Heritage and authentic hospitality that give visitors something to write home about are just two of the reasons planners book gatherings in North Dakota and South Dakota.
Business groups that choose this high plains terrain discover riveting scenery and the shadows of historical figures such as Lewis and Clark, Wild Bill Hickok, Calamity Jane, President Theodore Roosevelt, George Custer, and Sitting Bull. This is home to Mount Rushmore, the Badlands, Native Americans, and descendants of 19th century Scandinavian immigrants.
The most successful Dakotas meetings programs include encounters with the Western and pioneer heritage that define these Great Plains states.
NORTH DAKOTA
Thousands of Scandinavians crossed the Atlantic Ocean in the 19th century to make new lives in America, and the Fargo-Moorhead region on either side of the Red River boundary between North Dakota and Minnesota is one place to step into their legacy.
Fargo-Moorhead
The Hjemkomst Center is a unique multiuse facility whose centerpiece is a replica Viking Ship. The ship was built by Robert Asp in the 1970s, and his family sailed it to Norway in 1982. Stave Church stands on the same grounds and is a symbol of Norwegian heritage in the Red River Valley. It is a full-scale replica of the Hopperstad church in Vik, Norway.
The Hjemkomst Center is the site of several annual outdoor events, including River Splash and a Scandinavian culture festival. Groups of up to 400 may book the center’s auditorium and various meeting spaces.
Outdoor life has always been in the fabric of North Dakota, whether it’s hiking, biking or ranch trail rides. Groups that want to get out into the fresh air can outfit first at Scheels All Sports Store, a 190,000-square-foot retail paradise.
Fargo-Moorhead has several arts attractions, and a local favorite is the restored Fargo Theatre, built in 1926. The registered historic landmark is the area’s only remaining vintage movie palace with a vaudeville stage. The theater is a multipurpose facility with contemporary audiovisual equipment to support film showings, live productions and meetings for about 800 people. The restored “Mighty Wurlitzer” pipe organ is the theater’s centerpiece.
Aside from historic and cultural lures, this two-city region offers plenty of meeting facilities. There are 3,900 guest rooms in more than 41 hotels, with meeting space for up to 28,000 people.
Cole Carley, executive director of the Fargo-Moorhead CVB, says groups of about 1,000 attendees are ideal for the area.
“We are well stocked with high-quality hotels and convention space, and we want planners to know they pay Midwestern prices here,” Carley says. “There’s plenty of good access, too. We’re in the middle of the country, at the intersection of interstates 94 and 29, and we have 18 nonstop daily flights from Minneapolis, Chicago O’Hare, Denver, and Salt Lake City.”
Bismarck-Mandan
Bismarck-Mandan is another two-city region on either side of the Missouri River.
Together, the area offers groups 2,400 hotel rooms, including the Best Western Seven Seas Inn and Conference Center and the Radisson Hotel Bismarck.
With a population of 72,000, Bismarck-Mandan offers groups a unique experience apart from a big-city environment, according to Sheri J. Grossman, director of sales for the Bismarck-Mandan CVB.
“What we provide our visitors is a change of pace and an ultra safe environment where there’s plenty to do,” Grossman says. “Bismarck is the state capital, and even our capitol is unique—our 19-story ‘skyscraper on the prairie’—and groups may hold events in its great hall.”
The North Dakota Heritage Center, featuring a large display of native artifacts, is next to the capitol and can host groups of up to 200 people.
Grossman says other heritage immersion possibilities in the region include Lewis and Clark-themed riverboat excursions for up to 150 passengers on the Missouri River. One of the most popular local event stages is Ft. Lincoln State Park, site of a circa-1875 fort and the home of George and Libby Custer. Pitchfork Steak Fondue dinners are also unique experiences.
Greater Grand Forks
The Greater Grand Forks region sits in the center of the Upper Midwest farm country, and although it has changed dramatically with rebuilding since the devastating floods of 1997, Matt Bydal, sales manager for the Greater Grand Forks CVB, says there is plenty of history for groups to sample, as well as some contemporary facilities and attractions.
The East Forks Heritage Center has vintage farm equipment and offers tours of pioneer homes, a church, a general store, and other buildings. There’s a model railroad museum on the grounds, and a meal of barbecued buffalo burger can round out the experience.
“Our visitors like our curbside appeal,” Bydal says. “There’s a real downtown feel flavored with small-town manners and hospitality, yet plenty of restaurants—from fine dining to bars and sandwich pubs.”
