Summer is almost here, time to start planning a few family get-aways. This year as a family, we have decided to stay close to home and take advantage of the local sites in North Dakota and Minnesota. I recently read two books called Dakota Day Trips and More Dakota Day Trips by Cliff Naylor and Monica Hannan.  I recommend these books to anyone that enjoys travel and learning more about interesting local sites.

The Prairie Village Museum in Rugby, ND features 27 furnished buildings and 35,000 square feet of exhibits. The “biggest” attraction at this museum is Clifford Thompson, formerly the world’s tallest man. Mr. Thompson, born in Silva, ND in 1904 reached eight feet, seven inches by the time he stopped growing. Before dying in 1955, he held a variety of jobs, including circus performer and lawyer. A life size statue can be found at the Rugby museum. It is located at the junction of U.S. Highway 2 and Highway 3 in Rugby.

While in Rugby, you can also visit the Victorian Dress Museum located at 213 Second Ave. SW.  The museum was formerly St. Paul’s Episcopal Church which has beautiful stained glass windows. Marilyn Niewoehner, the owner of the museum, creates beautiful Victorian dresses using only materials that were available 100 years ago. Materials for the dresses can cost thousands of dollars and the dresses can take up to a year to make.

Across the street from the Victorian Dress Museum, you can see the Bell Tower, created by Dale Niewoehner. Dale assembled a tower of bells that he has collected over the years from schools, churches, and railroad steam engines. Each Sunday morning the bells are rung by hand.

For more information about activities to do in the Fargo-Moorhead area, check out the Directory of Fargo-Moorhead website.