Arriving in Dickinson via Dickinson Theodore Roosevelt Regional Airport sets you up perfectly, with the Badlands, Medora, and the western North Dakota prairie a short drive away. Dickinson is a ranching and energy town on the edge of the Bakken oil patch, with a university, a strong Ukrainian and German-Russian heritage, and a straightforward, hard-working feel. The land around it rolls out in golden grass before dropping into the Badlands.

Standout things to do around Dickinson: - See full dinosaur skeletons at the Badlands Dinosaur Museum inside the Dickinson Museum Center - Drive the Enchanted Highway, a 32-mile route lined with giant scrap-metal sculptures, from Gladstone to Regent - Hike and watch bison and wild horses in the South Unit of Theodore Roosevelt National Park - Catch the Medora Musical and a pitchfork steak fondue on a summer evening - Visit the Ukrainian Cultural Institute and try a pysanka egg workshop - Mountain bike a stretch of the Maah Daah Hey Trail - Take in the Painted Canyon overlook at sunset - Order knoephla soup and a slice of kuchen, the state dessert, at a local cafe

Dickinson is the practical base for Theodore Roosevelt National Park, which starts about 35 minutes west at Medora, a tiny restored cowtown with boardwalks and a summer stage. Killdeer and the Little Missouri breaks are 45 minutes north, Belfield and the Enchanted Highway are close, and Bismarck, the state capital, is about an hour and 40 minutes east. Fleischkuekle, a fried meat pie, is the regional comfort food worth seeking out. Come in summer for the park and the musical, or in fall when the Badlands turn gold and the crowds thin out. Dickinson keeps it simple and real.