Rainy-Day Indoor Activities in Fargo-Moorhead
The bad-weather playbook — where to take the kids when it's twenty below or pouring, sorted by free, energy-burn, and field-trip.
These are the indoor activities in Fargo-Moorhead for the day it's pouring in June or twenty below in January, grouped by what you actually need: a free win, a place to burn off energy, or a proper rainy-day field trip. Hours and admission change with the season, so call ahead, but these are the metro's reliable indoor standbys.
Free (or nearly) indoor wins
For when you just need out of the house without spending money.
Scheels (the indoor Ferris wheel)Fargo
Yes, there's a 45-foot Ferris wheel inside the sporting-goods store, plus an arcade and Fuzziwig's Candy Factory. Walking through is free and a ride is $1 a person. An easy 45 minutes when you're out of ideas.
- City: Fargo
- Cost: Free to walk; Ferris wheel $1 a ride
- Hours: Mon–Sat 9am–9pm · Sun 10am–6pm
- Best for: All ages
Read on the venue's own site September 23, 2026
Fargo Public LibraryFargo
Free story times and a warm place to camp out for an hour, at three branches — Main, Dr. James Carlson and Northport, all in Fargo. All three are closed on Sundays, which is worth knowing before a wet Sunday afternoon. Check the calendar for kids' programs before you go.
- City: Fargo
- Cost: Free
- Hours, Main and Carlson: Mon–Thu 10am–8pm · Fri 11am–6pm · Sat 9am–6pm · Sun closed
- Hours, Northport: Mon–Tue 10am–8pm · Wed–Thu 10am–6pm · Fri 11am–6pm · Sat 9am–6pm · Sun closed
- Best for: Babies to grade-schoolers
Read on the venue's own site September 23, 2026
Plains Art MuseumFargo
Free admission, hands-on family days, and big open downtown galleries.
- City: Fargo
- Cost: Free
- Best for: All ages
Read on the venue's own site September 23, 2026
Burn the energy off
For when they need to run, climb, and jump until the batteries die.
Rustad Recreation CenterWest Fargo
An indoor playground plus three full-size basketball courts, an indoor turf with batting cages that their own page sizes as both 35 by 70 and 30 by 75 yards, and a 1/8-mile elevated track that is free to use while the building is open — built exactly for burning toddler and big-kid energy when it’s brutal out. Open gym, volleyball and pickleball run on a schedule that changes weekly, so check it before you drive over. No pool here, despite being the park district’s main building.
- City: West Fargo
- Cost: $5 per active participant; under 2 free
- Passes: $40 punch card, 10 sessions
- Best for: All ages
Read on the venue's own site September 11, 2026
Fargo Parks Sports CenterFargo
South Fargo's multipurpose facility. The indoor playground is $5 a child for ages 1 to 12, with under-1s and adults free and socks required; the elevated indoor track is free to walk; and open basketball, volleyball and turf run on a posted calendar at $5 a visit. Events can close spaces, so they ask you to call ahead. No outside food.
- City: Fargo
- Cost: Playground $5 a child (ages 1–12) · open play $5 a visit or $45 for 10 · track free
- Hours: Not published yet
- Open play: On their posted calendar; call ahead
- Best for: Age 1 and up
Read on the venue's own site September 23, 2026
West Acres PlaylandFargo
A soft-foam play area in the mall's food court, with tunnels to crawl through and slide down, for children 42 inches and under. The mall does not say what it costs.
- City: Fargo
- Cost: Not published yet
- Hours: Mall hours: Mon–Sat 10am–8pm · Sun 11am–6pm
- Best for: Children 42 inches and under
Read on the venue's own site September 23, 2026
Indoor play & trampoline centersMetro
The metro has indoor play and trampoline spots tailor-made for a rainy Saturday, and what each one costs, and which want grip socks and a signed waiver has its own page. Book a slot online when you can — weekends fill up fast.
