We met my parents in Medora, North Dakota, and spent three days exploring the outdoors and getting to know the history of the town and surrounding area.

I had never heard of Medora before our trip, but some quick research made it apparent there’s plenty to do in and around this town. Several of the major draws in this area only operate during the summer so we missed them this trip, but it’s something to look forward to the next time we visit.

Planning to visit Medora or passing through North Dakota as part of a bigger adventure? Based on our experience, here are the top five things to do when you’re in Medora, North Dakota.

1. Explore Theodore Roosevelt National Park

We spent an entire day exploring Theodore Roosevelt National Park, including both the north and south units and Painted Canyon Visitor Center. Medora is the gateway to the south unit and a major reason people stay in this area. Check out my post on the drives, overlooks, visitor centers, and hikes we covered during our visit.

2. Tour the Chateau de Mores State Historic Park

For a thorough history on how Medora came to be, you need to stop in the Chateau de Mores State Historic Park. This well-organized museum has a film and information on the life and business endeavors of Antoine de Vallombrosa, the Marquis de Mores, who arrived in 1883 with his wife, Medora.

In addition to visiting the museum, you can drive up to the family’s home and tour this furnished historical building with the help of informational plaques in each room and roaming docents who can provide additional highlights of the family’s day-to-day life.

3. Take a Self-Guided Walking Tour of Medora’s Downtown

During my research I came across this self-guided walking tour of the historic downtown that gave us additional insight into the De Mores family and their influence on the development and ongoing success of Medora.

Split into a series of audio recordings, the self-guided tour begins at the De Mores Packing Plant ruins near the entrance to Theodore Roosevelt National Park. This was a perfect starting point after our time learning about the family and their enterprises at the Chateau de Mores. The tour then works through several historic buildings and sites that are easily walkable from anywhere downtown.

In addition to visiting the historic sites outlined in the audio tour, we also enjoyed popping in the Amble Inn Bookstore, which specializes in books and art representing local authors and area history.

Depending on what time you’re making your way around downtown, I’d recommend grabbing lunch at the Cowboy Cafe and dinner at Theodore’s Dining Room.

4. Drive the Enchanted Highway

For a whimsical departure from Medora’s history, take a drive along the nearby Enchanted Highway. This 32-mile route takes you through North Dakota farmland with seven stops at massive scrap metal art sculptures before ending in the town of Regent where you’ll find a gift shop and an eighth ‘bonus’ sculpture at the Enchanted Castle Hotel. Each stop has ample parking and information about the different installations.

Bonus: After our morning driving the Enchanted Highway we stopped in Dickenson, North Dakota, to check out the Dickenson Museum Center & Badlands Dinosaur Museum. Even if you’re not into dinosaurs, the museum covers other natural history topics and there are nearby buildings and an outdoor museum that cover other aspects of local history.

5. Take a Hike

Thanks to good weather, we were able to enjoy several hikes in and around Medora. In addition to hiking in Theodore Roosevelt National Park, we also spent some time on a portion of the extensive Maah Daah Hey Trail. We paid for entry and parked at Sully Creek State Park just south of downtown Medora and hiked the trail south to a great overlook of the surrounding area.

We also hiked the Point-to-Point Trail, which is accessible from downtown Medora. This 1.5-mile loop has about 375 feet of initial elevation – including a ladder climb – to the top of the nearby bluff where there are informational plaques and great views overlooking Medora.

We came across a few groups on horseback as we caught some other nearby trails to lengthen our hike, and we spotted a deer and her fawn on our journey back into town.

While we were a little early in the season for some of the historical building tours and local draws like the Medora Musical, we found plenty to occupy our time in Medora, North Dakota, and would definitely return to tackle some of the additional hikes and historical activities we’ve tagged for next time.