentary airport shuttle that will also take you Drekker Brewing for a low fee, this hotel had comfortable rooms and friendly staff. They were in the midst of an elevator upgrade, so we literally only used one elevator the entire time, but it was a fancy elevator where you select your floor outside of the elevator rather than inside.
Towards the edge of downtown, it’s one big block away from Broadway and all the cool things to do downtown in a college town. You’re also right next to the #FarMore Fargo sign for all your photo ops!
Knocking off The List
We had plenty of sights to see and things to knock off The List both in Fargo and Moorhead, so we dived right in! Instead of renting a car, we utilized Uber (we couldn’t find Lyft in Fargo). It probably ended up costing about the same, thanks to a goal we set that took us a little farther afield than most Fargo visitors (more on that later), but we never had an issue getting a driver.
Fargo-Moorhead Visitor Center
You’re probably thinking, why visit the Visitor Center? That’s a bit hokey. Well if you want to see the wood chipper from the movie Fargo, or a fun touristy one for photo ops, then you NEED to make this a stop. Plenty of photos were taken with us mid-chipping and we weren’t the only ones there for this.
The Visitor Center is also where you can pick up your Crafts and Drafts Pass! Visit SEVEN breweries, enjoy a beer, and receive a stamp. Once you collect all 7 stamps, return to the Visitor Center for a free Crafts and Drafts t-shirt OR trapper bomber hat. Obviously I wanted the hat, so this became our goal for the trip. Hit all seven breweries in just over 24 hours.
You can also pick up the pass at any of the breweries on the list:
- Fargo Brewing Company
- Drekker Brewing Brewhalla
- Junkyard Brewing Company
- Pixeled Brewing Company
- DCR Brewing Company
- Swing Barrel Brewing Co.
- Icewind Brewing
(Remember: always drink responsibly and utilize ride share, designated drivers, or yo’ feet to make sure you arrive alive.)
More on our Crafts and Drafts Pass adventure a little farther down. Back to The List!
ALL the FOOD!
There was plenty of good eats in Fargo and we stuck to The List.
BERNBAUM’S
They have indoor and outdoor seating, but you need to wait in line and order at the counter before snagging a table. Be kind, wait in line!
The bacon, egg, and cheese on challah was recommended to us by a local we encountered on the trip and it did not disappoint. It was the perfect amount of food for a little bit of energy before venturing on to a brewery.
SANDY’S DONUTS
If you’re looking for a good donut, Sandy’s is for you. Multiple locations throughout Fargo, but we stopped in at the location on Broadway. A small interior provide a nice place to stop, get out of the warming weather, and enjoy a quick donut. And immediately after we ordered a ton of people came in to get their donut fix. The donut? It was DELICIOUS.
Things to SEE
48 hours in Fargo is NOT enough time to see everything, but we tried to see a variety of cool stuff.
HJEMKOMST CENTER
The Hjemkomst Center is home to the Hjemkomst Viking Ship and Hopperstad Stave Church replica. Located in Moorhead, it’s about a mile from the Radisson/downtown Fargo and a lovely walk over the Red River if you’re in a walking mood. The viking ship was started by Robert Asp in 1972 and made its maiden voyage in 1980. In 1982, a crew sailed it to Norway, a trip dreamed up by Asp but completed by four of his children after his passing from leukemia in late 1980.
The replica stave church was built between 1996 and 2001 and is modeled after the Hopperstad Stave Church in Vik, Norway. Guests of the museum can walk around the church outside, but can only see the interior on a guided tour from April 1 through December 31.
MURALS & STREET ART
There are so, so, so many really cool murals and fun street art for you to enjoy in Fargo. From an alley specifically designated for graffiti to more touristy murals for photos ops, you will get your fill of creativity.
Crafts and Drafts Pass – Let’s Hit Some Breweries
And here it is, our epic journey to earn a hat.
Honestly, I don’t know why I was so fixated with the hat, but I hadn’t traveled in awhile for fun and the idea of a beer journey with a furry hat at the end had me pumped to do Fargo/Moorhead.
Junkyard Brewing Co.
We started out our journey at Junkyard Brewing. Our thought was head straight there from the Visitors Center via Uber and make our way back towards Fargo. I loved the location. It had tons of indoor and outdoor seating, multiple bars, friendly servers, and excellent beers. We tried a couple of beers, bought a crowler to go for the evening at the hotel, and knocked off our first stamp! If you were looking for food, they do not have a kitchen on site, but you can order from the restaurant next door and eat it there in the brewery.
Swing Barrel Brewing Co.
