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Back to Blanchard

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Voykit pocket guide · United States

Blanchard

Skip as a destination: the KVLY-TV Tower is a 20-min detour from I-29, not a reason to stop overnight. Drive through or skip.

Blanchard is a tiny agricultural township in the Red River Valley with a population of 26. Its only notable feature is the KVLY-TV Tower, the tallest man-made structure in the world from 1963 to 1974 and again from 1991 to 2008, now surpassed by the Burj Khalifa. The tower is visible from the highway but there is no visitor centre, no food, no lodging. Most travellers will pass by on I-29 without stopping.

New YorkAbbeville, LouisianaAbbeville, South Caro…AbercrombieAberdeenAberdeenAberdeenAberdeenAbernathyAbilene, KansasAbileneAbington TownshipAbiquiuAbita SpringsBlanchard500 kmdots: other places in this guide
Sketch, not to navigate by: shapes follow this guide’s areas and places, not official boundaries. North is up.
Country
United States
Best months
May–Sep
Avoid
Dec–Feb (snow, cold)
Stay
0 nights

Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.

Essentials

Currency
USD
Money
Currency is the US dollar (USD, $). Cards and phone payments work almost everywhere; carry a little cash for tips and small vendors.
Daily spend
Budget $0 (pass-through) · Mid $0 (pass-through) · High $0 (pass-through) (estimate; check)
SIM and data
AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile cover the country; prepaid SIMs at their stores and Walmart/Target (passport required), or an eSIM before you fly.
Emergency
Police, fire, ambulance 911
Plugs
Types A, B · 120 V · 60 Hz · Chargers are dual-voltage; hair dryers and straighteners from 230 V countries need a converter.
Tipping
Sit-down restaurant: 18–22% of the pre-tax bill.; Bar: US$1–2 per drink or 20% of the tab.; Taxi / ride-hailing: 15–20%, in the app.; Hotel housekeeping: US$3–5 a night.; Porter / valet: US$2–5 per bag or car.; Tour guide: US$10–20 per person for a day tour.; Counter service / tablet prompts: Optional; 0–15%.
Water
Tap water is drinkable nearly everywhere; boil or treat water from streams in parks.
Toilets
Free public toilets are scarce in big cities; use cafés, department stores, libraries, stations. Rest areas on highways are free.

Get in

By air

FAR · Hector International Airport (Fargo)
About 45 min south on I-29
GFK · Grand Forks International Airport
About 30 min north on I-29

Typical fares

Fargo to Blanchard (I-29 + Highway 200A)
about 45 min, 40 miles
Grand Forks to Blanchard (I-29 + Highway 200A)
about 30 min, 25 miles
Show 7 more sections and the pocket cardHideGet around, See and do, Sleep, Language, Etiquette, safety and scams, One and two days, Sources, Pocket card

Get around

Car only. No public transport. I-29 exit 100, then 8 miles west on Highway 200A.

See and do

Known for

  • KVLY-TV Tower (former world's tallest structure)

Day trips

WhereHowTime
FargoI-29 south, about 45 min45 min
Grand ForksI-29 north, about 30 min30 min
Hillsboro, North DakotaHighway 200A west, about 15 min15 min

Sleep

Fargo
45 min south; full hotel and motel options.
Grand Forks
30 min north; hotels near the university.
Hillsboro
15 min west on Highway 200A; basic motel.

Language

English everywhere, with strong regional accents; Spanish is the second language in the Southwest, Texas, Florida, California and New York. Some words differ from British English: restroom (toilet), check (bill), gas (petrol), trunk (boot), first floor (ground floor).

  • Measurements are imperial: miles, Fahrenheit, gallons, pounds. 100 km ≈ 62 miles; 30 °C ≈ 86 °F.
  • Small talk with strangers is normal and friendly; it is not a sales tactic.

Etiquette, safety and scams

Etiquette

  • Greeting: Handshake and 'hi, how are you?' — reply 'good, thanks'; avoid: Treating the question as a real health enquiry
  • Restaurants: Tip 18–22% and wait for the check; avoid: Leaving without tipping
  • Personal space: Keep an arm's length in queues; avoid: Standing close to strangers
  • Politics and religion: Listen more than you speak; avoid: Opening with hot-button topics
  • Smoking: Smoke only in marked areas; avoid: Smoking near doors or in parks where banned

Scams and watch-outs

  • No services in Blanchard: fill up fuel and bring water/snacks.
  • The KVLY-TV Tower is on private land; view from the road only.
  • Winter driving on Highway 200A can be icy.

Very safe; rural road caution at night and in winter.

One and two days

No timed day plan for Blanchard yet. Suggested stay: 0 nights. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.

  • KVLY-TV Tower (former world's tallest structure)

Sources

Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.

Pocket card

Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.

Blanchard

My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)

  • Police, fire, ambulance911

No public transport; car required.

Voykit · checked 2026-09

Printed from Voykit (/blanchard). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.