Fort Mandan State Historic Site, Washburn

Impressive site to visit the history of Lewis and Clark with their expedition. The Fort Mandan is a recreation of the original fort that was located a little more up river and now underwater or otherwise not accessible. This site definitely gives the impression of how the expedition lived. Each room of the fort is a particular topic for the tour guide to discuss and illustrate the life of expedition members. The rooms were very well laid out with re-created artifacts that demonstrate life in the fort. My 8 year old thought this was the highlight of our vacation. The tour guide was exciting, knowledgeable, and patient with questions. I believe there are several tours per day. We visited on Saturday (last tour?) with only one other party participating in the tour. There are bathroom facilities that were open and perhaps more that was closed perhaps due to a slow day.

We visited Fort Mandan with our 8 and 10 year old daughters. Our guide was fantastic! He opened all of the rooms in the fort, then took out various artifacts and explained how the expedition would have used them. Touching is very encouraged, as everything is a replica. Nothing of the original fort survived the harsh North Dakota weather. The original Fort burned to the ground. Using Lewis and Clark's diaries, the fort was rebuilt so that later generations can understand this part of their voyage. Everyone we encountered at the Fort and the interpretive center were very knowledgeable, friendly, and eager to share their knowledge. If you visit with kids, make sure they ask for the junior rangers program book. Our girls had a blast and earned their really cool badge.