Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
GALLATIN ROUTE
Bozeman
406 / POP 37,000 / ELEV 4700FT
The hip college town of Bozeman, only an hour's drive north of Yellowstone, is regularly
voted one of America's best outdoor towns, and with good reason. With excellent restaur-
ants and shops, one of the region's best museums and outdoor opportunities that beckon
from every corner, the town is well worth a stop en route to the more rustic delights of the
parks. The town is named after John Bozeman, who guided settlers here along his name-
sake Bozeman Trail, a spur of the Oregon, from 1864.
To plug into the local scene pick up the free local paper
The Bozone
(
www.bozone.com
)
.
Highlights of the cultural year include the independent film and arts festival
Hatchfest
(
www.hatchfest.org
)
in October and the artsy
Sweetpea Festival
(
www.sweetpeafestival.org
)
, with lots of food, art and live music in August.
Sights
MUSEUM
Museum of the Rockies
( 406-994-3466;
www.museumoftherockies.org
;
cnr S 7th Ave & Kagy Blvd; adult/child
$13/9; 8am-8pm Memorial Day-Labor Day, 9am-5pm Mon-Sat & 12:30-5pm Sun rest
of year; )
Arguably Montana's most entertaining museum, MOR offers some of the
most jaw-dropping dinosaur displays you'll ever see, alongside displays on native cultures
of the Northern Rockies (look for the fabulous 1904 photo of Geronimo driving a Ca-
dillac), hourly planetarium shows and costumed homesteaders reenacting 1880s life at the
next-door
Living History Farm
(summer only). The
Kids Explore Yellowstone
exhibit,
where kids can play camping in a tent or dangle a line from Fishing Bridge, is particularly
good interactive fun for families. Count on at least half a day here; the entry fee gives ad-
mission for two days. The museum is in the south of town, next to Montana State
University (MSU). You'll be greeted at the door by 'Big Mike,' a life-sized bronze T Rex.
ARTS CENTER
Emerson Cultural Center