For an after-hours spot with plenty of local color, there’s Whitey’s Cafe Restaurant & Bar, dating to 1925 and the prohibition era when local lumberjacks came to the Grand Forks area to let off steam. Private events may be booked for seated dinners or receptions for up to 75 people.
The area’s newest meetings-ready property is Canad Inn Destination Center, which is attached to the Alerus Event and Convention Center and has 200 guest units, an indoor water park, restaurants, and meeting space for up to 40 people.
Minot
Minot sits next to the U.S.-Canada border and is home to the annual North Dakota State Fair and the Norsk Hostfest festival, the largest Scandinavian festival in North America.
National RV associations and smaller groups gravitate toward Minot and all that it offers, including the Scandinavian Heritage Center and Park, an outdoor museum.
The Grand International Hotel provides nearly 20,000 square feet of meeting space, and Holiday Inn Riverside has the state’s largest hotel convention center, with 26,500 square feet of space.
Minot Municipal Auditorium and Minot State University Dome are also available for group rentals.
SOUTH DAKOTA
Scenery and cultural attractions create memorable meetings throughout South Dakota. Natural wonders, wildlife and pioneer history can be found in experiences such as gold panning, Native American powwows and visits to pioneer homesteads. With the region’s pine forests, wide-open prairies, lakes, and backcountry, rugged and soft adventure options also abound.
Rapid City
Rapid City is a gateway to the Black Hills region and the state’s icon: Mount Rushmore. Other major attractions within two hours of downtown are Badlands National Park, Jewel Cave National Monument, Wind Cave National Park, Devils Tower National Monument, Crazy Horse Memorial, and Custer State Park.
“The majority of planners who choose Rapid City discover that the Black Hills are beyond all expectations,” says Michelle Lintz, executive director of the CVB. “We’re defined by a natural setting with all the amenities that convention-goers expect, and so many manmade and natural wonders that come as complete surprises. Our guests unpack in Rapid City, unwind in the Black Hills, and explore a couple million things that might cause them to never want to leave.”
Mount Rushmore National Memorial is only a half-hour drive from Rapid City, and it is a stunning site for groups that gather for receptions and dinners in the full-service dining hall. The nightly lighting ceremony as seen from the dining room is especially memorable, with views that locals call “second to none in historical relevance.”
Lisa Storm, national meetings sales manager for the Rapid City CVB, says groups sometimes enjoy a chuckwagon dinner and musical show in Rapid City before they drive to Mount Rushmore for the lighting ceremony.
“Other possibilities in town include The Journey Museum, which focuses on the 2.5 billion years of Black Hills geological and cultural history,” Storm says, adding that the venue is available for group events.
The city’s primary group facility is the expanding Rushmore Plaza Civic Center, which will offer 175,000 square feet of meeting and exhibit space by 2009.
“Our message to planners is that we are fully equipped for meetings, with spaces like the 270-room Best Western Ramkota Hotel and Conference Center and the Holiday Inn Rushmore Plaza,” Storm says. “There’s a popular misperception out there that we don’t have facilities, that we’re located in the wild wild West. The truth is that we have the facilities and great air access on several major airlines.”
Deadwood
Many destinations in South Dakota give the visitor a flavor of the romantic Old West, real and imagined.
Deadwood is so historically significant that the entire town has been preserved as a National Historic Landmark with plenty of gaming opportunities that recall its rough and raucous heydays. Saloon #10 is one of the town’s most popular stops—the site where Wild Bill Hickok was killed during a poker game—and a living museum of Western and mining camp artifacts. The saloon’s second-floor Deadwood Social Club has space for receptions.
Groups that tour The Days of ’76 Museum see some of the rarest artifacts from 19th century Deadwood, including original and restored horse-drawn carriages, firearms and period clothing. And trips to Mount Moriah Cemetery put people near the final resting places of Hickok and Calamity Jane, another local character.
Deadwood’s legendary Franklin Hotel is said to be haunted by spirits of old Deadwood, yet its newly restored interior is a great place for receptions.
Ever since actor Kevin Costner filmed Dances with Wolves in South Dakota, he has been enthralled with its history and beauty. He chose Deadwood to open The Midnight Star, a fine dining, gaming and bar stop that reflects Western opulence at the turn of the 20th century.
Museums and living history—such as reenactments of the trial of Jack McCall, Hickok’s murderer—are just part of what groups enjoy about Deadwood.
“People love the quaintness of our town, and those who like the outdoors get into fly-fishing, and horseback riding or mountain biking as well,” says Philys Reller, director of group sales for the Deadwood CVB.
Reller says Deadwood offers 1,300 guest rooms in 35 hotels.