Next up, we made the short walk over to Swing Barrel Brewing Company. Ordinarily, this walk wouldn’t be an issue, but it was starting to get warm in Fargo. We were starting to feel the heat when we finally made our way to the brewery. As a resident of the Dallas/Fort Worth area, we were greeted by the most amazing beer ever: Cheaters. A tribute to a MLB team down in Houston who <ahem> know a thing or two about trashcans. We grabbed a flight, our second stamp, plenty of water, and Taco John’s from across the street. (They also have the option to order delivery from the restaurant next to Junkyard.)
Fun Fact: my darling Nerd Partner for Life left to get Taco John’s and one of the bartenders came over concerned. She realized that the lobby of Taco John’s was closed. Cue us panning over to find my NP4L standing in the drive thru ordering. The entire brewery watched and we applauded him when he returned with a six pack and a pound that we shared with anyone who was interested.
Drekker Brewing
After a quick pit stop at the hotel to stow our crowler in the mini fridge, we made the LONG walk to Drekker Brewing. A massive, and I mean MASSIVE, tap room, it’s located in an industrial area tucked back behind other businesses. I would recommend catching an Uber or driving yourself, rather than making the hike. It was, however, worth it. Tons of fun sours, ample places to sit, arcade games, a food truck, and we met a guy working there who pumped us up to keep going on our beer journey. He also co-owns a local coffee shop, Thunder Coffee, in West Fargo. We ran out of time to visit, but when in town you should check them out!
Icewind Brewing
This is the brewery that will make or break your Crafts and Drafts Pass attempt. Located in Mapleton, ND, you have to head outside of Fargo nearly 15 miles to hit Icewind. We grabbed an Uber from Drekker and headed over before it got dark, as we were afraid we might not get a driver to head out that way after the sun set. Smaller in size, they made up for it in hospitality. Plenty of picnic tables outside, free popcorn (serve yourself), and tons of beers to choose from. We watched the sun begin to set as we quickly drank our flight and then hailed another Uber. It ended up not being an issue and we would have loved to spend more time at this brewery.
Pixeled Brewing Co.
Next up was a quick stop at Pixeled Brewing. To enter Pixeled, you go through a door for multiple businesses and turn right. There you find a sizable arcade that serves not only their own beer, but plenty of other options. We landed on one of their brews and sat down to play some video games. Unfortunately, I didn’t get a photo of the space, beer, or my pass, but I did take a photo of when I kicked my NP4L’s behind in some Yoshi battle game (I was P2).
DCR Brewing Co.
Our final brewery of the first (and only) full day in Fargo/Moorhead was DCR Brewing. A storefront off 1st Ave., and about a block from Broadway, it was a perfect way to route back to downtown and end up near our hotel. We arrived after what looked like a party had wrapped up and it was the group cleaning up and us. We grabbed a couple of beers and sat down on a couch, relishing a quick rest. DCR stands for Drumconrath and the deep space of the brewery gives a solid Irish pub look and feel. I bet this place is fun when it’s bumping.
Fargo Brewing Co.
Our FINAL final brewery was Fargo Brewing Company.
Funny story: we tried to go to this brewery THREE TIMES. Originally we were going to knock off all the breweries in one day. The entry to there taproom is off the back of the brewery and when we pulled up in our Uber there were only a couple of cars in the parking lot with people getting in them to leave and we thought it was closing early. We came back a second time in an Uber (after another brewery assured us they were probably open) and there were NO cars. Off we went. On Sunday morning we made the walk over from BernBaum’s and arrived right after noon to get a quick flight. The bartender had closed the night before and confirmed she was there! She had ridden her bike, hence no cars, and they were slower than usual because of the concert they had the night before. <smacks forehead>
We grabbed a flight, knocked out our last stamp, and chatted with a couple from Austin. Their space is big and vast, with a barber shop and space that looks like an event venue. Just remember to go all the way around back when you get there!
AND FINALLY…THE HAT
After finishing our flight (of beer), we hailed our Uber and had him drive us to the airport for our flight (on a plane) with a quick stop in the complete opposite direction to the Visitor Center.
This poor driver was obviously perplexed while we drove way out of our way to get to the airport. When we got there, I explained why we made the pitstop and he seemed genuinely intrigued. I ran inside with our passes and the guy working the counter had obviously never seen a completed pass. He tried to get me shirts, but the gal working was like, nah, we also have hats in a box below the shirts. And with that, my dear nerds, we scored our hats!
Behold my Crafts and Drafts HAT. <wipes tear away> She’s beautiful.
Was it worth it?
Hell yes it was. We had an amazing time driving around hitting breweries. Add in The List, shared with love with us and now with you, we had a truly memorable time in Fargo/Moorhead.
Would we go back? In a heartbeat. And I genuinely hope that the rest of you will add this to your travel list.
Cheers,
Head Nerd