Things to do in  Montana

Established in 1872, Yellowstone is the country’s first national park Famous for its wildlife and geothermal activity, the park covers almost 3,500 square miles (9,000 square kilometers) and stretches over parts of Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho. It’s a true place of superlatives, boasting one of the largest high-altitude lakes in North America and the longest undammed river in the contiguous US—it even has its own Grand Canyon. If you’re looking for adventure or just pure, untouched wilderness, move Yellowstone to the very top of your list.

One of the nation’s natural wonders, Glacier National Park—also called the “Crown of the Continent”—is a vast landscape of snowcapped mountains and turquoise glacial lakes along the Continental Divide. With 1,583 square miles (4,100 square kilometers) to explore, the park is crisscrossed by some 745 miles (1,200 kilometers) of hiking trails and several scenic drives, including the popular Going-to-the-Sun Road, a 50-mile (80-kilometer) drive through the interior of the park.

Step back in time to the Wild West at the historical mining town of Virginia City, once called the “richest place on Earth.” Enjoy 100-mile (160-kilometer) views across the high desert, ride the V&T railroad, shop, have a bite to eat or drink in an old saloon, and tour museums, mines, and mansions in one of the country’s largest National Historic Landmarks.

Around the turn of the 20th century, C.M. Russell painted, sketched, and sculpted the American West. Today, his lauded, collected works form one of the nation’s top small art museums: the C.M. Russell Museum. It's not just a museum—you can also tour the artist’s home and log cabin studio.

Montana’s stretch of the Gallatin River draws Montana State University students, locals, and travelers alike for river tubing, rafting, hiking, fly fishing, swimming and other outdoor activities. It’s also a popular spot among those who are spending time in Yellowstone National Park, but who also want to visit the Bozeman or Three Forks area of the Treasure State.

The Yellowstone Art Museum (YAM) in downtown Billings, Montana, focuses on the contemporary, avant-garde work of artists from the Northern Plains and Northern Rocky Mountains. Its current collection holds over 8,500 works of modern and historical art and archival items, and the museum hosts special workshops like FAM at the YAM, in which families gather on the first Friday of the month to make art with a professional artist.

Through permanent, traveling, and virtual exhibits, the Western Heritage Center in Billings, Montana, shares the stories of people living in the Yellowstone River Valley and Northern High Plains. The museum has a collection of 400-plus oral histories and more than 40,000 artifacts, including photographs, Native American beadwork, architectural drawings, textiles, and clothing.

Originally built as an opera house, the Babcock Theater in Downtown Billings, Montana, now shows old and new movies in its historic theater with renovated, old-style theater seats. With updates made throughout its 117-year history, the inside is as beautiful as when it opened long ago. You can enjoy movies from all eras that are shown daily.

In Billings, the Alberta Bair Theater is the place to watch a performing arts show. The massive space holds more than 1,000 people and has an orchestra pit for up to 40 musicians. With notable restaurants nearby and the bustling streets of downtown just outside its door, the theater is a popular Billings, Montana, destination.

Bozeman Spirits Distillery makes specialty spirits, such as whiskey, vodka, gin, and rum, with grains sourced in Montana and made right at its Downtown Bozeman Distillery using melted snow water from Mt. Blackmore. Each spirit is distilled, bottled, and labeled on-site. The distillery’s old saloon atmosphere is true to Montana’s history.

Known for being the home baseball stadium for the Billings Mustangs, as well as the MSU Billings Yellowjackets, Dehler Park is a great place to see a game when you’re in Montana’s biggest city. With stadium seating on one level only, there’s truly not a bad seat in the house. Plus, any day provides a family-friendly atmosphere and good food while you enjoy one of America’s classic pastimes.

The red sandstone Moss Mansion Historic House Museum and its tranquil grounds have been preserved to provide a time capsule of life in Billings, Montana, at the beginning of the 20th century. Originally built as the Moss family home in 1903 and inhabited until the 1980s, the mansion now holds historic exhibits, special events, and educational tours.