Spearfish
Spearfish, with its majestic canyon and mountain beauty, also boasts Dances with Wolves film locations.
Spearfish is one of the Black Hills’ most popular sites for small and midsize meetings at properties such as Holiday Inn and Spearfish Convention Center; Spearfish Canyon Lodge; and Black Hills Executive Lodging.
While meeting in town, groups enjoy tours of the D.C. Booth Historic National Fish Hatchery, dating to 1896.
Sioux Falls
South Dakota’s largest city, Sioux Falls, is long on both facilities and scenic beauty.
Falls Park is in the urban heart and home to a triple waterfall and the Falls Park Visitor Information Center, managed by the Sioux Falls CVB. Trips to the top of the five-story observation tower in the visitor center reward guests with views of the 100-foot Falls of the Big Sioux River.
Major gathering facilities in the city include the Sioux Falls Arena and Convention Center, which is connected to the Sioux Falls Sheraton Hotel via a climate-controlled walkway and provides about 100,000 square feet of exhibit and meeting space. Meanwhile, Washington Pavilion has a great central location downtown, with an acoustically superior performance hall and a variety of space options.
Hotels with generous meeting facilities in the city include Best Western Ramkota; Club House Hotel and Suites; Country Inn and Suites; Holiday Inn City Centre; and Homewood Suites by Hilton.
Pierre
As the state’s capital, Pierre is the site of numerous meetings so the city has plenty of group facilities, along with some absorbing cultural lures to accent business programs.
Named after Fort Pierre, which lies across the Missouri River from the city, it was the state’s original pioneer settlement and is South Dakota’s oldest city.
Riverboats provide two-hour cruises of historic landmarks in the Pierre area, including the mouth of the Bad River where the Lewis and Clark expedition encountered the Teton Sioux.
Golfing, summertime arts festivals and concerts in the park are additional activities for groups to enjoy.
Best Western Ramkota Hotel and Conference Center is one of the city’s principal meeting sites.
Huron
East of Pierre in Huron, visitors have only to look at the city’s buildings to experience the local culture and history. Colorful murals portray Huron’s prairie ideals and values in compositions like Seeds of Democracy and The Land Rush.
Groups are attracted to Huron for its affordability and excellent location at the intersection of highways 14 and 37, and meeting facilities are available for up to roughly 400 people.
The Huron Event Center and the adjacent Crossroads Hotel and Convention Center and Huron Arena and Exposition Center provide 34,000 square feet of function space under one roof.
Aberdeen
South Dakota’s third-largest city, Aberdeen, is near Sand Lake National Wildlife Refuge. The refuge’s 27 miles of riverfront, nearly 300 species of birds and 21,000 acres provide a glimpse of local terrain as it was when pioneers rolled into the valley in the 19th century.
Stories about those early days are on exhibit in the Dacotah Prairie Museum, along with stories about the railroad and its influence on early settlement and Native American life.
Best Western Ramkota Hotel is Aberdeen’s largest meetings property.
Watertown
Nearby Watertown in the northeast’s lakes and hill region is on track to surpass Aberdeen as the state’s third-largest city, due in part to its strategic location on Interstate 29 and favorable business climate.
The lake culture presents a wealth of waterborne recreational activities, including boating, swimming, camping, and fishing, even in winter.
Local heritage is well preserved in Watertown attractions such as the historic Mellette House, an elegant, circa-1885 Italianate home that was built by the first South Dakota governor, Arthur Mellette.
Additionally, Codington County Heritage Museum is located in a former Carnegie Library and holds thousands of historical artifacts.
The Watertown Event Center and the Best Western Ramkota Hotel Watertown are popular group choices.
For More Info
NORTH DAKOTA
Bismarck–Mandan CVB 701.222.4308
www.bismarckmandancvb.com
Fargo–Moorhead CVB 701.282.3653
www.fargomoorhead.org
Greater Grand Forks CVB 701.746.0444
www.grandforkscvb.org
Minot CVB 701.857.8206
www.visitminot.org
SOUTH DAKOTA
Aberdeen CVB 605.225.2414
www.aberdeencvb.com
Deadwood COC and Visitors Bureau 605.352.0000
www.deadwood.org
Huron Chamber and Visitors Bureau 605.352.0000
www.huronsd.com
Pierre Convention and Tourism Bureau 605.224.7361
www.pierrechamber.com
Rapid City CVB 605.343.1744
www.rapidcitycvb.com
Sioux Falls CVB 605.336.1620
www.siouxfallscvb.com
Spearfish CVB 605.642.2626
www.spearfish.sd.us
Watertown CVB 605.886.5814
www.watertownsd.com
