Guillaume de Vaudrey also contributed to this article Billings is the largest city in Montana, located in the Yellowstone River Valley. The metropolitan area has a population of around 171,000. So, while large for Montana, it is certainly small enough for a quaint, uncrowded time.
Flying into Billings is easy, and there are nonstop flights from Dallas, a gateway city to the Wild West. Of course, summer offers all kinds of lovely adventures, and with the popular “Yellowstone” television show, many visitors these days are clamoring to visit Montana. That is why my recommendation is definitely Billings.
Stay at the centrally located Northern Hotel in downtown Billings, which has two restaurants, including Bernie’s Diner, a traditional diner with a modern twist. The hotel was built in 1902, burned down in 1940, and reopened in 1942. It closed again in 2006, was sold at auction, and reopened again in 2013 as one of Montana’s finest.
My first stop in Billings was a visit to Swords Park atop the Rimrocks. This 60-acre natural park is where visitors and locals hike and bike. The Rimrocks is a 70-million-year-old sandstone formation greatly featured in the Billings landscape, and it is a clever way to get a lay of the land on arrival.
While in Montana, I knew I had to take in the history of the Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument. The area where this battlefield is located serves as a memorial to the history of this part of the United States and its true Native American past, albeit destroyed to make space for the Western man’s ways. No matter your thoughts on the happenings at Little Bighorn, you certainly will not walk away emotionless.
As for me, I could still feel the earth’s energy here. For those not familiar with this battle, it was the area of the last armed efforts of the Northern Plains Indians to keep their dying way of life alive due to the encroachment of the white man to the area. It is at this location, less than an hour from Billings, where the battlefield is now memorialized after the battle in 1878 where 263 soldiers and personnel from the U.
S. army, including the well-known General Custer, met their death when several thousand Lakota and Cheyenne warriors led by the spiritual leadership of Sitting Bull fought bravely to defend their land. The Battle of Little Bighorn occurred on June 25, 1876, between these warriors and the U.
S. Army’s 7 th cavalry. At this site, which is now part of the Crow Indian Reservation, you can visit key areas from the legendary battle with several memorial markers.
In 1890, the army erected 249 headstone markers on the site of the battlefield to show where Custer’s men had died. Finally, in 1999, the National Park Service also began erecting red granite markers at the known Cheyenne and Lakota casualty sites on the battlefield. It was a clash of cultures that has marked many of the U.
S. and Indian skirmishes in America’s history. And, while the white man has always won, after the battle, it was noted the tribes and families scattered north and south without being defeated; however, most returned to the reservation and surrendered a few years later after the deadly battle.
Other monuments to visit in the area include Pompey’s Pillar National Monument, where William Clark carved his name into the sandstone marking his expedition. Be ready to climb the 202 steps to follow in the footsteps of Lewis and Clark and to breathe in the phenomenal landscape. Pictograph Cave State Park has been in the making for thousands of years and is the perfect place to visit caves that show there were inhabitants in the area as far back as 2000 years.
Makoshika State Park is also a worthy day trip and Montana’s largest State Park. Inside the 11,568-acre park, you will find dinosaur fossils, and at the visitors center, it is worth a stop to see the triceratops skull. The Montana Audubon Center is a peaceful stop to learn about the area’s birds, wildlife, and natural ecosystems in the Billings vicinity.
The center includes three ponds for scientific research, and it is access to the area’s riverfront trail system. At least one day is worth a drive along Beartooth Highway. It has been dubbed an “All American Road” and is part of Route 212 at the northeast entrance to Yellowstone National Park.
A vast wilderness of peaks, glaciers, lakes, alpine plateaus, forested hillsides, waterfalls, and wildlife, the highway is also surrounded by Custer, Gallatin, and Shoshone National Forests. While in Montana, you must stop in at D. James Hats .
I recommend this shop as it will be the perfect stop to take home the hat you will wear for decades into the future. There is nothing about Montana that does not speak of the perfect cowboy hat to add to the final addition of any outfit, it will also serve as a reminder of the special destination Billings will be in your memory. D.
James Hats is a leisurely place to have your hat sized and ordered, all while sipping the finest quality whisky. The perfect end to an adventure that will most certainly serve to entice you to visit again. The Marble Table www.
themarbletblemt.com While The Marble Table offers comfort food, the chef does it with a twist. You will not go away hungry, and I suggest the Shrimp and Risotto.
Walker’s Grill http://walkersgrill.com This restaurant is in downtown Billings and is part of the city’s exciting culinary scene. James Beard nominee Nick Steen rotates the menu with Montana favorites that are defined as “adventurous creations.
” Perfect to get an idea of what the Montana food scene has to offer. The Sassy Biscuit Co. http://thesassybiscuit.
com We all love breakfast, of course. In Montana biscuits made from scratch just seem like the right thing to do. Whether it is sweet or savory for your morning wake up, expect a unique and delicious twist.
The Fieldhouse www.thefieldhousemt.com Made from scratch dishes with a healthy approach to dining.
Buffalo Block at the Rex http://buffaloblock.com Historic Rex has been a landmark in Billings on Montana Avenue for more than a century. These bricks will take you directly to Buffalo Block for a dinner of steak, seafood and in the summer a patio dining experience.
It’s an iconic location for dinner with the perfect Montana vibe..
