Top Things to do in Montana
Top Hotels in Montana
- 1. Kelly Inn-West Yellowstone
- 2. Best Western Plus Grant Creek Inn
- 3. Hampton Inn & Suites Whitefish
- 4. Country Inn & Suites By Radisson
- 5. The LARK Bozeman
- 6. Lodge at Whitefish Lake
- 7. Best Western Rocky Mountain Lodge
- 8. Explorer Cabins At Yellowstone
- 9. Gray Wolf Inn and Suites
- 10. Best Western Desert Inn
Top 10 Art Museums in Montana, United States
No matter where you look in Montana, you’ll find unspoiled nature, charming small towns and relaxing hospitality. Explore Glacier and Yellowstone National Parks, then hit the road to discover more natural wonders. You can hike, bike or horseback ride through rugged mountain landscapes, fly-fish blue ribbon trout streams, paddle scenic rivers and lakes, or spend winter days carving fresh powder at ski resorts — then end your day wandering a vibrant main street or relaxing in a cozy lodge.
Restaurants in Montana
1. WaterWorks Art Museum
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 31 reviews
WaterWorks Art Museum (formerly known as Custer County Art Center) or CCAHC is housed in the old water treatment facility. The building itself is art and history. We are a contemporary and historical Art Museum. We change exhibits about every six weeks. Our permanent collection includes historical photographs of Evelyn Cameron and LA Huffman. We offer adult and children's classes year round and hold open studio on Tuesday evenings when anyone can use the workshop for your different mediums. We have a delightful gift shop that features local and state artists with various mediums.
Reviewed By FontanaACS
On our way to Billings, Mt, we stopped for lunch in Miles City (Hole in the Wall, highly recommended). On our intinerary we had very few sights in Miles City but one of them, Waterworks Gallery provided to be well worth a detour. Located in the old waterworks, from the beginning of the 20th century, we suddenly found ourselves in the old watertanks. (No risk for flooding as the new waterworks, just next door, had full control over the water production). Some of the walls in the water-tanks have been cut down to create a gallery with a space just interrupted by a few pillars. We were greeted by a very entusiasic staff member who not only showed us the current exhibition but also parts of the building. In that also how the building was used as water works as well as how it was converted to the gallery. The exhibits when we were there was showing local talents and of course the permanent collection.
2. Ohrmann Museum & Gallery
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 7 reviews
The Ohrmann Museum & Gallery showcases the work of life-long artist Bill Ohrmann. Bill grew up in the area, ranching, developing a love of nature, and nurturing his artistic talents. He worked in many media, including water color and oil paintings, wood sculpture, polymer clay, bronze, and welded steel. His imaginative wood carvings were his hallmark for many years. After retiring from ranching at the age of 78, he turned his focus to oil painting. His subject matter changed, too, from the pleasant ‘elk on a hillside’ to powerful images depicting his frustration with the human race when it comes to over-population, organized religion, cruelty to animals, and other social ills. Also at about this time he thought it would be challenging to create life sized, realistic sculptures of animals out of welded steel. Grizzly bears, bison, elk, and a full sized wooly mammoth came out of the shop. Examples of all these genre can be seen at the Museum, along with art work by his son, John
3. C.M. Russell Museum
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 470 reviews
Charlie Russell documented the West that was vanishing before his eyes, telling the story of the American West as no artist had before. Many of the stories Russell told through Russell's art and life resonate even today. The first museum dedicated to Western art, the C.M. Russell Museum houses Charles Marion Russell's original studio, the home where he lived, and many paintings and bronzes created by Russell and his contemporaries. It also includes a compelling exhibition of Browning Firearms, featuring information on John Moses Browning (1855-1926), one of the world's most important and innovative gun makers. Now allowing photography except for specific pieces (no flash photography). Find out why the C.M. Russell Museum is the art and soul of the American West.
Reviewed By C5747LIjamesr - Alberta, Canada
This is a really great Museum and a must if your a fan of Charley Russell and his art. Spent a day and 1/2 and totally enjoyed the time I spent. Staff are really friendly and helpful.
4. Hockaday Museum of Art
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 77 reviews
Free changing exhibits and galleries of regional art, housed in a former Carnegie Library.
Reviewed By 866TaylorB - Chicago, United States
The Hockaday Museum of Art in Kalispell, Montana, is a treasure trove of artwork and photographs produced by Montana artists, current and historic, designed to enrich the cultural life of the community and region and to preserve the artistic legacy of Montana and Glacier National Park. And it all is housed in a turn-of-the-century Carnegie Library Building that is listed in the National Register of Historic Places. The collection captures the nostalgia and grandeur of Glacier National Park, the glory days of the Empire Builder Railroad, the Blackfeet Nation and those who chose to settle in this majestic part of Montana. It features works by signature authors, photographers and painters as well as Glacier National Park collectibles such as vintage maps and hand-tinted photographs. The artists include Charles M. Russell, Winold Reiss, Ralph Earl DeCamp, Fred Kiser, Roland Reed, O.C. Seltzer, T.J. Hileman, Earl Hilkke, Diccon Swans, Mark Ogle, John Clarke, Leonard Lopp, Bud Helbig, Ace Powell, Russell Chatham, Jeanne Hamilton, David Shaner, Hugh Hockaday, Thomas English, Jeff Walker, Bob Scriver, Gary Schildt, Tom Saubert, Frank Hagel, John Fery, Joe Scheurle, Adolph Heinze and Nicholas Oberling. Also the artifacts of writer James Willard Schultz. Opened in 1969 at 302 2nd Avenue East, the art center was named for local artist Hugh Hockaday, who had moved to the Flathead Valley after a successful career as a commercial artist. He died in 1968.
