Shopping

The main shopping area of Whitefish is on Central Avenue and stretches for 3 blocks. For a ski town, the shopping frenzy is fairly subdued. The largest bookshop in town is Bookworks, 244 Spokane Ave. (tel. 406/862-4980), which stocks the best in nature books, regional writing, and children's literature; it's also the source of current hardcover and paperback bestsellers. McGough and Company, 131 Central Ave. (tel. 406/862-9199), has a large selection of Indian-made jewelry. The Bear Mountain Mercantile, 237 Central Ave. (tel. 406/862-8382), is chock-full of gimcracks, knickknacks, and souvenirs, many with a bear theme. There are 12 art galleries in Whitefish that participate in a "First Thursdays" program on the first Thursday night of each month from July to October. On Tuesday evenings, head to the downtown farmer's market.

For a behind-the-scenes look at some of the local farms and their offerings, contact FarmHands (tel. 406/862-5356; www.whoisyourfarmer.org) for a free map of Flathead Valley farms that produce everything from goats to garlic and also welcome visitors.