Where to stay
Hotel Donaldson: Standard room is a king bed suite, starting at $209; rates for residents of North Dakota and western Minnesota begin at $195. Includes free Wi-Fi, wine-and-cheese happy hour, morning pastry basket, truffles at turndown, and an exercise room with a punching bag (1-701-478-1000; hoteldonaldson.com).
Where to eat
HoDo Restaurant and Lounge: Some crossover between menus, both using locally sourced produce and beef. At the lounge: bison burger, $13. At the restaurant: halibut with mussels and squash, $38; harvest salad, $12 (1-701-478-8888; hoteldonaldson.com).
Würst Bier Hall: German beer (36 on tap and more bottled) and food with communal tables and beer flights with names such as "Is It Summer Yet?" Bavarian pretzel with haus beer cheese dip, $5; jäger schnitzel with spaetzle or dumplings, $11.50; elk sausage, $8.50 (1-701-478-2437; wurstfargo.com).
Nichole's Fine Pastry: Classic made-from-scratch European and American-style pastries with some soups, salads and grab-and-go sandwiches, starting at $6. Check the website for featured cheesecakes, pastries and pies (1-701-232-6430; nicholesfinepastry.com).
What to do
First Friday on Fourth: A block party every month on the 400 block of Broadway. Each month has its own theme, from a bratwurst grill-out to a bicycle parade (downtownfargo.com/events).
Plains Art Museum: Located in a turn-of-the-century warehouse downtown, the museum has 3,000 works in its permanent collection, including contemporary art, American Indian art and folk art (1-701-551-6100; plainsart.org).
Information
fargomoorhead.org
Melanie D.G. Kaplan
