July 2008 - things to do? (Billings, Laurel: coupons, hotels, homes)

[haggardhouseelf]

We will be in the Billings area mid-July with children - ages ranging from 7 - 12. We are not familiar with the area at all... we love the outdoors, as well as typical family type things: theme parks, movies, children's theater, artsy craftsy things, good food.

I would really appreciate some advice from the locals - mothers of young ones especially - as to things we could do to keep the kids entertained and happy. Also - are there any good massage therapists in the area?

And what about hotels? It would be awesome to find a nice cozy hotel with a fun pool for the kids and good views of the mountains...

Part of our group are outdoorsy and love camping and the other half of the group is more indoorsy-inclined... so I welcome all suggestions.

Is there a natural foods store or a "health food" store in the Billings area?

It will be July, so I'm assuming it will be dry and hot - where do you mama's take your kiddies for Summer fun in the Billings area?

Thanks a bunch!!!

[allforcats]

Hi, h.h.elf. I see no one's replied yet. I lived in western MT, but not in Billings. I would strongly suggest TripAdvisor.com. They have a wealth of info. When you open the site, you have a big Search line. Just type in Billings MT, and all will be revealed to you :-)

[jimj]

You could also go to AAA and get the area book for the state which lists goings on in particular cities. Also, as you get closer start looking at the newspaper online since most everything is listed.

[ElkHunter]

Something I used to do when my kids were little.

Go to the local motel. They have a rack in the lobby with all kinds of brochures for activities in the area. Times, prices, descriptions, everything you want to know about the area.

Plus most of the brochures have discount coupons.

[georgiainwyo]

I'll try to give you some ideas about things to do in and around Billings. If it's in July the kids will probably want to spend some time in the water. You have a few choices. There is the Big Splash waterpark. Although it is small it does have a few slides and kids have fun. Also, the city has a few waterslides at the Rose Park Pool. Both are very busy on hot days. Other options for closeby water are Lake Elmo State Park, just a small recreational lake (no motor boats allowed) right in Billings, as well as Lake Josephine at Riverfront Park just south of town. A little further there are bigger lakes as well as Big Timber Waterslides, which is about 1 1/2 hour drive away.

There is a new baseball stadium being built as we speak. It should be done by July. It replaces the old one that was there for many years. It is home to the Billings Mustangs, a minor league team of the Cinc. Reds. Evening and Sunday afternoon games are popular.

Billings has a small rec. center called Geyser Park. It has bumper boats, mini golf, lazer tag, arcade, etc. There's also another mini golf course in town next to The Pickle Barrel (which has the biggest and best sub sandwiches ever!).

Billings has two major movie theaters (new release), with each having around 8-10 screens. One is next to the mall. The other is behind Shopko & Costco. There is also a "cheap seats" theater that runs older movies for cheap ticket prices. The cool thing is that we've had a drive-in theater for the past couple of summers. It is between Billings & Laurel (10 Miles) and has 2 screens that both show double features every night. The mall is your average small city mall, with a few anchor stores and your typical small mall stores. We have most of the big box stores (Walmart, Kmart, Target, Shopko, Costco, Best Buy, Lowe's, Home Depot, Michael's, Hobby Lobby, Linens & Things, Ross, Petsmart, etc. These are on the west end of Billings. This is where most of the shopping, the theaters, waterpark, etc. all are. There is also a Walmart & Target & a few others in the Heights area and a new Walmart in Laurel.

We have most of the chain fast-food and sit down restaurants that you'd find all over. If you want something unique to Billings there are some other good places to eat.

If you want to make a day trip the Battle of the Little Bighorn (also known as Custer's Battlefield) is near Hardin, about 60 miles away. There is a small art museum in Billings, an old mansion called Moss Mansion that has tours, as well as a historical center. While in town be sure to pick up the Billings Gazette as it lists daily activities around town. On Fridays a news insert called Enjoy! is in the paper that lists everything going on that weekend....from movies to live music to farmer's markets to live plays, etc. There is usually something happening every weekend.

