Great American West - Geological Wonders in Wyoming and Idaho

Known as the Twin Cities, Minneapolis and St. Paul are facing each other on opposite banks of the Mississippi River. St. Paul, the state capital, is home to the Minnesota Symphony Orchestra. Must-see attractions include the Italian Renaissance-style Capitol designed by Cass Gilbert, the architect of the United States Supreme Court in Washington, the cathedral modeled after St. Peter's in Rome, and the Victorian houses along Summit Avenue. The city is also famous for its Carnival celebrations, especially for the enormous ice sculptures. Minneapolis has gained international recognition for its dedication to the arts. A visit to the Guthrie Theater, one of the best repertory theaters in the United States, is a must.

Fargo, made famous by the renowned film starring Frances McDormand and later by the eponymous television series, is a bustling town with excellent local breweries. Just a short distance away is Fort Ramson State Park, which is home to a portion of the North Country National Scenic Trail.

Bismarck, the capital of North Dakota, is a pleasant town with the interesting North Dakota Heritage Center and a modern Capitol with an Observation Deck. A short distance away is Fort Abraham Lincoln, from where General Custer departed with the 7th Cavalry for Little Bighorn. The Missouri River divides Bismarck from Mandan, the historic part, where you can visit the earthlodges, the typical dwellings of the affiliated Mandan, Hidatsa, and Arikara Native American tribes.

Medora is a charming western-style town, famous for its summer musical held in the scenic Burning Hills Amphitheater and for the original Pitchfork Steak Fondue, which allows you to taste excellent meat cooked and served on a pitchfork. It is the gateway to Theodore Roosevelt National Park.

Many Western icons, like Wild Bill Hickok and Calamity Jane, lived and died in Deadwood – a frontier town that reached its zenith in 1874, when gold was discovered in the area.

At the entrance of the scenic region of the Black Hills, Rapid City was born as a camp during the gold rush. Renowned for shopping at Prairie Edge, a magnificent store of authentic Native American art, and RCC Western Stores, one of the largest and oldest western merchandise stores in the nation.

Badlands: the name says it all. For the travellers of the past, crossing this hostile region was truly an ordeal. A million-year old erosion process gave shape to precipitous gorges and towering pinnacles in ancient sedimentary layers – the oldest of which date back to 68 million years ago, even before dinosaurs became extinct. Myriads of fossils came to light in the area.

Sioux Falls, the largest city in South Dakota, is an important agricultural, banking, and commercial center in the area and boasts a total of 64 casinos.