Trip motivation
We decided on this trip because a friend of mine chose Bozeman for a 5-year anniversary party. Her parents live there and she regularly visits and talks up the gorgeous scenery and outdoor life. It did not disappoint! Read more about how we traveled to Bozeman here.
Activities
Enjoy the scenery
Our main reason for this trip was a friend hosting a party. The highlight of our trip was enjoying time around a firepit with friends while watching the sunset. Of course not everyone has friends who will host a party like this but I do recommend not overscheduling yourself and making sure you have some downtime to just sit and enjoy the view
Madison river tubing
Tubing down the river felt like a lazy river but on a real river lol… There are fantastic views and you will have a great time floating and relaxing down the river. The kids loved pointing out the earth giants they saw (they are frozen 2 lovers). This company had tubes with mesh bottoms so the three year old could sit criss-cross and enjoy the float. I would call ahead to reserve your spot and they’ll set up and pick you up about 6 miles later.. Note that the minimum age is 3 and this is a very popular weekend spot. Hold on tight to your littles at the pickup as there were many young adult tubers enjoying themselves and it can get a little crazy.
Bozeman hot springs
About 20 minutes away from Downtown Bozeman is the Bozeman hot springs. They have indoor and outdoor pools with Temps ranging from 50 to 110. The slightly warm pool was our favorite. They also have food and ice cream options here.
Hiking
There are lots of great hiking choices in the area. We did a short wildflower hike at an area called Crosscut. This area is used as a cross country ski training area in the winter and in the other months has nice trails for biking and walking. The trails contained beautiful flowers and views (note how I keep saying views views views in all our to-dos)
(Other hikes recommended close-by: The “M” trail, Drinking Horse Mountain hike)
Other activities
Rodeo: We drove to the Livingston Rodeo about 30 minutes away. If there’s one when you’re going, it’s a fun memorable unique way to spend an evening. The kids loved cheering for the cowboys!
Dinosaur Park: Often in new cities we enjoy exploring nearby playgrounds where the kids can do what they want to and parents can sittervise (me) or go for a run (not me). This was a great park 5 minutes from our hotel with a gated entrance and lots of equipment for different ages.
These are some additional recommendations that we didn’t have time for on this trip
- Museum of the Rockies
- Science Center
- Yellowstone (~2 hours away)
Favorite restaurants
Map Brewing- gorgeous views. As usual, we love breweries for their simple menus (including a kids menu), beer selection, and outdoor space.
Montana ale works- nice patio and delicious food. Burgers and kids meal. A little pricey but worth it.
Thai basil- ordered takeout pad thai and pad see ew. Portions sizes were huge and the food was great!
Winco grocery- This was a random but excellent find. It was a grocery store chain that reminded me of Aldi. Picked up some ice cream, beer and bulk candy