I go to a massage therapist in Laurel that is wonderful. There are lots of them in Billings, too, but it's sometimes hard to get appointments unless you schedule ahead.

As for hotels, I don't think any of the hotels in town have a mountain view except maybe the Crowne Plaza downtown (has indoor pool) or the Holiday Inn (also indoor pool) as they have higher floors. The others don't sit high enough for a good view. At the Crowne you also would have a nice view of the city and the "rims" (are you familiar with them?). However, the best pools for kids in town would be either the Billings Hotel or the Ramada Inn, both on the west end. They both have indoor pools with waterslides.

There are a couple of health food stores you might want to check out. They are all listed in the phone book. Mary's is on the west end near shopping. There is also a Montana Harvest restaurant there that has healthy food. On Grand Ave. there are a couple of health food stores, Bonanza, and I believe one called Montana Grains or something like that. In the downtown area is a Good Earth Health Market (or something to that affect). I've heard that it is outstanding. If you like health foods and want a good lunch you may want to try the Pita Pit on Grand. It is set up like a Subway, where you choose your own fillings for Pita Bread sandwiches, many of them being health foods. They are yummy!

You are right, it will most likely be dry and hot while you are here. By July the green grass starts getting brown and moisture is hard to come by. Depending on where you are from, your reactions to it might vary.

Now that I've filled you in, please share with us what is bringing you to Billings! It is always interesting to hear why people visit places. How long will you be staying? Let me know if there is anything else you need. I'd be happy to "penpal" with you! Take care.
Georgia

[Rickers]

You could also go on a river float or visit the rock paintings and go hiking.

[georgiainwyo]

Thanks Rickers! I meant to mention the rock paintings. That is the petroglyphs just out of the Lockwood area of Billings. There are hiking trails along the river as well.

[haggardhouseelf]

Wow!! You guys are great.

Allforcats, jimj, ElkHunter and rickers - those are great suggestions. Thank you!

GeorgiaMT - My goodness!! A wealth of info you are... I really appreciate it! And to answer your question: we are meeting some friends and Montana is sorta-kinda a halfway point between us. Also - there is a possibility that if we like it there, we might move there.

I am originally from Texas. My husband was raised in parts of Asia and the middle east. So we are very used to hot hot hot Summers with the added "ugh'ness" of humidity. However, we've spent the past few years in the beautiful Pacific Northwest - central Oregon (Willamette Valley) and western Washington (Eastside Seattle area) - and one year also in central California (Sacramento Valley... hot hot hot and crunchy brown grass everywhere you look...).

I am having a hard time right now in Washington state. It is too wet and dreary for too long. Months upon months of it... Just grey grey grey, dark, wet, cold, and windy. I need some drying out, some sunshine, some wide open spaces, some warmth... But the Summers here are incredible!! Barely hot (it's rare even to find homes with air conditioning, it rarely gets hot enough...) and everything is just so green.

I believe everyplace has it's ups and downs and a lot of it also has to do with people's own personal comfort levels and what they're used to. I am wondering what Montana's winters are like? Hot dry Summers don't really worry me at all... but really hard winters - as far as freezing or below freezing temps, ice, snow, etc. - are something I've not really had to endure before... how do you guys cope?

Really thanks again for all the wonderful info and suggestions. I really do appreciate it! I can't wait to visit - I've been scouring the internet for pictures and Montana looks so incredibly beautiful!!! I am homesick for Oregon... I love LOVE Oregon... and somehow I get the feeling that maybe oregon and Montana share some of the same traits that I love: less people, more wide open spaces, more natural/outdoorsy environment, good family-oriented people. They both, also, seem to have a strange job conundrum thing going on. It seems like the local people aren't trained for the particular jobs that are available and need to be filled... so companies have to try to hire from outside to find the people with the skills and certifications they require. But, that still leaves the local/native people feeling as if there aren't any jobs... or the jobs that they are qualified for don't pay what they need to live well on. It's a tricky situation. That is exactly what is happening in smaller towns in oregon (just about everywhere except Portland) and it seems like the same sort of thing is going on in Montana, from what I have read.

