Medora is magical, but we had no idea until we spent a fun week there. We went to North Dakota to meet up with our friend Mary, who lives part-time in Key Largo. Mary lives further north in North Dakota but suggested we meet her in Medora. She said she would get us all tickets to the Medora Musical. I didn’t think much about it since I was busy planning our 3-month cross-country adventure. But as soon as we arrived on a Friday evening, we were amazed at this magical town.
Matt Vee and The Killer Vees
On our first night in Medora, we learned that Matt Vee and The Killer Vees were performing a Celebration of Neil Diamond in the Medora Amphitheater! Mary had seen the Killer Vees before, but I had never heard of them. As I learned later, I am very familiar with the Killer Vees’ father and grandfather, Bobby Vee, an American singer and teen idol in the early 1960s. In high school, my friends and I knew all the words to his hits like “Take Good Care of My Baby” and “Rubber Ball.”
Mary and I also know all the words to Neil Diamond’s string of hits, including everyone’s favorite, “Sweet Caroline.” What a great show!
Medora Musical
The Medora Musical is North Dakota’s version of The Grand Ole Opry in Nashville. The town was named Medora in 1883 by the Marquis de Mores, an entrepreneurial French nobleman with a big dream for a meat-packing empire after his wife, Medora von Hoffman. That same year, a young Theodore Roosevelt made his first visit to Medora — where he would later find solace and strength after the death of his wife. The story is told in the Medora Musical with a talented cast of singers, dancers, and Joe Wiegand, Medora’s very own Theodore Roosevelt reprisor.
Theodore Roosevelt National Park
On our drive through Theodore Roosevelt National Park, the only wildlife we saw—and we saw a lot—were prairie dogs. The park has acres of Prairie Dog Towns, with busy little prairie dogs digging away. Mary kept looking for the wild horses, but they were nowhere to be seen. The views were awesome, however, and a great way to spend a beautiful day.
The town of Medora
There is so much more to the town of Medora. The shops were some of the nicest in any tourist destination we visited this summer. Of course, I found a beautiful reversible cotton jacket that will be perfect for traveling. The food in all the restaurants was surprisingly good, and we returned to a couple of them: The Farmhouse Cafe and Boots Bar & Grill. Our last evening, we treated ourselves to Theodore’s Dining Room at the Rough Rider Hotel. I had the pan-seared Walleye for the first time, and it was delicious. If you find yourself in the Dakotas, I highly recommend taking a few days to enjoy Medora.
Next Stop Sturgis, South Dakota.