Cabins?

My husband and I are planning a weekend get away in July with some friends. We are considering renting a cabin somewhere in North Dakota (hopefully not too far south.) We are hoping it would be on a nice lake with some other attractions around and also near a large urban centre so we can do some shopping. Does anyone have any recommendations?

Cabins?

Lake Sakakawea State Park.

http://www.ndparks.com/Parks/LSSP.htm

I have not personally been to their cabins but some friends have their own cabin here and go almost every weekend in the summers. Minot or Bismarck would be your closest towns for shopping. Minot has a great zoo and Bismarck has the better shopping area but do not expect too much!

Cabins?

I rarely hear North Dakota and urban center in the same sentence! Fabulous! Well, I%26#39;m not sure where your interests in recreation lie (fishing, birding, canoeing?) and perhaps this is too south, but there are some cabins for rent along the Jamestown Reservoir http://www.lakeviewmeadow.com and I%26#39;ve also heard of this place in Carrington, ND (not sure how close it is to the lake however). http://www.pipestemcreek.com

Jamestown is situated about 90 miles east of Bismarck and 90 miles west of Fargo so you%26#39;d have to drive a bit for some shopping. Add another 30 miles or so for the location in Carrington.

Perhaps Lake Sakakawea is a better option. I think there are private cabins and resorts throughout that area as well. It%26#39;s a huge lake!

I have been to both Pipestem Dam and Jamestown Resevoir. I don%26#39;t recall cabins at Pipestem. Where are they located Honeybee? We lived in Valley City for 9 years! Kateb33- Jamestown Resevoir does have good fishing. Jamestown itself has a small mall with good eating restauraunts close by. Also, they have an ';Old Time'; town with the world%26#39;s largest buffalo along with a live albino buffalo named White Cloud. If you travel east 30 miles, there are several antique shops in Valley City known as the ';city of bridges';. Valley City also has Lake Ashtabula with cabins. Do a search for Bayshore Resort and you will find info there. They also rent pontoons and boats along with other water sport stuff at reasonable rates. We have rented the Water Tramp and had a lot of fun on it. Further down on Ashtabula from Bayshore is another area called the Crossings with a Bar and Grill on the lake. Valley City is about 50 minutes from Fargo so if you were looking for some night life and shopping, I would stay at cabins at Bayshore and take in Fargo for a day or maybe overnight.

The Lakeview Meadow cabins in Jamestown are right off of Highway 281 between both the reservoirs. I%26#39;ve actually never been there myself, but I%26#39;ve heard they are quite nice. Jamestown and Valley City are nice small towns with a few amenities. Jamestown has some nice restaurants that have been recently remodeled too and the downtown is starting to come back little by little. Valley City is very quaint. It%26#39;s a nice area, I think.

Other options for places to stay could be a Guest Inn or a B%26amp;B. There are quite a few around North Dakota. Depending on your interests, you could find one pretty much anywhere in the state.

There are several in the Valley City %26amp; Jamestown areas if you decide to head in this direction.

With a Guest Inn, you rent the whole house %26amp; do your own cooking, etc.

At a B%26amp;B, the host/hostess cooks breakfast, but often arrangements can be made for other meals as well.

Check at www.ndtourism.com for help deciding where to go, what to do, %26amp; where to stay.

I second the vote for Jamestown! The cabins at Lakeview Meadow are ridiculously gorgeous. The Reservoir has a couple of swimming beaches and a fully stocked Marina where you can do everything from rent a boat to grab some lunch. Jamestown%26#39;s not really known for its shopping, but it does have a few unique places. The National Buffalo Museum%26#39;s gift shop is full of buffalo-themed and/or North Dakota-made products, from pottery made with buffalo hair to chokecherry jam. During the summer, there are two artisans%26#39; shops in the Frontier Village with locally-made, handcrafted items. We have several gift shops downtown, and we%26#39;re only 30 miles from Valley City, which is a lovely little place with a couple of very nice antique stores. You can read up on jamestown at www.tourjamestown.com.