Alicia Underlee Nelson is a woman of many hats, a journalist and author of a number of books. She’s covered North Dakota full time for 13 years, so it’s her job to know what’s going on in this part of the world, yet she never ceases to be amazed at what she may find in her research. Whether it involves meeting a barn full of dairy cows that contribute to the regional gelato supply, or exploring an abandoned missile site, the research for her latest book, “100 Things to Do in North Dakota Before You Die” certainly wasn’t boring.
“There are things that I hadn’t tried before I researched this book,” she said. “And they were so fun, so unique that I found myself fascinated — which is such a good sign. because there are lots of under-the-radar things that we probably haven’t tried, even if we’ve lived here our whole lives. So that gives me great hope. That means that North Dakota’s creative, we’re changing, we’re trying new things, and there’s always a new place to explore.”
In this exclusive interview, the author shares a sampler platter of her travels. And if you’re hungry for more, then you might just have to pick up a copy of her book.
High Plains Reader: How did you organize your thoughts, resources and locations to determine what to include in the book?
Alicia Underlee Nelson: The writing of this book was pretty straight forward because they’re short entries, which makes them fun to write and really easy to read. The challenge is to be brief and descriptive and pack as much cool detail in there as possible. Thankfully, I’ve been a travel writer for a long time, so I’m getting pretty efficient at doing that.
But the hard part of writing this book was choosing what to include and making sure that I had the geographic diversity that we needed. Everything is organized into categories, like food and drink, culture and history, sports and recreation, fashion and shopping, and music and entertainment. So the challenge with North Dakota is that we have a lot of great stuff in all of those categories.
I had to think about what was truly world class. Will each attraction be worth encouraging people to come here from the other side of the world to experience it? Does it reveal something important about who North Dakotans are as people, what makes us tick? What were visitors surprised by? What do locals love?
We have more than our fair share of really cool cultural, historic and outdoor attractions. So I wanted to make sure that I included those. But I also wanted to provide a sampler in the other categories to give people a true taste of North Dakota — sometimes literally, in the case of food and drinks.
HPR: What are some of your favorite spots in the state? You mentioned Theodore Roosevelt National Park…
AUN: Yes! It’s the only national park in our state, one of the most beautiful and least crowded parks in the whole country — which is really key, since people are tired of waiting in national park lines at some destinations and tired of feeling hemmed in. They really want that outdoor experience without the crowds.
I also really recommend the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library. It’s brand new, cutting-edge, already changing the game in Medora and the whole region.
On the eastern side of the state, I tell folks that Brewhalla is truly one of the best food and entertainment halls you will find anywhere in the country. We don’t like to brag about ourselves in this part of the world, but it’s excellent.
For sheer fun, I always recommend doing some of the kitschy, quirky things in the book like seeing the scrap metal sculptures on The Enchanted Highway or taking pictures with the Fargo wood chipper. That is a deeply weird tourist attraction — and very Fargo.
And standing with one foot in Canada and one foot in the United States in the International Peace Garden is fun too. You’re never too old for simple delights, and there’s something about standing in two countries at once that I never get tired of.
HPR: If we love the outdoors, what should we check out?
AUN: The Maah Daah Hey Trail is one of the most beautiful single track trails in the country. And you’ll often have it all to yourself.
The Little Missouri National Grassland is the largest grassland in the country. It offers these incredible opportunities for hiking, camping and just resting and being out in nature.
And if you want bragging rights, people should definitely check out the North Country National Scenic Trail. That’s the longest national scenic trail in the United States. It’s longer than the Appalachian Trail, so you can tell people you hiked the longest trail in the country! You just don’t have to tell them that all you did was step onto it from one of the state parks or grassland access points…you can still cross it off your bucket list!
HPR: Let us not forget dining recommendations. Do you have a favorite?
AUN: I don’t know if I do. What I really tried to concentrate on when choosing what to include in the book was asking questions, like ”Is this dining establishment historic?” So that’s how you include things like the Little Missouri Saloon out in Medora, which — from everything that we can gather — is most likely the oldest in the state.
I’d ask, “Is it unique to this state?” Then you have things like the Pitchfork Steak Fondue on a badlands bluff, which is an experience you can’t have anywhere else.
Is it culturally resonant? Fargo has a great African fusion food scene. You have incredible foods and wedding schnapps from the Germans from Russia in the southern part of the state. North Dakotans like to debate about which historic pizza place is better or why their favorite Mexican restaurant is the best. We’ve got cult classic places like Sandy’s Donuts and Red Pepper that people are really passionate about and fun dive bars like the Blue Rider out in Minot. Those are places that are important to their community.
It’s worth seeking out Cows & Co. Creamery in Carrington (or at Brewhalla) to have local gelato and gouda that’s made right here in North Dakota. It’s worth it to go to Cottonwood Cider House or one of the many wineries and drink something that’s grown here, or to go to Red River Market on a Saturday and buy meat or produce or eggs from producers across the state. It’s just a different experience. Because we’re such an agricultural and ranching state, I think it’s great to be able to choose something local whenever you can.
Have we piqued your interest? Pick up a copy at your neighborhood bookstore or buy it (and any of Alicia Underlee Nelson’s other travel books) online at prairiestylefile.com.
