With its abundance of outdoor recreation opportunities, from alpine lakes to hiking trails to ski resorts, Montana is the type of destination where the rain can significantly impact your itinerary.
While it’s difficult to do a lot of Montana-specific activities when it’s pouring out, there are still plenty of ways to have fun when the weather is not on your side.
To make sure you don’t feel stuck in your lodgings, we have provided a list of the best things to do in Montana when it’s raining.
1. C.M. Russell Museum, Great Falls
The C.M. Russell Museum pays tribute to Montana’s great cowboy artist Charles M. Russell. The museum displays his collection of work through a number of permanent and temporary exhibits, as well as giving insight into his life and character.
If you happen to be in Great Falls on a rainy day, a visit to this museum and art gallery is a great way to have fun, learn a lot, and keep dry! Though you are free to explore the museum at your own pace, the museum also runs guided tours.
The museum is open most days of the year, though the hours vary between winter and summer. Admission is $14 for adults, with discount prices available for seniors and students, and active military members and their families are admitted for free.
2. Spotted Bear Spirits, Whitefish
Another ideal way to spend a rainy day in Montana is by visiting a distillery. There are several to choose from across the state, with one of the best being Spotted Bear Spirits in Whitefish.
The tasting room is open from Tuesday through Sunday, 4 p.m. through 8 p.m. Each person over 21 can sample two cocktails in the tasting room, and there is a long list of drinks to choose from on the menu, including those made with vodka, gin, and coffee liqueur.
The distillery is also offering tours of its production facilities. Admission costs $20 per person and tours run for an hour.
3. Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center, Great Falls
The Lewis and Clark Expedition was significant to Montana’s history, and there’s no better way to pay tribute to the Corps of Discovery and learn more about this important event than to visit the Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center in Great Falls.
The museum resides on the side of a rocky cliff near the Missouri River—a waterway that was instrumental in the expedition.
It exhibits several interesting artifacts and displays, including maps that were available at the time, and tells the story of the Plains and Northwest Indians.
Admission is $8 for adults over 15, while children can enter for free. The museum is open all year round with varying hours from season to season.
4. Museum of the Rockies, Bozeman
Montana has a rich paleontological legacy, serving as the site of several previously unearthed dinosaur fossils. There are museums all over the state that are part of Montana’s Dinosaur Trail, but the most famous is Bozeman’s Museum of the Rockies—a must for dinosaur fans, whether it’s raining or not.
The museum is a division of Montana State University and is home to one of the few mounted Tyrannosaurus rex skeletons in the country.
You’ll also find a nearly complete Allosaurus skeleton from the Jurassic period, plus several other non-dinosaur-related exhibits, including Enduring Peoples, Paugh History, and Explore Yellowstone.
The museum is open year-round, except for New Year’s Day, Thanksgiving, and Christmas, from 9 a.m. through 5 p.m. Admission is $18 for adults with discounts available for various groups, and members and children under five can enter for free.
5. Norris Hot Springs, Norris
