This Stunning New Presidential Library Is Woven Into the Landscape of North Dakota’s Badlands
By: Alicia Underlee Nelson (Midwest Living)
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
The Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library blends into the landscape of the North Dakota badlands. Credit: Courtesy of The Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library
The most hotly anticipated attraction in North Dakota is almost invisible, tucked into a badlands bluff. A sell-out crowd heralded the opening of the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library on July 4, 2026—the nation’s 250th birthday. Since then, visitors have been streaming into the tiny western village of Medora from all corners of the country, energizing and expanding North Dakota’s most popular tourism zone in real time.
The $450 million carbon-neutral library blends seamlessly into the rolling buttes. North Dakota’s badlands served as both a forge and a retreat for Roosevelt (a dedicated conservationist), who lived and ranched nearby in the 1880s, still reeling from the deaths of his wife and mother on the very same day. The library’s exterior showcases the scenery Roosevelt loved. A mile-long boardwalk, shaded pavilions, and an accessible, walkable roof that melts right into the landscape offer easy access to storied hiking trails and glimpses of the national park that bears Roosevelt’s name .
The TRPL boardwalk offers prairie views and access to pavilions, a walkable rooftop, and trails. Credit: Bryan Bedder/Getty Images for Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library
Inside the 26-foot atrium, rammed-earth walls mimic the colorful stripes of badlands rock formations. The interior is striking, but it’s definitely not a hushed, formal museum space.
“The exhibits themselves are immersive rather than static: more than 40,000 square feet designed to put you inside Roosevelt’s choices,” says Matt Briney, the library’s chief communications officer. “A 300-seat auditorium, classrooms, and dedicated education space mean this is a working civic institution, not just galleries to walk through—lectures, symposia, school groups, the Conservation Scholars program and Ted Roosevelt V’s Good Citizen podcast all run out of it.”
The Arena, at the center of the gallery, lights up Teddy Roosevelt’s most famous passages. Credit: Threefold
Those exhibits combine touchable artifacts and AI technology to catapult visitors right into Roosevelt’s world. Guests receive a wristband upon entry and are encouraged to customize their experience.
“There is an interactive component that allows each guest to track their journey through the museum,” says Paula Neston of Dimensional Innovations, the company that created the exhibits. “It’s not just linear storytelling. The guest really gets to drive some of that, which is what makes it unique and not like a regular library or museum.”
Guests can talk to an AI-powered Teddy Roosevelt projection in The Oval Office gallery at the TRPL. Credit: Bryan Bedder/Getty Images for Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library
Visitors can chat with a Roosevelt avatar in the White House and explore his ranch cabin. Kids practice target shooting and scurry into a soldier’s tent like the one he used in Cuba. (A play area inspired by the notoriously rambunctious Roosevelt kids is also a respite for families.) Others generate their own campaign posters and compare sepia-toned shots of themselves in western gear. The images are sent to participants, so the conversations can continue well after the doors close.
The on-site restaurant, Salt+Scoria , attracts both library patrons and diners without museum tickets. Seasonal menus from chef Candace Stock (a Ho-Chunk tribal member) showcase sustainable food rooted in Indigenous tradition through partnerships with local ranchers and Native American growers. Like the library, it’s open year-round.
The colors inside the library mimic those of the North Dakota Badlands. Credit: Chad Ziemendorf
“ Medora today is a seasonal town—peak operations roughly May through September, with quieter shoulder seasons,” says Briney. But that’s already changing. Expanded lodging options and new entertainment venues are nudging Medora into a new era as a four-season destination. The Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library is doing its part, complementing the permanent exhibits with destination dining and event programming that attracts both one-time visitors and guests craving a deep dive into history, conservation, and civic engagement all year long.
“I think you really need a couple days to take everything in,” says Sabrina Hornung, who drove from Lehr, North Dakota, to visit the library. “I left wanting to be a better citizen, and any place that leaves an impression like that is worth the whiskey and holds its own magic.”
Alicia Underlee Nelson is a writer and photographer who specializes in immersive travel stories, hidden history, outdoor adventures, art, street food and beer. Her perfect trip involves all of these things, in no particular order. Alicia is the author of "North Dakota Beer: A Heady History" and co-author of "Midwest Road Trip Adventures." When she's not traveling, this Minnesota native is at home in North Dakota studying languages, hiking, consuming absurd amounts of black coffee and hanging out with her husband, son and two feisty cats.
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The Teddy Roosevelt Library may be worth a trip to the Badlands. Except in winter.
The Badlands National Park looks like an interesting place to discover nature.
I like it. It’s like it’s part of the natural landscape. Very cool.
You’d have to be real intentional about going to visit, though. It is a long way from anything.