Weddingbee Blog

When I first found out we bees were going to continue the “Honeymoon In My Hometown” series, I was not planning to contribute. It’s not exactly romance-central. But I eventually decided to give it a chance. At the very least, upon finishing this post you’ll know a lot more about Grand Forks than most of your friends do! (Heck, I’ve spent 18 years of my life in this area and I learned a lot while writing it!) There’s also the fact that Grand Forks isn’t really my “hometown”. My family moved a lot when I was young, so I don’t really have a hometown. I own a house in Grand Forks, so my hometown it becomes.

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If you don’t know much about Grand Forks (and most people don’t), here’s a little overview. Grand Forks is located about 100 miles from the Canadian Border, right on the Western border of Minnesota. It’s about 80 miles north of North Dakota’s largest city: Fargo. It’s a city of about fifty thousand, with a total population of around 60,000 if you include its sister city (East Grand Forks) and the surrounding rural residents. It’s also a college town, home to the University of North Dakota (and several smaller technical college campuses in the region). Grand Forks isn’t what you’d call a farm town, or a Western town necessarily; it’s pretty much a normal small-to-medium upper-Midwestern city. Grand Forks has an International Airport (GFK), so you can access it conveniently. Amtrak also stops in Grand Forks.

So what’s there to do year ’round in Grand Forks? Sports are pretty big here. Football and hockey are the major ones, and there are many other sports to choose from as well. Grand Forks is home to the Ralph Engelstad Arena, which is actually a pretty amazing sight to see (even if you’re not in to sports.).

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[The "Ralph"; source]

You can also see a show in the historic Empire Arts Center, the Chester Fritz Auditorium, the Firehall Theater, or the Alerus Center. During the school year, there are many activities and events taking place any given week on campus, some of which are open to the general public. The campus is also home to the state’s largest library. Grand Forks and East Grand Forks are also home to 22 movie screens in two theaters. There are a few Casinos within reasonable driving distance as well, offering live entertainment and tons of gambling fun.

[Dining at Spirit Lake Casino (near Devils Lake, ND); source]

[The Empire Arts Center; source]

There are also a lot of restaurants and bars in Grand Forks. The food spans from family restaurants like Texas Roadhouse and The Blue Moose (OMG, to-die-for tuna+gouda sandwich!), to swanky bars and fancy restaurants like Sanders 1907 and The Toasted Frog. We’ve even got a pretty decent sushi restaurant: not something you generally find in the upper-midwest. (Mr. Mary Jane and I go there at least once a week!) Do you like ice cream? I sure do. Grand Forks has three Dairy Queens (plus another in East Grand Forks), a Culvers and a Coldstone Creamery. Yes, here in Grand Forks, we love to eat.

[Fish Tacos from the Toasted Frog; source]

[A cone from Coldstone Creamery; source]

We’ve also got shopping. There are Macy’s, Kohls, Target, JC Penney, Cabelas, and many other popular chains, as well as various antique stores, art galleries, boutiques and consignment stores scattered throughout the town. As a testament to Grand Forks’ shopping opportunities: every weekend, hundreds or thousands of Canadians come down to Grand Forks to shop. Most of them travel from the Winnipeg area, about 2.5 hours away.

What about places to stay? We’ve got tons of ’em, in every price range. For honeymooners, the CanadInn or Hilton would fit the bill. The CanadInn has an indoor lazy river and water park, as well as a group of attached tasty restaurants (including a Mediterranean bistro). Looking for a bed and breakfast experience? This one comes to mind. I’ve driven by this house and let me tell you: GORGEOUS. If I were looking for that kind of feel, I’d consider approaching them about marrying in their courtyard. It’s just so magnificent.

[A room at the 511 Reeves B&B; source]

[CanadInn’s indoor water park; source]

Because Grand Forks has such a diverse climate, I have decided to approach the rest of this post by season.

Summer/Fall
I tend to think of summer and fall as the dry/warm season. It can be very hot (100+ F), or rather chilly (in the 50s), but generally the summer and early-fall temperatures hover in the high 70s to low 80s. Grand Forks itself has a lot of bike- and walking trails to explore. The city also does a weekly Two Town Saturday Farmers’ market throughout the warm season featuring food, produce, local crafts, and live entertainment. Is golfing your thing? Grand Forks has several local golf courses and country clubs including King’s Walk, Lincoln Park, and Ray Richards. If you’re a fan of racing, you can check out the River Cities Speedway, where races take place every Friday night featuring local and regional drivers.

[The Two Towns Farmers’ Market; source]

[Cars at the Speedway; source]

If you’re willing to travel a little, you can find outdoor fun at the Turtle River State Park. You can camp, fish, bike, and picnic at Turtle River Park. Wanna get your butt wet and your stomach tan? Try tubing down the Red Lake River at Voyageur’s View. It’s only about 40 minutes from here. There are also several lakes in the region, many of which have cabins or camp sites to rent. Travel a bit further from Grand Forks to take in the amazing floral landscapes at the International Peace Gardens. It’s definitely worth the trip. There’s a reason my car’s license plate says “Peace Garden State”.

[Tubing at Voyageur’s View; source]

[The International Peace Garden; source]

In the late fall, as the weather starts to turn cold, many men (and women too) dust off their rifles or bows and go hunting. Most people hunt deer, but there are also seasons for many other species (you need a license to hunt, of course).

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Winter/Spring
Winter and Spring often run together in North Dakota. It differs year-to-year, of course, but let’s take this year for example. We still had new snow falling in early May! Around here, the “natives” say you can’t be a sissy if you’re to endure a North Dakota winter. The temperature between late November and mid-March often hovers between 0 and 10 degrees Fahrenheit, but it sometimes dips in to the negative teens and twenties. If you factor wind chill in to the equation, it is not uncommon to step in to an outdoor climate that feels like negative 60 F or colder. On a particularly chilly year (like this past one), the temperature will stay in the negative twenties for as long as two weeks. Sound like your ideal honeymoon location?

[My own photo - taken in front of Perkins restaurant in mid-December ’08]

If you’re still with me, listen up: Grand Forks has winter fun to offer too. Grand Forks is located in a very, very flat part of the country. Leveled by glaciers, there are no hills. I am entirely serious here. You can’t see them on the horizon or anything. So what I’m saying is, you won’t be doing much downhill skiing or snowboarding in this Winter Wonderland. However: you can cross-country ski! Ice-fishing is another popular ND past-time, if you can get past the idea that “HOLY CRAP! People are driving their GIANT PICKUP TRUCKS on the friggin’ RIVER!” There is also snowmobiling, if you prefer to move at a faster pace.

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[Ice fishing about 90 files from Grand Forks; source]

In summary, would I call Grand Forks an ideal honeymoon location for most? Not necessarily. We’ve got no ocean, no all-inclusive resorts, no vast-assortment of foodie-approved culinary treats. But there’s a lot to do, and something for everyone. It’s also one of the safest cities in the U.S., and the residents are helpful and friendly. If you do decide to come here, be sure to bring a ponytail holder because regardless of the season, it is windy here pretty much all the time.

Want to know more? Read Dave Barry’s (syndicated humor columnist for the Miami Herald) hilarious-but-fairly-accurate account of his visit to Grand Forks a few years back (Part 1, Part 2). He’s got another positive plug for the city: there is lots of parking. And Neal Karlen wrote about his Grand Forks experience for the NY Times back in 2006, too!

Would you honeymoon in a smaller town, or do you prefer the big-city-lights?

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See all the posts in the Honeymoon in my Hometown Series here!