While it’s not labelled as an open air art museum, North Dakota’s Enchanted Highway should be! After all, an open air museum exhibits artifacts outdoors — and there’s no denying that the sculptures on the Enchanted Highway are amazing pieces of art.
What’s on the Enchanted Highway?
The enchanted Highway runs for 32 miles (52 km) right off of I-94 in North Dakota. Currently, there are seven amazing sculptures, all created by local former teacher, Gary Greff.
The thing about these sculptures though, is that they’re all supersized. In fact, if you’ve ever fantasized about visiting the land of the giants (Brobdingnag) in Gulliver’s Travels, this highway fits right in.
The good thing is you don’t have to be blown off course to get there!
Back in 1989, Greff started his project of welding recycled metal into fantastical people and objects. The Tin Family are his first sculptures, while Geese in Flight is the most famous.
Fast Fact: The sculpture, Geese in Flight, set a world record for being the World's Largest Scrap Metal Sculpture. How big is it? Well, it weighs 78.8 tons (nearly 158,000 pounds) and is taller than a 10-story building! You can stop at the sculpture by turning North off Exit 72 on I-94 in North Dakota, east of Dickinson. The sculpture is also visible from I-94.
The Enchanted Highway ends in the small town of Regent, but the fantasy continues. There, you can see the last sculpture, Sir Albert and the Dragon, and stay in a castle themed hotel, that was once the school where Greff taught.
Linda’s Pick of the Exhibits
My favorite exhibit at the Enchanted Highway Open Air Museum was Teddy Roosevelt Rides Again.
I’ve always been hooked on the old west, so having an opportunity to get our photo taken in front of the stagecoach and its four-horse team sculpture was neat. I grew up on a steady diet of old westerns (think John Wayne and Roy Rogers). So, when I started writing I set a number of fiction and nonfiction stories in the old west.
But back to Teddy Roosevelt — who really does ride again — in this sculpture. He’s actually the silhouette on the rearing horse that rises 51 feet above the hill it sits on. He’s wearing the Rough Rider uniform from his military service in the Spanish-American War.
Who were the Rough Riders?
The Rough Riders were frontiersmen who volunteered to serve in the United States Army in 1898. At the time, the US army was small and understaffed, unable to provide enough ground forces to defend the nation in the Spanish-American War. Their victory there led to the US acquiring Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Philippines.
Officially called the 1st United States Volunteer Cavalry, recruits all had to be skilled horsemen. Starting out as second in command, the former Assistant Secretary of the Navy Theodore Roosevelt was soon promoted to commander. Then, the regiment became known as Roosevelt’s Rough Riders.
Theodore Roosevelt was the 26th president of the United States, the youngest president in the nation’s history. He held office from 1901 to 1909, taking office after President William McKinley was assassinated.
Linda’s Road Trip Tips
We often drive I-94, so have made many stops along the way. On this particular trip, we continued on another 100 miles to Glendive, Montana. There we visited the Glendive Dinosaur and Fossil Museum, as well as the Frontier Gateway Museum.
We stopped in Dickinson, however, to eat at JD’s BBQ.
David had the brisket — his favorite, and I had chicken. The fixings were delicious although the beans weren’t as smoky as I prepare myself. However, JD’s is definitely on our list of great BBQs to stop at again.
Who Should Visit the Enchanted Highway Open Air Museum?
The Enchanted Highway’s first sculpture, Geese in Flight, is the perfect stop for anyone who’d like a five-minute driving break on I-94. Whether it’s just a stretch or a little exercise for the kids and the pets, you’ll be able to say you’ve seen the world’s largest scrap metal sculpture!
What I found about the Enchanted Highway sculptures was that you don’t have to be an art aficiando to enjoy seeing them. They have a wide appeal due to their impressive size and creativity.
For example, the mom in the Tin Family has curly hair made of wire (looks even harder to manage than my own curls!) and worms are popping out of the ground for the Pheasants on the Prairie sculpture.
So, for roadtrippers through North Dakota, this stop is for everyone.
How Do You Visit the Enchanted Highway?
The Enchanted Highway is a two-lane highway that comes off of I-94 at Exit 72, near Gladstone, east of Dickinson. Each of the exhibits has a free parking area and a kiosk.
This part of North Dakota is prairie, although the highway goes through some scenic rolling hills.
Learn more about the Enchanted Highway on the North Dakota Tourism website.
Keep up-to-date on what’s happening on the Enchanted Highway Facebook page.
Take a virtual drive down the Enchanted Highway with Slone’s Wilderness Expeditions on YouTube.
You can help support the Enchanted Highway Foundation by visiting and contributing.
Plan your trip and see the location of each sculpture with Google maps.
Discover More Art Museums
- The Enchanted Highway in North Dakota – How to Visit
The Enchanted Highway is home to 7 giant sculptures — an open air art museum — near Dickinson, ND. The highway is right off I-94 and 32 miles long.
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