Montana: the last best place.
The capital of Montana, also known as the Treasure state, or, Big Sky Country is Helena. I am fairly certain that everything is bigger in Montana: the trucks, the wide open-spaces, and most importantly, the speed limits! I had the opportunity to visit this city (town?) for a close friend's wedding. I spent the weekend exploring as much of it as I could and, after leaving, I'm hooked! For a small town of about 30,000 people, they do know how to show a newbie a good time.
For an in-depth itinerary (and a good start for any normal foodie), I highly recommend breakfast at Main Street Eats, they have INCREDIBLE breakfast skillets with fresh veggies. This place has that small-town vibe with the cow bell that rings as you walk in. Next, catch the trolley ride around town beginning at the Montana Historical Society as they go in detail regarding Helena's golden past.
Below is Reeder's Alley, a small, quiet alley with quaint brick buildings that I found extremely peaceful early in the morning. Reeder's Alley is one of the oldest streets in Helena and is home to the oldest Pioneer Cabin remaining. It's a miracle this alley in a small gulch survived all the wildfires over the years!
Helena has been home to many forest fires and the fire lookout pictured below is the remaining one of three original fire lookouts.
Great effort has been taken to preserve the history and beauty of Helena. Just walking around downtown let's you view a large, authentic part of the historic mansion district as well as experience some of the hearty local food. I enjoyed wine-tasting at the Hawthorn Bottle Shop and Tasting Room- try the Frose slushy and get into a game of Cornhole out front of the building.
There was a beautiful ranch outside of Montana City where the wedding was held. It was called 4-R Cattle Ranch. Catered by the local restaurant Bad Betty's Barbecue (I highly recommend going!), I couldn't stop eating cream cheese and bacon stuffed jalapeños and "Redneck Sushi"- jalapeños, cream cheese wrapped in pork sausage and drizzled with barbecue sauce. SIGH. Not to mention, the bride and groom were over the moon thrilled about their special day finally arriving and love was definitely in the fresh Montana air.
On my final day in Helena, I hopped on the cruise boat along the Missouri River, called the Gates of the Mountains. On a hot afternoon, the cool breeze on the boat was refreshing! Wild-life spottings included bald eagles and deer. Well worth the 16 dollar fee, two hours on the boat with this view made my day!
July 2016