Do you remember the song about Leroy Brown? He wasn’t just “bad” Leroy Brown. He was “bad, bad” Leroy Brown. Well, apparently in the USA there are Badlands, and then there are the BAD Badlands, which every knows are in the western portion of South Dakota.
So where are the “not so bad” Badlands? Well, apparently they are in the southwest corner of North Dakota. Here lies Theodore Roosevelt National Park, a scenic portion of the country made famous because Teddy Roosevelt spent a significant portion of time here recovering from political defeat and the loss of both his wife and his mother on the same day. He later attributed his successful presidential campaign to the time spent in this region.
Adjacent to the National Park is the beautiful little tourist town of Medora, whose claim to fame is a nightly musical that, for more than 50 years, has celebrated the North Dakota badlands and their presidential favorite son.
As you will see below, the show is in a gorgeous setting and is slickly produced. But there is more. Before the show, you can enjoy a fabulous “steak fondue” dinner and live music in this fabulous venue.
What exactly is “steak fondue?” Well, you take several 12-oz steaks, stab them onto the tines of a pitchfork, then dip the entire tip in boiling oil. So exactly how good is deep fried steak? Well, I’m not sure it’s the best steak I’ve ever had, but it’s certainly in contention. They were fabulous (and I am sure calorie-laden). And, as you can see, the accompanying “fixins” were great as well.
The view, the dinner and the show made for a fantastic evening. And, as you can see, there were some surprise guests along the way that even put it over the top.
Go to the North Dakota badlands. Experience Medora. You will not regret it.
This is a view from the corner of the National Park. It should be obvious why I call these the “good” badlands. 
Flat Stanley (our traveling buddy created by grandson Tyler) examines the pitchforks before the steaks get dipped into the vats in the back of hte picture. 
Now THAT is a chuckwagon style feast! 
And the dinner overlooks this scenery. The town of Medora is to the left. Click any picture for a larger view. 
Surprise guests — Re-enactors Teddy Roosevelt and his wife. 
But there is one more surprise, Teddy’s son Quentin. Quentin was a pilot who died in WWI and was later interred with his brother at Normandy. We visited his gravesite, which was fun discussing with the re-enacter. 
Here is the wonderful setting for the musical. 
These were the guest stars that were my favorite surprise of the show. Yes, they are live. We watched them feed on the hillside, silhouetted against a cloud backdrop. 
Nightfall adds even more drama. 
And I must say, they know how to make use of that beautiful hillside.