Dickinson

By most people's standards, Dickinson is a small town, but it feels a lot bigger after you've spent a few days in western North Dakota. This town is where the cowboys and ranchers come when they need to make a Wal-Mart trip, because you won't find another one until you get to Bismarck. Conveniently located off of Interstate-94, Dickinson is about a half-hour east of Theodore Roosevelt National Park. The visitors bureau has been diligent about keeping track of which hotel properties have rooms for the night, as far away as eastern Montana, because an oil boom in North Dakota has fueled sky-high occupancy rates and virtually removed the potential to drop in at the last minute. Check the CVB website, which is updated weekly with available hotel rooms, to save yourself the hassle of calling around for a room. The Dakota Dinosaur Museum and the Ukranian Cultural Institute are the town's big attractions, and more than a dozen independently owned restaurants offer alternatives to the chains. In addition to an array of solid chain hotels, Dickinson also is home to the Hartfiel Inn, a bed-and-breakfast that's on a busy street but has tastefully appointed rooms.