Travel Info

Headed to Minot? Well, you’re in for a treat! The city of Minot is on the west side of the Central Time zone, which means our summer days are long and full of sunlight. Our open air space allows for great 180 degrees of sunrises and sunsets which paint the sky with the best palate of colors. Our location is a great place to stay overnight and explore the area with day trips. There are many adventures to be had within a short drive of Minot and you can fill several days. When visiting Minot, here are some tips on how to make your trip more memorable!

 

The city of Minot, North Dakota was founded in 1886 where the Great Northern Railway’s construction crew set up their winter camp. As if by magic, a tent town formed practically overnight and grew to a population of 5,000 in the next five months – giving us our best-known nickname “The Magic City”. During the Prohibition Era, some people called Minot “Little Chicago” (We’ve always been known to have fun!), but today our reputation is different from those bootlegging days.  Minot was thriving and growing in the 1950s. In 1957, the construction of the Minot Air Force base had a profound impact on the city of Minot.  The base brought diversity to the Minot community and allowed for new shops and restaurants to open constantly.  Businesses in the area became very successful.

 

Things changed in 1969 when the Souris River overflowed its banks and swept through homes and streets overflowing the residences and businesses with water. The citizens came together to rebuild showing the resilience of the community.  In the 1970s, life went back to normal and Minot’s population was just over 32,000. The North Dakota State Fair attendance reached over 100,00o people.

 

In the next 30 years (2000), Minot had grown to 37,000 residents, and soon after with the formation of the Bakken in 2006, Minot’s population began to rapidly grow. North Dakota was in the thick of an oil boom, despite a national recession.  Minot’s economy was thriving.

 

During 2011, growth halted when the Souris River overflowed its banks once again leaving many homes in Minot underwater forcing 11,000 residents to evacuate.  When the water subsided, residents came together again to get our city back to ‘normal’,  to begin healing after the devastation.  Since the flood, we have gotten back to normal, and we started growing in population once again.

 

 

Travel Tips:
  • Details about our dining, uniquely local places, attractions, and things to do. You can download the guide directly or request a guide to be mailed to you. 
  • Minot’s Visitor Center is housed in a beautiful Norwegian-style building located in the Scandinavian Heritage Park at 1020 South Broadway (Hwy 83) in Minot. The main level of the Visitors Center includes local, state, and regional travel information such as maps, brochures, and guides as well as a unique gift shop offering many North Dakota made products, authentic Scandinavian specialty gifts, Norsk Høstfest items, apparel, keepsakes, souvenirs and more. Or call us at 1-800-264-2626 or 701-857-8206. 
  • Head to the Roosevelt Park Zoo right at 10 AM when it opens – that is when the animals are the most active.
  • You can always check out the current road status for weather or construction-related travel concerns.  Use this tool for ease of travel in and out of Minot on the ND Transportation site.
  • Plan for local weather.
  • Getting to Minot is easy, fly into Minot International Airport, ride the Amtrak or drive into the city.
  • When visiting the Dakota Territory Air Museum, use their Talking Trails content to dive into the history of the plans you’re seeing and learn more details of their historic flights.

 

Frequently Asked Questions:

 

I’m thinking about relocation, can you help?

What is there to do in Minot?

  • You’re in luck! Visit Minot hosts the community calendar of events and has many events that happen year-round.

Where can we buy locally produced items?

  • The Visitor Center gift shop is loaded with locally made items, including Pride of Dakota products, North Dakota and Minot gear, and Scandinavian items.

What is your sales tax?

  • City and State Sales Tax 7.5%, Lodging Tax 3%