Why vacation in Helena?

WELL, HELENA OFFERS SOMETHING FOR NEARLY EVERYONE

I. Sights

- Rocky Mountain Forest and Wilderness around the city

- Wildlife viewing in town and surrounding area

- Unique buildings and Mansions

- Missouri River

- Ghost Towns and pioneer mining era ruins

II. Sports and recreation

- Skiing and Snowboarding at Great Divide Sno-Park

- 2 public Golf Courses and a Private Country Club

- Skateboard Park

- Annual Marathon and other foot race competition during summertime

- BMX Bike Park near Fairgrounds

- Over 29 Miles of marked Cross Country Skiing Trails on Continental Divide

- Swimming at Spring Meadow, Broadwater Hot Springs, Diamond S Hot Springs, Carroll College, Crossroads Fitness, YMCA, City Pool, Canyon Ferry, and Lakeside on Missouri River.

- Many day hiking trails

- Wilderness hiking and camping adventure opportunities nearby

- Mountain Bike Trails in Open space includes Extreme Terrain

- Snowmobile and 4-wheeler Trails nearby

- Water Skiing and Boating on 3 nearby Missouri River Lakes

- Kayak and Canoe on nearby non-motorized natural lakes and rivers

- Day drive to wild white water rafting, kayak, or canoe

- Guided Hunting and Fishing

- Ice Skating and Hockey

- Spectator Sports including Stock Car Dirt Track Racing, Semi-Pro Football, Hockey, Legion and Minor League Baseball Teams plus scheduled high school sports.

III. Arts

- Fine Arts Galleries; Holter and Poindexter Art Museums

- Museums; County History, State Historical, State Military, Original Governor Mansion

- Numerous Art dealers and Galleries

- Archie Bray Pottery and Ceramics (Sales, Classes, Resident Artists)

- Helena has a resident city orchestra and volunteer municipal band

- Helena is home base for many professional musicians and performing artists

- Many fine western artists are residents in Helena, several have studios open to the public

IV. Events

Helena has over 200 paid admission performance events annually. Here are a few of the major ones;

- City Orchestra Concerts

- Myrna Loy and Helena Series for Performing Arts

- Toadstone Community Theater

- Grand Street Community Theater

- Carroll College Student Theater

- City Band Concerts in the Park

- Western Art Auction and Rendezvous of Art

- Arts and Craft Fairs

- Alive at Five Weekly Street Dances in Summer

- Last Chance Stampede, East Helena, Townsend, Boulder, and Oct Bull Festival Annual Rodeos

- Lewis and Clark , Jefferson, and Broadwater Annual County Fairs

- Race to the Sky 500 Mile Dog Sled Race in Feb

- Annual Hot Rod Show and Drag Meet in July

- Annual State Extreme Snowboard Games at Great Divide

I. Location

- Helena is mid-way between Glacier and Yellowstone National Parks. (It is possible to tour the parks each on day road trips based from Helena.)

- Lewis and Clark Caverns at Cardwell, MT is another easy afternoon trip.

- Pintler Scenic Highway is a day road trip from Helena

- The Historic Butte Mining area is only a one-hour drive down I-15

- Big Sky, Bridger Bowl, Snow Bowl, Showdown, Great Divide, and Discovery Basin Ski Resorts can each be accessed by separate day road trips from Helena.

II. Education

- The Helena area is rich with colorful Western mining history

- The Helena Valley is on the Lewis and Clark Trail of Discovery

- Helena shares in the rich Native Plains Indian Arts and Culture

- Helena is the Political State Capitol for Montana

- Wilderness and Wildlife Refuge Regions are near the city

- Helena’s History claims historic association with many celebrities

- Helena has a rich cultural diversity

- Carroll college offers Liberal Arts Education, and summer workshops

- Helena has a Vocational Trades Technical College

- The Archie Bray Foundation is a world renowned pottery institute

- Helena has 3 history museums, there are also museums in nearby communities

- The Gates of the Mountains Boat tours are 2 hour trips through the Wilderness on the Lewis and Clark Trail of Discovery in summertime.

- Helena has a diverse variety of architectural style and historic buildings

- Kumamoto Plaza, sister city in Japan cultural exhibits

- Feather Pipe Foundation, resident Yoga and healthy nutrition seminars

III. Shopping and Food:

- Many unique local Gift, Antique and Consignment stores

- Many Fine Art Galleries

- Helena has experienced a recent growth in shopping North of the City

- Largest CostCo Member Warehouse in the state

- Walmart, Target, Macys, Dillards, Pennys, Home Depot, Lowes, Hastings, Hallmark, Kmart all now have large stores located in Helena’s shopping malls.

Helena has seen many new popular chain restaurants opening recently in addition to the existing local specialty food services. Pizza Hut’s new concept Wing Street Restaurant recently opened here.

A sampling of local food establishments includes;

BREAKFAST AND LUNCHES

No Sweat Café, Early Bird Café

FULL MEAL SERVICES:

On Broadway, Burt and Ernies, Stonehouse, Jorgenson’s,

Benny’s Bistro, Toi’s Tai, Windbag Saloon, L&D Chinese Takeout,

Smith’s Bar, Yat Sun Chinese, York Bar, Jackson Creek Saloon,

Marysville House, Genki Sushi, Eminalino’s Mexican, Jade Garden

SANDWICHES:

Staggering Ox, Chinese Kitchen (take-out),

Taco Del Sol, Green Iguana, Coney Island Pita and Hotdogs

Helena is small un-crowded surrounded by pristine forest scenic open-space high plains lands. The town is off-the path and tends to be more rustic and lacking public facilities found in more congested cities. However this makes it far more economical for vacationing than most other places. The best way to visit Helena is to either drive, or fly into the city and rent a car when you arrive.