Moss Mansion Historic House
Listed on the National Register of Historic
Places, Moss Mansion was the home of the Preston Boyd Moss family
built in 1903 and has been preserved to capture the family life of
the well-to-do. Designed by New York architect Henry Janeway
Hardenbergh best-known for creating New York's Waldorf Astoria, its
most of the original fixtures are still in the house which visitors
can view during informative guided tours of the property. The
SpringFest is an annual favourite, with many artists, chefs, and
artisans showing off their wares. Moss Mansion is also available
for private rental.
Moss Mansion, Billings, Montana
Jaydec
Western Heritage Center
Affiliated to the Smithsonian Institution, the Western Heritage
Center in downtown Billings has a collection of more than 16,000
artefacts documenting the life, culture and history of the
Yellowstone River Valley and the Northern High Plains. The building
itself is considered its most valuable treasure, having been built
in 1901 and existing on the National Register of Historic Places.
Alongside constantly changing exhibitions drawing around 22,000
annual visitors, the centre also hosts activities like lectures,
storytelling hours and scavenger hunts. Be sure to check the
website for schedules.
The Western Heritage Center in
Billings
ALH
Yellowstone Art Museum
Montana's premier art museum, the popular
Yellowstone Art Museum exhibits contemporary and historic art of
the Rocky Mountains West region. Established in 1984, it now
contains more than 3,000 works, including the Virginia Snook
Collection, the largest public display of the drawings, paintings,
books and memorabilia of cowboy illustrator Will James. The museum
hosts events throughout the year, including art auctions and
semi-annual festivals.
Yellowstone Art Museum, Billings
Sara Goth
ZooMontana
Montana's zoological park and botanical
garden hosts around 70,000 visitors a year and is one of the
state's most popular tourist attractions, the only zoo within 600
miles (965km) of Billings. With pristine natural habitats, the
complex covers 70 acres (28 ha) to the west of the city. It
exhibits animals and plants native to the northern Rockies and high
plains, and similar latitudes in Europe and Asia. The grounds have
also recently opened up as a concert venue, with musicians and fans
alike revelling in the gorgeous surrounds.
Zoo Montana, Billings
Montanabw
Billings has a semi-arid climate, with low humidity all year
round. Summers (June to August) are sunny, warm and pleasant, with
average temperatures between 52°F (11°C) and 87°F (31°C); and
autumn is a particularly lovely season with spells of 'Indian
summer'. The first frost usually comes at the end of September.
Winter (December to February) brings fairly heavy snowfalls, but
snow does not accumulate; average winter temperatures stay between
18°F (-8°C) and 40°F (4°C). Warm 'Chinook' winds, during February
and March, keep late winter and early spring mild and pleasant.
Billings Logan International Airport
Location: The airport is two miles (3km) northwest of
Billings.
Time: GMT -7 (GMT -6 from mid-March to the first Sunday
in November).
Getting to the city:
Many hotels offer a shuttle sevice, and there is a taxi service
available at the airport. A shuttle service also provides a service
to and from the airport but should be pre-arranged. Ride-hailing
services are also available.
Car Rental:
Enterprise, Thrifty, Dollar, Hertz, National, Alamo, Avis, and
Budget have car rental facilities at the airport.
Airport Taxis:
City Cab, MET Transit, Red Lodge Tour and Taxi, Magic City
V.I.P. and Yellow Cab service the airport. However, it is a good
idea to book airport taxis in advance. Ride-hailing services are
also available.
Facilities:
ATMs are situated in the main lobby. There is a fine dining
restaurant, deli, gift shop, information booth, play areas for
children, and the Peter Yegen Jr. Yellowstone County Museum
opposite the terminal building.
Parking
Short-term parking is about $2 for the first 30 minutes, and
$1.50 for each additional 30 minutes up to $15 for 24 hours.
Long-term parking is about $2.50 for the first hour, and $1.50 for
each additional 30 minutes, up to $9 per day.
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Billings' downtown area can be a bit confusing for visitors, as
it was designed on a grid system with numbered avenues increasing
numerically both to the north and south of Montana Avenue, and
numbered streets crossing it from east to west. The central area is
compact and can be explored on foot. Most visitors, however, prefer
to rent a car to explore the city and outskirts. The city bus
service is the Billings MET Transit, which is easy to use. MET
buses stop at most corners and at stops with a distinctive blue and
green sign. Exact fares are required, paid to the driver. Buses run
from 5.50am to 6.40pm on weekdays and from 8.10am to 5.45pm on
Saturdays. There are no buses on Sundays or major public
holidays.
Billings, an old railroad town in Montana with humble
beginnings, is a unique destination offering a big city appeal as
well as access to open spaces and beautiful landscapes.
History is a key drawcard to this city. Visitors to the
Pictograph Cave State Park can venture to the prehistoric era with
its cave paintings over 2,000 years old, still in their original
state. The Western Heritage Center in downtown Billings, home to
over 16,000 historical artefacts from the Yellowstone River Valley,
is a popular choice with history buffs, as is the Moss Mansion
Historic House. Placed on the National Register of Historic Places,
the 1903-built Moss Mansion has been preserved to capture family
life as it was way back when in the state of Montana and draws in
many visitors each year.
