Flying into Thief River Falls Regional Airport in Thief River Falls puts you in a great spot, surrounded by the farm towns, rivers, and wildlife refuges of northwest Minnesota. Thief River Falls grew up where the Thief River meets the Red Lake River, and it remains a hardworking town with a strong Scandinavian streak, famous as the home of Arctic Cat snowmobiles. The mood is friendly and unpretentious, with hockey in winter, fishing in summer, and a wide prairie sky year round.

Things to do around Thief River Falls: - Watch moose, elk, and hundreds of bird species at Agassiz National Wildlife Refuge - Step back in time at Peder Engelstad Pioneer Village, a reconstructed prairie town - Catch a hockey game at Ralph Engelstad Arena, a town institution - Canoe or fish the Red Lake River for walleye and catfish - Ride area snowmobile trails in winter, in the town that builds the sleds - Taste lefse and other Norwegian favorites at local bakeries and church suppers - Walk or bike the riverside trail through town

Thief River Falls sits in the flat, fertile Red River Valley, and the region's small towns are easy to string together. Crookston and Red Lake Falls are under an hour south, Grand Forks, North Dakota, with its university and riverfront, is about an hour southwest, and Bemidji and its lakes are a couple of hours southeast. Head northeast toward Roseau and Warroad for Lake of the Woods walleye fishing and the small towns that produce a surprising number of hockey players. Come in fall when the refuge fills with migrating waterfowl and the harvest is on.