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Voykit pocket guide · United States
Buffalo, North Dakota
Buffalo
Skip as a base: Buffalo is a 2-hour stop off I-94 exit 314. Sleep in Fargo or Valley City and drive in for the Old Stone Church.
Buffalo is a farm town of about 190 people on the North Dakota prairie, 2 miles north of I-94 exit 314. There is no hotel strip, no main-street row of shops and no reason to plan a night here. What it has is one National Register building, the Old Stone Church Heritage Center, open a few hours a week, and a marker for an 1863 military crossing at Buffalo Creek. Treat it as a 1.5–2 hour leg-breaker on the Fargo–Valley City drive, or skip it and keep moving.
- Country
- United States
- Local name
- Buffalo
- Best months
- Jun–Sep
- Avoid
- Nov–Mar (snow, ice, closed sites)
- Stay
- 0–1 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 $60–90 excl. bed · Mid $100–150 excl. bed · High $180+ excl. bed (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 · Road conditions (NDDOT) 511
- 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.
What things cost
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Coffee to go | $2–4 |
| Diner breakfast | $10–16 |
| Burger and fries | $12–18 |
| Draught beer in a small-town bar | $4–7 |
| Fuel, per US gallon | $3.00–3.60 |
| Motel double, Fargo or Valley City | $70–220 |
| eSIM or data SIM, about a week | $10–25 |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- FAR · Hector International Airport, Fargo
- About 45 min east by car on I-94; the nearest airport with scheduled service.
- BIS · Bismarck Municipal Airport
- About 2 h 45 min west; use only if your route runs west.
Typical fares
- Fargo (FAR airport) → Buffalo by car
- about 45 min, 60 km on I-94 and ND-38about 45 min, 37 mi on I-94 and ND-38
- Buffalo → Valley City by car
- about 35 min, 45 km west on I-94about 35 min, 28 mi west on I-94
- Fuel, small car, 100 km
- about $10–14
Get around
You need a car. Buffalo sits 2 miles north of I-94 exit 314 on ND Highway 38; there is no bus, no train and no taxi stand. Distances inside town are walkable in 10 minutes, but the historic site is 2.5 miles northwest on gravel or county road.
See and do
Known for
- Old Stone Church Heritage Center (1885)
- Buffalo Creek State Historic Site
- Prairie farm country off I-94
- One of the smallest incorporated towns on the route
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Fargo | I-94 east, about 45 min | About 45–55 min |
| Valley City | I-94 west, about 35 min | About 35–45 min |
| Hillsboro | I-94 east to exit 314 area then ND-200, about 30 min | About 30–40 min |
| Grand Forks | I-94 east to Fargo then I-29 north, about 2 h | About 2 h |
Sleep
- Fargo (base)
- Full range of hotels, 45 min east on I-94. The practical base for this stretch.
- Valley City (base)
- Small-city hotels and the Sheyenne River valley, about 35 min west on I-94.
- Buffalo House Bed & Breakfast
- Historic house at 305 N 3rd St in town; a handful of rooms, so book ahead and confirm it is open.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Where is the highway exit? | Where is the I-94 exit? |
| Is this the road to the historic site? | Is this the road to Buffalo Creek? |
| How far to the next town? | How far to Valley City? |
| Do you take card? | Do you take card? |
| Where is the nearest fuel? | Where is the nearest gas station? |
| Thank you | Thank you |
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 fuel, no grocery and no open kitchen after early evening in town: fill up and eat in Fargo or Valley City.
- Cell coverage is thin on the county roads north and west of town.
- Winter storms close I-94 and strand drivers; check the state road report before any Nov–Mar drive.
- The Old Stone Church keeps short, volunteer-run hours: Tuesday 18:00–20:00, Friday 13:00–16:00, Saturday 13:00–15:00, and confirm before you drive out.
- Buffalo Creek State Historic Site is a roadside marker, not a visitor centre: no staff, no toilets, no fee.
Very low crime; the real risks are weather and distance. Winter storms close I-94, summer brings hail and tornado watches, and help is 30–45 min away on the county roads.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Buffalo, North Dakota yet. Suggested stay: 0–1 nights. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- Old Stone Church Heritage Center (1885)
- Buffalo Creek State Historic Site
- Prairie farm country off I-94
- One of the smallest incorporated towns on the route
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- North Dakota Tourism: www.ndtourism.com/
- North Dakota Department of Transportation — road conditions: www.dot.nd.gov/travel-info
- Wikivoyage: Buffalo (North Dakota), revision 4960884 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=4960884
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
Buffalo, North DakotaBuffalo
To this address, please
To this address, please
My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)
No consulates in North Dakota; national embassies are in Washington, DC. For a lost passport, contact your embassy there.
Print this card before you drive: there is little signal on the county roads.
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/buffalo-north-dakota). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.