Historic St. Mary,s Mission is in the mission district of Stevensville, Montana. The District is…read moreregistered on the National Register of Historic Places. This is a very important site in the history of Montana. Being the site of the first settlement,first church,first lumber mill, first grist mill, first organized agriculture; this is truly where Montana began. What first struck me on an initial visit, was the quantity of ORIGINAL Artifacts on display. The tour guides are very knowledgeable and friendly. You will learn about the early days of the mission, how the settlers (Blackrobes) lived, worked and taught the native Salish and others. Recently added is a Salish encampment and teaching components on native Salish life. Several reproductions (made by a Salish artist) enhance the story for school groups and others. On the District grounds is also a museum, gift shop, and art gallery. On the west side of the District is the historic cemetery where Father Anthony Ravalli, Salish and early settlers are buried. Open mid April to mid October.

Wonderful historic site. Rich with Montana history. You could easily spend an hour here touring…read morethe grounds. The volunteers here are so friendly and informative. Nice stop for families too!

super cute place. came here to see some friends get married!!!! huge place with lots of room for…read moreeating and dancing. comes with tables and chairs and a kitchen.

This is a very nice place to hold a wedding reception for about 100 guests. It would be important…read moreto have nice weather though which we had when there. If held outside you could potentially handle a very large group. The interior is pleasant but a bit too small for a typical wedding reception of over 100 guests. At the reception we attended there was not enough room for the food service, bar, dining and dance area. Everything was sort of squished together. We still had a good time and made it work. Take some care in determining all you want to do if you use this facility. The bathrooms are downstairs which would pose a problem for some guests.

I have had the privilege of coming over here with a friend of mine after running the 2011 Missoula…read moremarathon in July. I wanted to see the tourist sites before returning home and my friend, who lives in Missoula, took me here and it was a good experience. It was on the Monday after, in the afternoon, and it felt like everything was deserted. Only a few cars that were parked in random places. I had a feeling that this place closed shop early. While I know it's just a historic site and tourist attraction, there could have been a bit more of a crowd, but sadly there wasn't. Probably it was due to being on a Monday during work hours. It was nice seeing Fort Missoula in its beauty. How the Fort was back in the 1800's and how modern day barracks crop up around the property really reflected the changing landscape of the old and the new. I got a kick out of seeing the log cabin and the old locomotive that was sitting out there in the sunshine day after day. There wasn't much to see, since majority of the original fort has been removed and retrofitted with the modern day fixes and amenities. I'm not really sure if this is currently a real life functioning military base of some sort, but it's great to bear witness to some bit of history while visiting Missoula, Montana. I spent about 3 hours waking around and the museum was closed for the day. I guess I just missed them. I felt the history through my eyes and it helped clarify stuff that I never thought of while reading the history books until now. Worth an hour of your afternoon to explore and rediscover history. A+ #Yelp flashback

When I really want to make visitors happy, and I know they bowl, it is a blessing to be able to let…read morethem spend the day here, so they really grasp how magical Hamilton is. My company always has their Christmas party here, and every single time, it's a hundred-percent blast. It's slightly off the beaten path, perfect for that old-fashioned roadhouse feeling yet easy to find even for tourists and newcomers, very family friendly venue and a staff of sweethearts. Wish I could bottle the heavenly scent inside the Ravalli Fun Center, a benefit that a visitor pointed out to me.

I loved this place. We have been trying to bowl in the towns that we are traveling through and this…read moreplace the best so far. Terri was an absolute sweetheart and even though they were bowling league they let us bowl on an empty lane. I do not like string bowling but the lanes were nice and I didn't hate it as much as usual. And the pizza crust was great.

This place is tucked out south of town, near the army reserve buildings. We only wandered through…read morea portion of the area, with the old locomotive, fire lookout tower, and old sawmill burner. This seemed to be the area most popular with kids (you should have seen them run to that fire lookout tower!). They apparently have working sawmill demonstrations every now and again. There is also a museum with a $1-3 admission fee and several other restored buildings (cottages, carriage house, schoolhouse, church, etc). We were on a tight schedule so we didn't wander over to these areas.

Small place with a big heart. We saw WWII poster exhibit and felt we took a step back in time…read more Thank you for preserving and presenting our local and national history.

Nice nonprofit that local community theater. It's runs by volunteers to help give the voice to…read moreones that can by showing films that are educational. they also show all the movies that are very interesting films that you don't get to see anymore. Very affordable and plenty of snacks to purchase and the attendant was very polite and friendly.