5. Paris Gibson Square Museum of Art
6. Missoula Art Museum
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 70 reviews
Founded in 1975 and accredited by the American Association of Museums since 1987, MAM is emerging as the leading contemporary art museum in the Intermountain West. MAM is a spectacular attraction in the heart of Missoula's historic downtown: a fully accessible, free, public museum that boasts eight exhibition spaces, a library, education center, and an inviting information lounge.
Reviewed By Judyhwright - Missoula, United States
We love the Missoula Art Museum and are very proud of the part art plays in our community. They always have great displays to visit and change them on a regular basis. As parents and grandparents, we also appreciate the many opportunities the MAM offers the children of our community. Thanks for your important work. Dwain C. and Judy Helm Wright
7. Yellowstone Art Museum
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 146 reviews
This extensive permanent collection of contemporary and historic art of America's Rocky Mountain West includes more than 3,000 significant paintings and drawings including the works of cowboy illustrator Will James(1892-1942).
Reviewed By Daydream500484
The YAM is a fantastic space — the main exhibit halls and the “Visible Vault,” where you can engage with and learn more about the gallery’s archives, and their preservation and conservation efforts. The rotating galleries from their collection were dazzling — impressive contemporary regional work. (I was particularly taken by Peggy Kelley’s paintings and multimedia work by Terry Karson.) They also had an exhibition while we there by photographer Clyde Butcher. Just a gorgeous place, well worth making part of your trip to Billings.
8. Yellowstone County Museum
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 63 reviews
The mission of the Yellowstone County Museum is to collect, preserve, research, and interpret the natural history and diverse cultures of the Yellowstone Valley of Montana and the Northern Plains. We share this legacy through a full range of exhibits and educational programs for the enrichment of the cultural and intellectual life of our community.We make it our priority to keep the history personal and relatable. This history belongs to everyone and we're just the storytellers here at the Yellowstone County Museum
Reviewed By 866TaylorB - Chicago, United States
Since 1956, the McCormick cabin has served as an entrance to the Yellowstone County Museum in Billings, Montana. Located at 1950 Airport Terminal Circle, across from the Billings Airport, the cabin and museum have a mission to collect, preserve, research and interpret the natural history and diverse cultures of the Yellowstone Valley of Montana and the Northern Plains. Stories of Indian nations, cattlemen and pioneers are told inside a log cabin that dates to 1893. Learn of the cultures and traditions that make the museum so unique, ranging from handcrafted saddles to rare firearms to pioneer wagons to tribal bead work. The McCormick cabin once belonged to a pioneer family of the early days of Billings. Paul McCormick built the cabin in 1893 for his family. It was a center for festive gatherings and Thanksgiving dinners, holding from 60 to 70 guests. In 1947, it was sold to the Billings YMCA, then to Socony Vacuum Oil, then to the Billings community for use as a museum. It was moved to his current location and has watched over the Yellowstone Valley since 1956. Among the exhibits are a dazzling display of authentic tribal bead work featuring designs from Sioux, Blackfoot, Northern Cheyenne and Crow tribes, beautiful examples of traditional regalia dating to the 19th century from tribes across the nation, a collection of 19th and early 20th century weaponry, including heavy artillery, military weaponry and guns from the days of Calamity Jane and Jesse James and highlights of research done in and around the Billings area of Lewis & Clark's Corps of Discovery, which came through the Yellowstone Valley on its historic trek to the sea. Finally, see how Billings evolved from an unruly town of the wild west to a center of industry. If you are a history buff, this is truly educational.
9. Holter Museum of Art
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 58 reviews
Reviewed By 866TaylorB - Chicago, United States
Art museums come in all shapes and sizes and designs and with many different philosophies and missions. It's not always about paintings and photographs and sculpture. The Holter Museum of Art in Helena, Montana, which opened in 1987, offers a different but very interesting and educational point of view. And it also offers free admission to experience it all. Its mission is to display and experience contemporary art in Central Montana. But it is more than that. It is a showcase for local, regional and national artists. And it has 17,000 square feet, five exhibition galleries, an educational center, a research center and over 20 rotating exhibitions a year to tell its story to visitors. Among its current exhibits are Rivers of Flame: Montana Tributaries, a wood fire exhibition curated by Tara Wilson; Sweet Dissent, ceramic works from Shalene Valenzuela with illustrations by Courtney Blazon and Speaking Volumes: Transforming Hate, a fascinating study that showcases the diverse work of 46 artists who transformed thousands of anti-Semetic and racist books into uplifting and dynamic works of art. Located at 12 East Lawrence Street, the Holter Museum of Art is well worth a visit.
10. Blackfoot Pathways:Sculpture in the Wild
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 46 reviews
Reviewed By CATTSAR - Provincetown, United States
It was a good day for a ride so I drove the 2 1/2 hours from Kalispell. It is a pretty ride down MT 83 through The Flathead National Forrest and along MT 200 through The Lolo National Forrest. The entrance is just east of town and marked by two large braided tree trunks. At the start of the path is an informative piece explaining about the exhibit, its formation and its mission statement. There are also some simple rules and regulations to follow. On this visit there was no staff and don't know if there ever is. The path takes you through the exhibits with concise information plaques about the artist and the development of the work you are seeing. The artists are from all over the world. The path is well marked for the most part but at times seems a bit convoluted. This time of year there is packed snow on the paths which is not prohibitive for the most part. These are gigantic works of art and very impressive as well as unusual. This was a great outing, the weather was fair, and the works of art were well worth the drive. I spent just under an hour and a half. Lincoln provides places to eat, shop and refuel. Go!!
