long x trading post visitor center

The place is really nice. It's attached to a liquor store which has really late hours, usually 9pm. Their selection's not the best if you're a scotch drinker, but I was talking to a local and he says they never even carried microbrews before the oil boom. It's ultra-nice for the area.

This is one of the more interesting institutions of hospitality on the northern plains--a combination visitor information center, historical museum, and package liquor store! It works; the bottle store actually generates traffic for the historical museum, and oilfield workers new to the area often are interested in learning about it. Be sure to check out the (somewhat grisly) exhibit devoted to the last lynching in North Dakota, that of the murderer Charles Bannon in the nearly town of Schafer on 29 January 1931.

Had an enjoyable time with visiting relatives learning about the area culture both past and present.

I came to Watford City to visit for the week. I hadn't been to western North Dakota very much, and being in the middle of the oil boom can be a very daunting and overwhelming thing (though I am happy to see a small town booming with business!). To get a feel of the area, I figured the first place I should stop was the Long X Trading Post Visitor Center. It seems/looks fairly new, but has this sort of old western/ranchy lodge feeling to it.I went up to the front desk, and I really wish I could remember the woman's name there. She was SO nice, and very helpful to me! I was provided with maps of the area, and when I told her my interest in older buildings, especially churches and schoolhouses, she directed me to a few. Granted, you may not have the same interests I do, but I only point this out because she seemed very knowledgeable about the area.I went upstairs to check out their Pioneer Museum--it's a somewhat typical small town historical museum. Some information was interesting to read (like the last lynching in North Dakota). There's a lot there, a lot to read, I somewhat wish there was more things to touch or something (I'm a teacher, constantly always thinking of my kids!). But I did appreciate the nice layout, it was very easy to walk through.Downstairs was an exhibit on farming in North Dakota, as well as a traveling exhibit on the culture of food in America--provided by the Smithsonian. Amazing exhibit!! (And as a huge cheesehead fan, I was very amused the actual foam cheesehead made its way into a Smithsonian exhibit!)There's an ice cream place there as well, and then the liquor store in the back (which might sound weird to people not from small towns, but doesn't faze me). Overall, I felt very welcomed, and was totally impressed with the information there. I can't wait to come back to Watford City :)