[georgiainwyo]

I'm glad to be of assistance! As for the weather here, there's little doubt that you'll face much except hot and dry when you are here, but there are some occasional summer thunderstorms in the evening that can at times cool it off MANY degrees and put down quite a bit of rain, all in a short time. They are what our weather man calls "splash & dash" showers! Just a quick rundown, starting with summer.....it can get hot in June, but in July it usually starts cooking and August tends to be pretty hot. These are dry months for sure. We can usually count on it cooling down a week or so after school starts. It seems that the first week it's always HOT (I'm a teacher) but then then you start feeling cooler air in the mornings shortly after. Sept. is generally a pretty nice month, although the green is gone! We sometimes don't get our first hard frost until late Sept., sometimes Oct., but then again we sometimes get snow in September! If it does snow early, it doesn't last long. By Halloween it's usually getting pretty chilly. We always hope it's not raining or even snowing for the kids to go out. The mountains have had some good snows by this time, but here in the valley there usually isn't much yet. November can get very cold, but not for more than a couple of days in most cases. We had snow for Thanksgiving this year. December is somewhat like Nov. but the cold sticks around a bit longer. It can get down to below zero, but don't let that scare you, as it's not often very long-lived (although at times it seems like it!). January seems to be the coldest and dreariest month, but then that's because Christmas is over and I have to go back to work! HA! Cold spells and snow can really hit in Jan. & Feb. Right after Christmas we had a rain/turned snow (ice storm I guess) storm that was really not typical for our parts. Most people here are pretty used to driving on bad roads. The road crews try to keep things in pretty good condition, though. You just have to remember to slow down and leave early for wherever you're going! Also remember that there are some really stupid people driving out there, so be extra cautious! But to me, it doesn't really seem like we get that much snow. All of the cold that we get doesn't seem to bother most people. The majority don't work outside, so just bundle up, warm up their cars and GO! Those who do have to work outdoors are used to it and dress for it. March is an "iffy" month. It can get really nice, then turn cold and snow. Mother Nature likes to pull those tricks on us in early spring! It also seems that we get more wind now than we used to. April starts warming up, bulbs start to bloom, and spring is almost here! May is usually a really nice month with almost perfect temperatures. It can rain a little or a lot during these months, it just depends on the year. The past couple of springs we've had more rain than we had for several years. Montana in general was in a drought for something like 7 or 8 years, then we had a nice wet spring. When the grass gets green it is beautiful. When the mountain flowers bloom it's awesome. June is probably my favorite month. Not only do I like my summer break, but I've always been a warm weather person. I look forward to fishing, lake swimming, riding our ATV's, and even mowing my lawn! June just seems to be perfect for me as I like it around 80 degrees. One thing that I can add is that no matter what the season, we have lots of sunny days. Nothing like the Pacific NW! It can be below zero and the sun is shining full force! So, I guess there is your weather report in a nutshell. Of course you have to keep in mind that it can vary in different parts of the state (we have some vast differences in elevation and climate), but this is for the Billings area. Also consider that this is coming from the memory of one old lady!!! I'm sure there are others who could add more!

I would write more about other things you brought up, but it's midnight here so I'll stop for now. I'll write more when I have a chance. Let me know if you have any specific questions!
Georgia

[haggardhouseelf]

The weather sounds a bit like Texas except that you have much more severe winters, and in Texas the summers are very humid as well as severely hot. We used to fry eggs on the sidewalk just for fun! And you never walked barefoot in the summer - or if you did, you knew how to get where you needed to go without touching any cement! And I remember our cars were always like ovens... you'd have to open the doors or windows and let it cool down before you got in, otherwise you'd burn yourself with the seat belts, seats, and steering wheel... even if you left your windows open sometimes it would get so hot inside the cars. Love those windshield shades!!!


I cannot wait to see Montana... my husband and I are thinking of extending the vacation so we can see Wyoming, too. We want to take the kids to Yellowstone...

One more question: what sort of wildlife do you often see? Do you see wolves? Grizzlies? Eagles?