The Scandinavian Heritage Museum located in Minot, North Dakota, features several Nordic homes, churches, and a small museum. The buildings, originally built in Norway, then rebuilt in Minot, are open to the public during the summer months.

During the winter, you can visit the gift shop and talk to staff who are eager to answer any questions you may have.

The museum is really a gem in the middle of the tiny town of Minot. There isn’t much else to do and the park is about a $7 taxi ride from the airport. I wouldn’t bother getting a rental car, the distances between everything are cheap enough to get by with walking or cab fare. You can check out some of the pictures I took in the freezing cold, including the one on the left of a 30ft tall Dala horse.

The Minot International Airport, located roughly 40 miles south of the Canadian border in central North Dakota is extremely small and only hosts 3-4 flights per day. Northwest is the only airline that services the airport from Minneapolis. Minot International does not handle any flights from Canada, and gets it’s “international” designation since it has a customs service.

There are only 2 gates, one for incoming and the other for outgoing flights to Minneapolis. The airport is very easy to navigate; only a single luggage carousel, no fast food or restaurants, and one or two rental car offices (including Avis).

If you’ll be traveling out of Minot International, keep in mind that the TSA personnel search every piece of luggage and carry-on by hand. Any knives items that may have passed through the scanners at a larger airport will be confiscated (like my toothpaste, and deodorant were). You can show up to the terminal about 30 minutes before your flight, but keep in mind that your flight will be heavily dependent on the air traffic and weather in Minneapolis. Check the Orbitz Traveler Update and schedule your flights early in the day to avoid compounding delays.