Quaint nice small towns in Montana (Billings, Missoula: crime, university, restaurants)

[billybob1050]

I will be traveling through Montana in the next several months, and am interested in visiting small, quaint, charming or historic towns with old buildings, some interesting stores and restaurants. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. A friend told me Hardin may be a possibility. Thank you so much.

[rambrush]

well anaconda comes to mind, and if ya want old historic old buildings check out Butte, the dates on those buildings are way back plus each was named.

[UseJeff]

It really depends on where you're traveling...pretty big state. Hardin, unless it's changed wouldn't be my 50th choice of places to visit.

If you have the time, and want a neat drive with some smaller cities, assuming you'll be around Billings or further east... I would work my way into Red Lodge, then I would go over Beartooth pass (assuming it's not winter), and head towards Cook City, just outside of Yellowstone Park. Assuming you've not seen the park, it's well worth visiting. It's where I often took people who had not been to Montana before.

Unfortunately I'm trying to remember any small cities with a neat historical story, but I can't think of any at this point. There will be museums and western stuff in any of the bigger cities, which of course are small compared to others states cities.

[UseJeff]

Originally Posted by rambrush

well anaconda comes to mind, and if ya want old historic old buildings check out Butte, the dates on those buildings are way back plus each was named.

If you like Golf, I loved the Anaconda Old Works golf course. Very interesting "slag traps" instead of sand traps.

[montanamom]

Stevensville, Montana is small, very quaint, and Mayberry like. There is a nice community spirit here, several small churches, a great cafe and coffee shop in town, and a wonderful old-fashioned library. Also, Hamilton and Corvallis are really scenic, clean, old fashioned small towns - and virtually crime free, like Stevensville. We are only about a 30 minute drive from Missoula and the University of Montana, where the college town offers lots of great eating places, music, and culture. The Sapphire Mountains surround these communities in the Bitteroot Valley, and we are surrounded by farms and streams, and working ranches. You should definitely check it out.

[rickers]

Oh give me a break ! Those towns don't even come close !!!
CONRAD of coarse !

[GiftShoppeGuy]

Originally Posted by rickers

Oh give me a break ! Those towns don't even come close !!!
CONRAD of coarse !

Conrad and Choteau...... er.... um.... Fort Benton (the birthplace of Montana) and quite possibly Lewistown.

Choteau would be my first pick-o-the-litter as far as being quaint is concerned.
Choteau still has most all of it's original buildings, functional and kept up.
Another pick would be Brady.

Most towns and cities in the state no longer have "original" buildings. Especially on the west side due to fire mostly, and lately, due to explosive growth.

The only towns on the west end that I can think off of the top of my head that still has a larger percentage of up-kept original buildings would be Charlo (not much to see in Charlo however), Darby, Dixon, Arlee, Paradise, Plains, Thompson Falls (my grandmother, Esther Jane Thompson directly decended from David Thompson, founder of Thompson Falls) and Phillipsburg.
Barney Fife would love these and would adjust quite well.

There are some sections of Helena and Great Falls that have kept up original stonework buildings, but these, although they are kept up, are dwarfed by the city size and other modernizations.

[rambrush]

Deer lodge is highly talked about but it is mostly similar to a touristy trap place in my opinion.

[hlazyfbar]

Grew up in Deer Lodge...home of the state prison and a sawmill.....TOURISTY?????....hardly!!! Another nice "quaint", but DEFINITELY touristy place is Virginia City and Nevada City!!!

[jimj]

Originally Posted by hlazyfbar

Grew up in Deer Lodge...home of the state prison and a sawmill.....TOURISTY?????....hardly!!! Another nice "quaint", but DEFINITELY touristy place is Virginia City and Nevada City!!!

Oh, c'mon.... Prisoners are tourists right???? They're just there to vist for a loooong vacation, albeit not by choice......