These days, Watford City has become the place for small to large meeting. Watford City is the hub for sporting events and activities.  I’m not sure when it happened.  It kinda caught me by surprise.  For me, Watford City has always been a cool drink on a hot day. Or sometimes, a hot drink on a cold day. It’s where I stopped after hiking the Badlands, or cross country skiing out to the ice caves.  That’s the Watford City I know.

Now it’s added more reasons to come to Watford City. 

Take for example the space available for huge conventions; From the Watford City website: “The 5,300 square foot Rough Rider Center Convention Hall and Ballroom can house anywhere from 15 to 400 people for meetings, weddings, conferences, banquets,”

Meetings, Sports and Conventions, Too

Organizers are choosing to meet in Watford City.

Yeah, I know. Every town has its meeting places, the hotel conference rooms, the rooms below the bank, or the back rooms of the local café. Watford City was like that, too, 40 years ago when I first was introduced to the town. The town has moved beyond every other small town for meeting space.  The Rough Rider Event Center hosts even small meetings.

Rough Rider Event Center, Watford City.

Now the old west town, the gateway to the Theodore Roosevelt National Park, is meeting and conference central.

I’m amazed at the Rough Rider Event Center.  What an amazing piece of architecture that can host conferences as large as the annual Petroleum Conference.

Rough Rider Event Center, Watford City.

Now that Watford City is the hub for sporting events, its become the best place around to host tournaments and even hockey matches.

For smaller functions, I’ve attended meetings below the Outlaws restaurant and in other venues in town. 

Itineraries

 Watford City takes care of guests who are in town and then offers more to those who have extra time, such as between games, or after a convention.

It is a hub city — branching out from town to many adventures, some just an hour or two, some a full day. Itineraries from the Long X Trading Post Visitor Center/Pioneer Museum of McKenzie County  take the guess work out of finding other things to do.

First fall colors on the Little Missouri River North Unit Theodore Roosevelt National Park North Dakota

First fall colors on the Little Missouri River North Unit Theodore Roosevelt National Park, North Dakota

Mom in jingle dress with toddler Grand Entrance Little Shell Powwow

The Little Shell Powwow is an annual event in the MHA Nation. It’s a must!

The itineraries help family members of conference-goers, or even conference attendees when they take extra time in town. They demonstrate how Watford City is the hub of all kinds of:

Fairview Lift Bridge, and counterweights rise high above the Yellowstone River.

Late in the summer, the rust of the Fairview Lift Bridge blends in well with the dormant colors of the grassland.

Fort Union Trading Post National Historic Site, southwest of Williston, North Dakota, was the most important fur trade post on the Upper Missouri River between 1828 and 1867. The Assiniboine and six other Northern Plains Indian Tribes traded buffalo robes and smaller furs for goods from around the world. More about Fort Union here: https://wp.me/p8zmWn-9b

Fort Union Trading Post National Historic Site, the most important fur trade post on the Upper Missouri River between 1828 and 1867.

Not Just Meeting Attendees — Families, Too

Of course, the itineraries are good for any tourist, visitor, or traveler who wants to sample the rugged regions of western North Dakota.  And that’s where Beautiful Badlands comes in.

We’re taking each itinerary and exploring it like a visitor and then show you what you get when you pick a plan.

I can imagine folks who come to town for a hockey tournament, or an oil convention may want to stay and extra day or more when they see they day trips and afternoon road trips they can take with Watford City as a hub.

Discover the 5 Most Memorable Roadtrips in McKenzie County!   Click here:  You’ll be surprised!