Where shadows of the towering Rimrocks meet the mystic waters of the Yellowstone River, Billings serves as Montana’s trailhead for no matter superior adventures guests search beneath huge skies. Billings’ Great American Road Trip treats households (together with the four-legged members) to an alternative shut off the digital gadgets and join with each other exploring among the West’s most iconic locales in and round Billings – The Trailhead of Awesome.
There’s nobody greatest option to discover a metropolis with as a lot to supply as Billings, so the vacation spot merely invitations guests to forge their very own path towards a memorable go to. But here’s a pattern itinerary to assist get you began planning your subsequent Great American Road Trip.
Day 1:
Upon your arrival in Billings, cease for lunch at Montana Brewing Company to gasoline up. Montana Brewing Company opened in 1994 and is the state’s first brew pub, providing a full menu of appetizers, sandwiches and flatbreads (or pizza, as the youngsters will name it), and has all the pieces the household must refill for the day forward. Montana Brewing Company can also be one among six breweries alongside the Billings Brew Trail, Montana’s solely walkable beer path, which additionally boasts two distilleries and a cider mill, simply in case mother and pa are in search of just a few locations to sneak in some grownup libations.
Downtown Billings. Credit: Visit Billings
Next up, start exploring the long-lasting Montana panorama on the many parks and trails in Billings. The stretch of path alongside the Rimrocks – sandstone bluffs estimated to be at the least 70 million years outdated – is a must-see and ideal for gaining a chook’s eye vantage of the encircling territory of mountain ranges, plains and the long-lasting Yellowstone River, the final free-flowing river within the decrease 48 states. For among the greatest views of the encircling area and to find out about native Montana vegetation, discover the Four Dances Recreation Area atop the Rimrocks, an space teeming with sagebrush, grassland, cottonwood riparian and ponderosa pine within the rocky outcrop areas close to the river cliffs.
Four Dances Recreation Area. Credit: Visit Billings
Or, lease some bikes in case you didn’t convey your individual and discover the paths adjoining to the Yellowstone River at Two Moon Park, that are excellent for leisurely bike rides whereas taking within the foliage and wildlife. Two Moon Park borders the Yellowstone River on the south and a steep, forested bluff to the north. On the downstream finish of the park, uncover the well-known Weeping Wall, which seeps pure spring and mantles the cliffside with sheaths of ice within the winter. Now everybody can return to their buddies at residence and inform all of them concerning the “crying wall” you visited!
For dinner, take a look at Ciao Mambo and luxuriate in “mountain Italian” delicacies amid a occurring household ambiance. Sample scrumptious entrees like Cozze E Salsiccia, which is steamed mussels, sausage and peppers in a sauce, together with the basic and easy linguini and meatballs for the pickier eaters within the household. Ciao Mambo additionally serves 12 completely different sorts of pizza together with the normal varieties along with some with a novel twist like Pizza Volpetti, which is topped with roasted purple potatoes, mozzarella, crispy pancetta and cream sauce. An in depth wine menu is certain to incorporate the right complement to the adults’ meals to assist unwind after a day of household journey.
Then, deal with the household to a present and absorb some native tradition on the historic Alberta Bair Theater. The Alberta Bair Theater has hosted the best performers in each self-discipline of the performing arts, together with classical and well-liked music, nation music and jazz, opera, ballet, fashionable and ethnic dance, comedy, drama and musical theater. The rousing performances are certain to assist create lasting reminiscences. Check the theater’s web site for listings.
Or, head over to the Art House Cinema on the Babcock Theater to absorb a basic movie from your youthful years. The theater has not too long ago screened movies like Batman (the Michael Keaton model), Spaceballs and Beverly Hills Cop, excellent to take the youngsters on a visit with you down reminiscence lane. Constructed in 1907, the Babcock Theatre was as soon as a venue for stage exhibits and boxing matches, and at present the Babcock is now a venue showcasing movies for the general public and different personal occasions like weddings and events.
Babcock Theater. Credit: Visit Billings
Day 2:
Mom, let dad and the youngsters sleep in and sneak off to LimberTree Studio. Yoga your option to a refreshed you amid views of the Beartooth Mountains throughout a rooftop yoga class, or spend a while the other way up in an aerial yoga course. If the remainder of the household us up for it, LimberTree additionally provides programs for the youngsters so the entire household can take pleasure in yoga collectively.
Next, take pleasure in a basic, do-it-yourself breakfast identical to Grammy Sophie used to make. Founder and proprietor Stacey Hettinger opened Sophie’s Kitchen, serving made-in-house meals with the aim of treating Billings residents and guests alike to the flavors and ambiance of her grammy’s heat, inviting kitchen. Fill up with breakfast staples like eggs, French toast, buttermilk pancakes, and sausage gravy and biscuits earlier than heading out to play.
Saddle-up and discover Billings cowboy fashion with the entire gang! Family-owned and operated Bitter Creek Outfitters provides leisurely guided horseback excursions on a 7,000-acre cattle ranch, together with the world’s distinctive Rimrocks, ponderosa pines and fields of wildflowers. In addition to the pure panorama, wildlife comparable to mule deer and wild turkeys are sometimes seen throughout the journey. Bitter Creek Outfitters is a woman-owned enterprise and has been featured on Travel Channel’s Hotel Impossible and on the quilt of Distinctly Montana Girl journal.
