Things To Do in Missoula
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Missoula Attractions
You can organize your own tour and check out the architectural highlights of the "Garden City" by contacting the Missoula Historic Preservation Office (tel. 406/258-4706) or downloading a map from www.historicmissoula.org.
Especially for Kids -- A remarkable community effort, the Missoula Carousel (tel. 406/549-8382; www.carrousel.com) was a project begun with nothing more than unrealistic optimism. During planning, funding, and assembly stages of the project, Missoula relied on the kindness of others to make it happen. The hand-carved and -painted horses are the result of thousands of hours of labor from volunteer workers, most of whom were novices trained in the art of carving and painting. It's a treat for kids, and adults will also marvel at this merry-go-round by the river at downtown's Caras Park, which is located at the spot where Higgins Avenue crosses the Clark Fork River. The carousel is open daily year-round, with 50¢ rides for children 16 and under and seniors 55 and over, and $1.50 rides for adults. Immediately west of the carousel building is another fun community project: a fantasy-themed playground dubbed Dragon Hollow.
- Cooking Class
Aerial Fire Depot and Smokejumper Center
This is the nation's largest training base for smokejumpers -- firefighters who parachute into remote areas of national forests to combat wildfires. This facility offers a fascinating look at the life of a Western firefighter, beginning with the days when pack animals were an… - Historic Site
Historic Ninemile Remount Depot Visitor Center
This visitor center, along with the Smokejumper Center, will educate you in the early methods of rugged firefighting in the northern Rockies. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the depot appears today much as it did when the Civilian Conservation Corps constructed it… - Historic Site
Historical Museum at Fort Missoula
Fort Missoula, one of Montana's first military posts, was established in 1877, the year Chief Joseph of the Nez Perce led his tribe toward Canada. Now the home of the National Guard and Reserve units, Fort Missoula has as its main attraction this museum, which houses displays that… - Sports Venue
Montana Snowbowl
Snowbowl has a vertical drop of 2,600 feet, much of it in the form of steep runs suitable only for experts. There's not a lot of terrain for beginners here, but the hard-core skier will have a ball. Eighty percent of the runs are for intermediate, expert, and advanced skiers, with…
Missoula Shopping
The Fair Trade Store, 519 S. Higgins Ave. (tel. 406/543-3955; www.jprc.org), is a project of the Jeannette Rankin Peace Resource Center, selling jewelry, clothing, and musical items from communities around the world. Butterfly Herbs, 232 N. Higgins Ave. (tel. 406/728-8780), features an eclectic collection of items, including jewelry, coffee mugs, teapots, and handmade paper and candles. If you begin to feel the bohemian spirit and suddenly want your own pair of Birkenstocks, just go next door to Hide & Sole, 236 N. Higgins Ave. (tel. 406/549-0666), for reshodding.
Pipestone Mountaineering, 129 W. Front St. (tel. 406/721-1670; www.pipestonemountaineering.com), has an excellent range of outdoor gear for serious climbers, river runners, and campers. The Trail Head, 221 E. Front St. (tel. 406/543-6966; www.trailheadmontana.net), is another good outdoors store, with gear for snowshoers, kayakers, and just about everybody in between.
Missoula is home to an impressive literary community, and the city's bookstores are among the state's best, including Fact and Fiction, 220 N. Higgins Ave. (tel. 406/721-2881). Vintage, rare, and first-edition books are available from Bird's Nest Books (tel. 406/721-1125) at 219 N. Higgins Ave.
If you're looking for clothes, the Macy's, 110 N. Higgins Ave. (tel. 406/542-6000), is an old standard and Missoula's only downtown department store.
Monte Dolack is one of the best-known artists in Montana. His often-humorous posters and prints are available at 139 W. Front St. in the Monte Dolack Gallery (tel. 406/549-3248; www.dolack.com). The gallery also features works of other prominent Montana artists, including Mary Beth Percival. Other top Missoula galleries include Larry Pirnie's Pirnie Art Showroom, 337 E. Broadway (tel. 406/543-2713; www.pirnieartshowroom.com), and the Montana Museum of Art and Culture in the PAR/TV Building on the campus of the University of Montana (tel. 406/243-2019).
Missoula Nightlife
Watering Holes for Any Taste
There are plenty of watering holes in Missoula, whether your buzz of choice is alcohol or caffeine induced. Sean Kelly's, 130 W. Pine (tel. 406/542-1471), serves Irish pub-style food -- bangers and mash, pot roast, Irish stew -- in addition to your alcoholic beverage of choice. The weekend jazz is wonderful, and there are also pool tables in the back. Iron Horse Brew Pub, 501 N. Higgins Ave. (tel. 406/728-8866), has one of the city's best selections of Montana-brewed beer and myriad TVs to watch the game. Bold, bawdy, and bedecked with black-and-white photos of regulars, Charlie B's, 428 N. Higgins Ave. (tel. 406/549-3589), is one of the best dives in the northwest, serving a cross section of Missoula: blue-collar types, professionals, and college kids. The exterior doesn't have a sign; just follow the laughter and chatter.
There are a number of good breweries in town, with taprooms where they can pour customers a maximum of 48 ounces of beer a day due to Montana state laws. My favorite is the Kettlehouse Brewing Co., 602 Myrtle St. (tel. 406/728-1660; www.kettlehouse.com), a neighborhood brewery that supplies excellent craft beer to many local restaurants. Its taproom -- open Monday through Saturday from noon to 9pm -- is a funky hangout with old couches and a jovial atmosphere. A second location opened in 2009 at 313 N. 1st St. W. Big Sky Brewing Company has a taproom near the airport at 5417 Trumpeter Way (tel. 406/549-2777; www.bigskybrew.com), open Monday through Friday from 11am to 6:30pm and Saturday from 11am to 6pm. Touting itself as the only German brewery in the Rockies is Bayern Brewing, 1507 Montana St. (tel. 406/721-1482; www.bayernbrewery.com), with taproom hours of 10am to 8pm Monday through Friday and noon to 8pm Saturday and Sunday.
The Performing Arts
The Montana Repertory Theater, located at the University of Montana campus (tel. 406/243-6809; www.montanarep.org), is the state's only Equity company, performing new and classical works. The Missoula Children's Theater is the largest touring children's theater in the United States, performing original musical productions and featuring hundreds of talented children from communities across the States, Canada, and the Pacific Rim. The theater season starts early in June and continues through the end of March. The MCT Community Theater provides a year-round calendar of family entertainment. Both the Children's Theater and the Community Theater are located at 200 N. Adams St. (tel. 406/728-1911; www.mctinc.org).
The Missoula Symphony Orchestra and Chorale, 320 E. Main St. (tel. 406/721-3194; www.missoulasymphony.org), is composed of university students, Missoula residents, and other regional musicians, who often perform with featured guests in the University Theater on campus. The String Orchestra of the Rockies, P.O. Box 8265, Missoula, MT 59807 (tel. 406/493-2990; www.sor-montana.org), a statewide professional string ensemble, is based in Missoula and performs almost exclusively there. At the University of Montana's Music Recital Hall (tel. 406/243-6880), the school's music department often brings in outstanding musicians to perform. Regularly scheduled recitals include solo and ensemble performances by faculty and students.