When visiting Missoula, I kept driving past this theater on the way to my Airbnb and was deeply…read morecurious about it. On Friday night, my family and I went to see Weapons. The tickets are well priced and their popcorn is organic! I loved that they serve their popcorn in reusable metal bowls. They also have a variety of seasonings you can use like curry, nutritional yeast, chili flakes and more. Our theater was pretty full, but that made it that much more enjoyable. It felt very community based, we all laughed at the funny parts together and I felt like I was having a movie night with everyone. I also enjoyed that it wasn't too loud, which chain theaters have made a horrible habit of being. The ads were also locally sponsored. There was also an acknowledgment before the movie started about how they know they are on native land. Overall, an amazing experience. Next time I'm in Missoula I WILL be visiting (as long as there are movies I'd like to see!)

Solitude. What does…read moreit mean to you? To me, solitude is a snow-covered ski trail framed by dense pine forests on top of the North American continental divide, located 7300 feet above sea level. A light snow is falling and there are six inches of fresh wet powder covering everything. I glide silently through forests, ridges, and meadows, accompanied by the sound of the wind and the occasional scent of spruce. At times, animal tracks cross the trail but otherwise all is empty and white. The snow absorbs everything but my steady breathing and elevated heartbeat. I am alone on historic ground near to where Chief Joseph and a party of 800 Nez Pierce men, women, and children retreated across the Bitterroot Mountains in 1877, chased and hunted by U.S. federal troops. I finish the Lost Trail loop and turn left up Broadway towards a two-story log cabin in the woods - the Gordon Reese warming hut, which is staffed in winter by a succession of eager volunteers. They keep the fire going and kitchen stocked with hot drinks and water. It's like something out of a Robert Frost poem, except on a Western scale, not a New England one. Inside the cabin, a trio from Spokane are sitting around the communal table playing cribbage. I hang my wet clothes to dry by the cast-iron wood stove and ask to join them. We play a round together and share stories. I finish my tea ("Montana Gold," a rooibos, orange peel, and cinnamon blend) and head out for another circuit, past Windy Corner, along the Timber Trail, through the Sunny Meadow Loop, and back on Broadway to the parking lot. My car is covered in a thick layer of snow by the time I return. The skies have cleared a bit, and I change clothes for the 90 mile drive home, down the Bitterroot Valley back to Missoula. This is not easy country. It's a high mountain pass above 7000 feet from which the head waters of the Columbia and the Missouri flow in opposite directions to reach their Pacific and Atlantic destinations. On my drive up in the morning, I literally saw falling rocks tumbling down the steep cliff to my left, and on the way down I passed an SUV upside down on the shoulder, its passengers thankfully uninjured on the side with state police and a tow truck to assist them. The trail network at Chief Joseph is 25 kilometers long, well marked, mapped, and maintained by volunteers of the Bitterroot Ski Club. On good weather weekends, there might be a few dozen skiers on the trails, which are restricted to classical (Nordic) only and snowmobiles are not allowed. But, if you crave solitude the way that I do, you'll find a way to come on a Friday morning when the rains fall in the valley and snow piles up in the mountains, where your tracks will be covered by the time you return, and where you will disappear into the trees heading down narrow, single-track trails. But you're not really alone: the warming hut is always open, and a few hardy solitude seekers are bound to appear by mid-morning or afternoon. Solitude does not mean seeking separation from the world, but the opposite. It's when you discover a deep connection to the land around you: to the remote but accessible places on our common planet that are steeped in history and inhabited by wild creatures. Places like Chief Joseph Pass, where you are always welcome to visit, because it belongs to us all as national forest. Even the warming hut. In some parts of America, they are eagerly anticipating the start of spring. Here, in Montana, we're celebrating the last days of winter in solitude, but in style. Come ski with me next time, at Chief Joseph. Solitude loves company. There is snow enough for everyone, and the cabin's fire is warm.

This is our go-to place for hiking. Known simply as "The Rattlesnake" to locals, here you can find…read morea variety of hiking trails for people of all ages. This area is gorgeous and full of natural beauty. Regardless of which hiking trail you decide to explore, you will be taken back by the beautiful Montana scenery. My family and I have been coming here for 13 years now, and it still remains our favorite spot to soak up some nature. If you are just traveling through the area and came to this review, I promise you won't be disappointed. Here's a little secret: during huckleberry season, you will find there are plenty of huckleberry bushes scattered throughout the different trails. I would suggest grabbing a handful to snack on while you are hiking. If you aren't sure what they look like, Google "huckleberry bushes." The second you taste the sweetness of one, you will know. Be sure to bring some water with you if this is your first time. Also, don't forget to take lots of pictures!

Wonderful hiking area with abundant wildlife! Fortunately we did not come across any bears!read more