For those with a penchant for the arts, the Yellowstone Art
Museum is a most memorable stop with exhibits of both contemporary
and historic art from the Rocky Mountain West. Billings is also
home to a Performing Arts Center as well as several theatres and a
symphony orchestra.
Visitors in search of some open space and natural beauty need
only take a short drive to the Chico Hot Springs set in the
aptly-named Paradise Valley. Chico Hot Springs is home to two
open-air mineral pools as well as many outdoors activities such as
horseback riding, hiking, white-water rafting, fly fishing, and
more. A drive to Missoula will prove a unique excursion filled as
it is with hippies and students.
With a history of providing visitors with much to explore, as
well as some incredible outdoor activities, Billings makes for a
memorable visit.
Custer National Forest
The Custer National Forest is scattered
across Montana, North Dakota, and South Dakota, but the forest
headquarters are in Billings, Montana and most hiking and camping
is undertaken in the part of the forest located about an hour's
drive to the south of the city. Custer is the most ecologically
diverse forest in the north of the USA, renowned for its lake and
stream fishing and home to mountain goats, bighorn sheep, elk, mule
deer, white-tailed deer, black bear, cougar and moose. A popular
outing from Billings is to follow the spectacular Beartooth Scenic
Byway, with the area being one of the gateways to Yellowstone
National Park.
![Custer National Forest]()
Custer National Forest
Forest Service Northern Region
Yellowstone National Park
The world's first national park,
Yellowstone was established in 1872. Despite its popularity today,
most of the park still remains an undeveloped wilderness of
magnificent mountains, waterfalls, alpine lakes, and rivers. It is
renowned for its geothermal wonders and abundance of wildlife.
Spilling over into Wyoming and Idaho, the enormous park is situated
on top of the Yellowstone Caldera, a collapsed volcanic crater that
was formed 600,000 years ago and holds within it the greatest
geothermal area in the world. This unique environment includes
features such as exploding geysers, thousands of steaming
fumaroles, hot springs, and bubbling mud pools. The park also
includes one of the state's most popular attractions, Old Faithful,
a geyser which draws thousands of tourists to witness its regular
eruption of steaming water. Yellowstone's wildlife includes
grizzlies, black bears, wolves, moose and large herds of bison and
elk. The two narrow waterfalls of the Grand Canyon of the
Yellowstone River cut a striking picture in the yellow-coloured
rock that gives the park its name, with superb views and hiking
trails for all abilities. Yellowstone Lake fills the eastern part
of the caldera and offers opportunities for boating and fishing
expeditions in summer. All places of interest are accessible along
the loop roads, but the intensity of visitors in summer, especially
between July and August, means that one needs to hike away from the
main paths to experience the true wilderness of Yellowstone
National Park.
![Yellowstone Falls in Yellowstone National
Park]()
Yellowstone Falls in Yellowstone National
Park
Scott Catron
Missoula
The 'Garden City' doesn't have much in the
way of gardens, but Missoula is an outdoor sportsman's Eden.
Downtown is a collection of unique shops and lively bars where it
is easier to walk or bike than drive. The University of Montana
starts right where the hill ends and is a beautiful campus to
wander or catch a football game to see the university's Montana
Grizzlies playing. Tourists often visit Missoula for outdoor
activities of all kinds from skiing, kayaking and hiking to rock
climbing, hang-gliding and mountain biking. There are a number of
festivals in Missoula too, so come ready for celebrations of craft
beer, rodeos and a host of country markets.
![Missoula and the surrounding
scenery.]()
Missoula and the surrounding
scenery.
Prizrak 2084
Pictograph Cave State Park
Located just six miles (10km) south of Billings, Pictograph Cave
State Park is a wonderfully scenic and historically fascinating day
trip. The 93 acre (38 ha) park is a National Historic Landmark home
to a complex of three caves (Ghost, Middle and Pictograph) linked
by a walking trail. Two contain evidence of habitation dating back
over 4,500 years ago while more than 30,000 historical artefacts
such as bone tools, arrow heads and beaded jewellery have been
discovered within the park. The pictographs themselves date back
more than two millennia, and their meanings are still being debated
by archaeologists today.
![Pictograph Cave in Pictograph Caves State
Park]()
Pictograph Cave in Pictograph Caves State
Park
Tbennert
Chico Hot Springs
Though they're hardly in a fashionable
area, the unpretentious Chico Hot Springs are quickly becoming a
popular attraction in Montana, drawing guests from New York and
Hollywood. Set in the aptly-named Paradise Valley near the town of
Emigrant, the springs contain two open-air mineral pools with
temperatures around 93°F (34°C), perfect for relaxing. There's a
restaurant and a lively bar onsite, and outdoor activities like
horseback riding, dog sledding, hiking, fly fishing, white-water
rafting and cross-country skiing are on offer.
![Chico Hot Springs]()
Chico Hot Springs
David Coats
Moss Mansion, Billings, Montana
Jaydec
The Western Heritage Center in
Billings
ALH
Yellowstone Art Museum, Billings
Sara Goth
Zoo Montana, Billings
Montanabw
Custer National Forest
Forest Service Northern Region
Yellowstone Falls in Yellowstone National
Park
Scott Catron
Missoula and the surrounding
scenery.
Prizrak 2084
Pictograph Cave in Pictograph Caves State
Park
Tbennert
Chico Hot Springs
David Coats