Or, go to Pictograph Cave State Park and discover three historical caves that showcase proof of habitation from greater than 2,000 years in the past. A mild 3/4-mile loop path descends 45 toes offering entry to a few separate caves – the Pictograph, Middle and Ghost Caves. Along the path, you’ll encounter interpretative shows figuring out and explaining the pure options, prehistoric work and vegetation discovered within the space.
No go to to Billings is full and not using a cease to ZooMontana to mingle with the animals. ZooMontana is residence to some 50 completely different animals together with a purple panda, grizzly bear, an amur tiger and as of 2020, a two-toed sloth. Winston, because the sloth is affectionately identified, has been a star ever since his arrival at ZooMontana. You can be taught extra about him and the opposite animals at ZooMontana he’s befriended by means of his private Instagram account, @sloth_zoomontana.
Zoo Montana. Credit: Visit Billings
Make your manner again to Downtown Billings and cease for lunch at UberBrew, which is one other location alongside the Billings Brew Trail. The brewery provides a menu of upscale informal meals like smoked wings, bison burgers, and fish and chips – one thing for everybody to take pleasure in.
Organized in 1953, the Yellowstone County Museum focuses on decoding the pure historical past and various cultures of the Yellowstone Valley of Montana and the Northern Plains. But what is going to most likely entice your consideration is the museum’s decade’s outdated mascot, the taxidermied two-headed calf named Charlie and Russell, after Old West artist and Montanan Charles M. Russell. While the precise calf solely lived just a few hours, the distinctive determine lives on on the Yellowstone County Museum. The historic McCormick Cabin serves as the doorway to the museum, which showcases greater than 15,000 artifacts representing the historical past of the area. In addition to a number of Native American artifacts from the area, the museum showcases cowboy and western gadgets by means of displays exploring an Eighteen Nineties saloon, vintage firearms and a 1901 steam engine. And sure, plush variations of Charlie and Russell can be found for buy within the reward store.
Along with the Yellowstone, the Stillwater and Bighorn Rivers are amongst Montana’s premier flyfishing waters and an ideal venue to strive one thing new as a household. Stop in at East Rosebud Fly and Tackle – a full-service retail fly store and hub for all fly fishing associated exercise within the Billings space. They can get you match with all of the gear you want (in addition to the required license) and level you to the place the rainbow and brook trout stay so you possibly can start exploring Montana’s high chilly water trout streams. For calmer waters, take a look at the 64-acre reservoir, Lake Elmo State Park – an city playground for out of doors adventurers, full with a canine park. Enjoy non-motorized watersports like stand-up paddle boarding, kayaking and windsurfing, or forged a line off of Roger’s Pier. Recently the brand new Montana state report largemouth bass was caught in these waters, weighing in at 9.575 kilos.
Indulge in a filling dinner at Stacked, A Montana Grill for dinner. Visitors and residents alike proceed to rave concerning the flavorful gourmand burgers, sandwiches, tacos and entrees on the menu just like the Best Bite Burger – a World Food Championships Burger with goat cheese, bacon jam and siracha bourbon sauce. If you’re up for a problem, strive the Howitzer Burger – one pound of beef, three layers of pepper jack cheese, bacon, BBQ brisket, smoked sausage, pickles, onion and home made whiskey glaze. Oh, and a facet of crispy fries too.
Who needs ice cream? Grab a cone for dessert at Big Dipper Ice Cream, which has been featured on Good Morning America and has been chosen as one among America’s Best by Food and Wine Magazine. Along with conventional chocolate and vanilla, strive among the distinctive flavors like huckleberry, cardamon and white mint Oreo together with a number of seasonal flavors. There’s so many to select from, perhaps the perfect concept is to only order a bit of of all the pieces and share as a household.
Big Dipper Ice Cream. Credit: Visit Billings
Day 3:
Wake up and heat up with some recent baked cinnamon rolls at Stella’s Kitchen and Bakery. For greater than 40 years, Stella’s has been a favourite amongst locals and guests alike serving breakfast all day starting from egg dishes to pancakes. And in fact these scrumptious pastries.
Spend the morning exploring among the most well-known landmarks in Billings, together with Pompeys Pillar National Monument, Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument and Chief Plenty Coups State Park. These areas are excellent for studying about Native American and Western historical past, together with the well-known Lewis and Clark Expedition.
And lastly, make the spectacular drive to Yellowstone National Park alongside the famed Beartooth Highway. Less than an hour from Billings, the Beartooth Highway – one of many nation’s most dazzling drives based on Forbes – supplies breathtaking vistas from begin to end, guiding roadtrippers by means of essentially the most stunning entrance into Yellowstone National Park – the nation’s first nationwide park. The freeway meanders alongside among the most excessive terrain on the planet, with greater than 20 mountain peaks reaching and stretching into huge blue skies. The drive takes just a few hours relying on how lengthy you spend gazing out on the beautiful, endlessly views. This is one highway journey the place you’ll by no means hear “are we there yet?” echoing from the again seat.