- City: Fargo-Moorhead
- Cost: $
- Best for: Toddlers to teens
Hulbert Aquatic CenterWest Fargo
Indoor public swimming for when the outdoor pools have shut for the year; the YMCA's Fercho Aquatic Center has an indoor pool too. Open Swim opens the warm-water lesson pool to the public — the shallow, warmer of the two pools, which is the one you want with small kids. Times move with the competition schedule, so check their calendar rather than turning up. Note it's run by West Fargo Public Schools, not the park district, whose facilities are all outdoor or dry.
- City: West Fargo
- Cost: $3 a visit · $10 family; punch cards and passes
- Best for: All ages
Read on the venue's own site September 23, 2026
Rainy-day field trips
For when you want the day to feel like an outing, not just killing time.
Fargo Air MuseumFargo
Real planes the kids can get close to, hands-on exhibits, and room to roam. A solid two-hour stop.
- City: Fargo
- Cost: $15 adult · $10 ages 5–11 · 4 and under free
- Best for: Age 3 and up
Read on the venue's own site September 23, 2026
Red River ZooFargo
Mostly outdoor, and the zoo keeps animals native to climates like ours, so a crisp day is a good time to go. Hours change with the season, so check the day's before you set off. No outside food or drink.
- City: Fargo
- Cost: $14.95 adult · $13.95 senior (60+) · $12.95 ages 2–14 · under 2 free
- Hours: Daily 10am–5pm (fall 2026 hours)
- Best for: All ages
Read on the venue's own site September 23, 2026
Fargo TheatreFargo
The restored downtown movie house runs a Classic Film Series alongside new releases. Much of the slate is for adults, so check what is showing before you promise anyone a family film.
- City: Fargo
- Cost: Not published yet
- Best for: Depends on the film
Read on the venue's own site September 23, 2026
When the sun's back out
Bookmark these for the next nice day.
Keep a short list in your phone for the next bad-weather day — when it's pouring and everyone's losing it, you want a decision in ten seconds, not a research project. It is the first piece of advice in our write-up of a Fargo winter with toddlers, too.
Frequently Asked Questions
What's the best free indoor activity in Fargo with kids?
Walking through Scheels to see the indoor Ferris wheel and arcade, story times at the Fargo Public Library, and Plains Art Museum, which is always free. A Ferris-wheel ride at Scheels is $1 a person.
Where can kids burn energy indoors in Fargo-Moorhead?
Rustad Recreation Center in West Fargo has an indoor playground plus turf and courts, the Fargo Parks Sports Center in south Fargo has an indoor playground, a free walking track and scheduled open turf and courts, and the metro has indoor play and trampoline centers built for exactly this.
What's open indoors in winter near Fargo?
The Fargo Air Museum, Plains Art Museum, the Fargo libraries and the rec centers are all indoors. Hours change with the season, so check each one before you go — and Fargo's three library branches are closed on Sundays. The Red River Zoo is mostly outdoors, but it keeps animals native to climates like ours.
Where can I take a toddler on a rainy day in Fargo?
Library story times, West Acres Playland in the mall's food court (for children 42 inches and under), and the indoor playgrounds at Rustad Recreation Center and the Fargo Parks Sports Center.
Are there indoor pools in the Fargo-Moorhead metro?
Yes. West Fargo's Hulbert Aquatic Center runs public Open Swim in its warm-water lesson pool, and the YMCA of the Northern Sky has the Fercho Aquatic Center. Note that the West Fargo Park District's own facilities are outdoor or dry — Veterans Memorial Pool is a summer outdoor pool and Rustad Recreation Center has courts, turf, a track and an indoor playground but no pool. Open-swim hours move with the competition and lesson schedule, so check before you go.
What are cheap rainy-day ideas for a dad with several kids?
Stack the free ones: a library story time, a walk through Scheels to see the Ferris wheel, and Plains Art Museum, which is always free. A Ferris-wheel ride is $1 a person if they earn one.
Every place on this page was read on its own website, and the date beside each one is the day we read it. What that date does and does not promise.
More in this section: Things To Do in Fargo-Moorhead