Things To Do in Bozeman
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Bozeman Shopping
Main Street offers an Old West feel and New West selection, starting at about 7th Avenue and running out to I-90. Among our favorite stops here are Vargo's Jazz City and Books, 6 W. Main St. (tel. 406/587-5383), which sells an eclectic mass of new, used, and out-of-print books, CDs, and LPs (or the elusive, vanishing vinyl); Schnee's Powder Horn Outfitters, 35 E. Main St. (tel. 406/587-7373), which sells high-end Western wear and all sorts of outdoor gear; the Montana Gift Corral, 237 E. Main St. (tel. 406/585-8625), which offers a wide selection of made-in-Montana gifts, in case you need a moose clock to take home; Thomas Nygard Gallery, 135 E. Main St. (tel. 406/586-3636), which specializes in pre-1950 artwork from the Northern Plains; the Country Bookshelf, 28 W. Main St. (tel. 406/587-0166), a terrific bookstore; and Barkenhowell's, 777 E. Main St. (tel. 406/586-6160), a chic dog boutique. The Gallatin Valley Mall, 2825 W. Main St. (tel. 406/586-4565), has department and specialty stores, art galleries, and a food court.
Bozeman Nightlife
Bozeman is a college town, so there are lots of places to get a casual drink accompanied by loud music. Popular watering holes include the Irish-themed Pub 317, 321 E. Main St. (tel. 406/582-8898), the vintage Crystal Bar, 123 E. Main St. (tel. 406/587-2888), and the Zebra, 321 E. Main St. in the old Bozeman Hotel (tel. 406/585-8851), ground zero for the local live music scene. If it's the college bars you are after, the somewhat grungy "Barmuda Triangle" consists of the Haufbrauhaus, the Molly Brown, and the Scoop, conveniently positioned within stumbling distance of one another near the intersection of 8th Avenue and Main Street. Another fun option (with a limit of 48 oz. per customer per day) is the Bozeman Brewing Company's bustling taproom, 504 N. Broadway (tel. 406/585-9142; www.bozemanbrewing.com), It's open Monday through Saturday from 4 to 8pm, pouring the brewery's popular Bozone-brand beers.
Bozeman is also home to coffee shops galore, including the Leaf and Bean, 35 W. Main St. (tel. 406/587-1580), HomePage Internet Cafe, 242 E. Main St. (tel. 406/582-9388), Wild Joe's Coffee, 18 W. Main St. (tel. 406/586-1212), and, near the MSU campus, Daily Coffee Bar & Bakery, 1013 W. College St. (tel. 406/585-8612). Lindley Perk (tel. 406/582-9800) is a coffee shop in the beloved new library at 626 E. Main St.
Montana Shakespeare in the Parks (tel. 406/994-3901; www.montana.edu/shakespeare) is a professional touring company that was formed in 1973. Based in Bozeman, the troupe of 10 to 12 actors produces more than 60 performances during the summer at communities throughout Montana, Wyoming, and Idaho -- often in a different town each day. Some summer weekends find them at their Bozeman stage -- located on the MSU campus on 11th Avenue near the corner of Grant Street -- for "Shakespeare Under the Stars." Parking is available just north of the MSU field house. Call for the schedule. Performances are always free.
For edgy and experimental fare, one-act-play festivals, and the stylings of a local comedy troupe, head to the Equinox Theatre, 2304 N. 7th Ave. (tel. 406/587-0737; www.equinoxtheatre.com).
