Changing your mind about Fargo
North Dakota city features a modern and free museum, beautiful boutiques and more
Forget “Fargo.”
Don’t get me wrong — I loved the Coen brothers’ dark crime comedy. But 22 years later, if you’re still thinking only about the movie when you hear that word, it’s time to rewire your brain. I’m here to tell you that this North Dakota city is not a godfor saken frozen wasteland of woodchippers. Fargo’s a slice of Oz on the eastern edge of the Great Plains — quirky, colorful and full of surprises: a Scandinavianjewish lunch counter; a gay men’s chorus; a thriving immigrant community; a winter “Frostival” with a mobile sauna; an artsy boutique hotel; and Microsoft’s thirdlargest campus.
More than that, it’s the people of Fargo and Moorhead, Minn., its sister city across the river, who have drawn me back multiple times. They all seem to share a remarkable cando attitude and collaborative energy. Locals are quick to credit their forebears — the Scandinavian settlers who depended on each other to raise barns, harvest crops and recover from floods. That same work ethic, dynamism and community support help a new generation of makers, entrepreneurs and artists who dream big and often succeed. The long, frigid winters seem to only bolster Fargoans’ industriousness and sense of humor.
Things to do
For utterly surreal, try Sons of Norway Kringen Lodge No. 25. The lodge is among the largest in this Nordic heritage fraternal organization, and the building — an old Buick dealership with red carpet and walls — is decorated with Norwegian folk art, Viking carvings and rosemaling.
Outside Fargo, it’s nearly impossible to mention the city without people commenting on the movie, so hats off to the Fargomoorhead Convention and Visitors Bureau for treating visitors to a little “Fargo.” The CVB displays the screenplay and a promotional ice scraper, but the main attraction is the original woodchipper with a leg poking out.
Known for its American modernism and regional art, the Plains Art Museum was an early investor in the downtown’s renaissance and has become a gathering place for the community. Located in a gorgeous turnofthecentury warehouse that once stored farm machinery, the museum has about 4,000 works in its permanent collection. When I visited, I enjoyed a large audio installation, a William Wegman pup, a Warhol screen print of first lady Jacqueline Kennedy and David Bradley’s Mona Lisaesque 1990 painting “Powwow Princess in the Process of Acculturation.” The museum is free, thanks to members and donors.
Things to eat
In their diningout days, my grandmothers would have loved Bernbaum’s. One collected midcentury modern furniture; the other whipped up Jewish meals and desserts like nobody’s business. So I had to smile when I walked into Brett Bernath’s Madhaus, which has largely been taken over by the fabulous lunch counter run by his wife, Andrea Baumgardner. She started making bagels in a corner of the furniture shop in 2016, and soon, BernBaum’s eclipsed the Madhaus. The ScandinavianGerman and Jewish fare, reflecting the proprietors’ heritages, includes potato latkes, knishes with mustard crème fraîche, cheese blintzes with lingonberry sauce, chicken matzo ball soup and brisket with ramps schmear and pickled rhubarb.
Most of Wild Terra Cider and Brewing’s dozen offerings, which change daily, are from the Pacific Northwest or Michigan. But it does craft some of its own ciders — including the blueberry and banana Stargazer, with apples from small local growers. The cidery is in a beautifully restored, centuryold horse stable with an allvegetarian menu.
At Rustica Eatery & Tavern, just across the Main Avenue bridge in Moorhead, dinner is comfortable and neighborhoody. Not surprising for this part of the country, the menu is meatheavy, with rack of lamb and cornmealdusted local walleye, but it also features housemade pasta and a board so full of roasted veggies, dips and towering baguette slices that I needed a doggie bag.
The first thing I noticed about the cinnamon toast at Young Blood Coffee: It was as thick as a twobyfour. Young Blood makes its own sourdough (a bargain at $5 per loaf, the same price as avocado toast) and roasts its own coffee beans.
Where to shop
If Etsy metamorphosed into a bricksandmortar shop, it would look like Unglued. Featuring more than 300 local and regional makers — mostly women — the shop is often bustling. Under twinkly lights and hundreds of origami cranes swooping down from the ceiling, you’ll find a jigsaw puzzle of the famed Fargo Theatre; a onesie adorned with a loon, the Minnesota state bird; jewelry made from repurposed dishware; zipper pouches featuring hockey skates; and hair pomade from Dakotah Beard Oils.
For a uniquely Midwestern experience, head to Scheels, a nearly 200,000squarefoot mashup of REI, Dick’s Sporting Goods and Cabela’s, with a 12car Ferris wheel and enough taxidermied animals for a naturalhistory museum.
The shop called Others may look like similar boutiques, with its beautiful products and minimalist decor, but founder Laura Morris has raised the bar by donating all store profits to education, social health and job creation. With each purchase, shoppers support vulnerable populations around the globe: wooden spoons and bowls help fund employment programs for sextrafficking survivors; hoop earrings made from recycled brass help jewelrymakers grow their businesses. Each set of sunglasses sold yields a free eye exam and glasses for someone in need.
Where to stay
When I first stayed at the Hotel Donaldson in 2015, I was blown away by the 17 artistinspired rooms, daily wineandcheese happy hour, rooftop bar, turndown truffle and complimentary morning pastries delivered to my room. The boutique hotel is conveniently located within walking distance of the river, shops and restaurants.
Stepping into the Element by Westin in West Fargo feels a bit like checking into an ecofriendly spa, with its modern and minimalist decor, sunlit rooms and greenery at every turn. The petfriendly hotel has priority parking for fuelefficient vehicles, a Tesla charging station, free selfservice laundry, a nicesize gym and pool, and complimentary shuttles to the airport and downtown.