As summer’s long days and warm nights give way to the crisp, cool air of fall, North Dakota’s landscape transforms into a breathtaking canvas of vibrant foliage. Throughout the state, charming communities and farms embrace the season, hosting spectacular festivals, pumpkin patches, and spooky events that celebrate the beauty and bounty of autumn.
North Dakota Tourism welcomes those planning a trip to the state with the Fall Adventures Guide bursting with highlights on the fall foliage map and details for upcoming events. A few of this year’s fall events and activities highlights are below.
Norsk Høstfest, September 25-28 in Minot, ND
Norsk Høstfest in Minot is the largest Scandinavian festival in North America celebrating the cultures of Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden. The four-day festival features top-tier entertainment, authentic cuisine, merchandise, camping, and much more. Skilled artisans, musicians and authors at Norsk Høstfest bring Norwegian heritage to life for attendees with handmade crafts, Scandinavian cuisine demonstrations, live Viking role-playing, lively musical performances and book presentations.
Insider Tip: Children 16 and under receive free admission to the festival; students with a valid high school or college ID can receive $10 off tickets and discounted tickets are available to veterans and active-duty military on September 28.
As summer turns to fall, North Dakota’s landscape undergoes a dramatic and beautiful change during mid-September through October. Beyond the breathtaking changing colors draped against North Dakota’s charming rural communities, many species of wildlife become more active during this time, so a fall trip is bound to offer views visitors won’t forget. Some of the most popular spots for North Dakota’s fall color landscapes include lush forests of the Turtle Mountains, Lake Metigoshe, Pembina Gorge and tree-lined river valleys such as the Red River Valley.
Insider Tip: To make the most of your leaf-peeping trip, check out North Dakota’s Fall Foliage Guide for some of the best spots to spot stunning panoramas.
Pumpkin Patches and Corn Mazes
North Dakota’s robust agricultural industry offers a bounty of fall tourism experiences, including picture-perfect pumpkin patches and creative corn mazes. Across the state, families and visitors make annual tradition trips or create new memories at a variety of local farms. Papa’s Pumpkin Patch in Bismarck is an icon of the state’s agritourism experiences and features locally grown pumpkins, squash, gourds, straw bales and decorative corn each week so visitors can bask in seasonal color throughout September and October. In Fargo, Lost in the Valley Corn Maze and Pumpkin Patch features a 20+ acre corn maze with special events for maze fans of all ages. Lost in the Valley Corn Maze is open Fridays - Sundays beginning September 27. For more fall activities throughout the state, check out these 9 Pumpkin Patches and Mazes.
Insider Tip: At Papa’s Pumpkin’s Patch, Thursdays are celebrated as Thankful Thursdays where admission is half price! Papa’s will also honor 50 percent off one admission ticket any day you bring your own wagon.
Fall Festivals and Fairs, Various dates
What better way to soak up the colors of fall than with shopping at some of the many North Dakota fall artisan fairs and events? Bismarck, Fargo and Minot will each host The Big One Art and Craft Fairs boasting 200-400 vendor booths per show offering handmade arts, crafts and baked goods. Medora will celebrate the season with the Wild West Fall Fest on October 28 featuring family friendly activities, walking tours and plenty of entertainment.
Insider Tip: Check out the North Dakota Tourism Event Calendar for more on events with free admission and those that offer activities for nominal prices.
Spectacularly Spooky Events
For visitors hoping to take their fall foliage trip up a notch with a frighteningly good time, North Dakota offers several spooky experiences. The Haunted Fort at Fort Abraham Lincoln State Park in Mandan, ND, began with a historical interpretation of the haunted nature of the site and has evolved to feature multiple haunted experiences on weekends in October. Other terrifying attractions include Acres of Terror in Leonard and Dark Acres in Williston with a full list of haunted spots here.
Insider Tip: Check the website of each attraction before visiting as tickets are often less expensive with an advance purchase online.
For more on planning a legendary trip to North Dakota, visit NDtourism.com.