Pollard Hotel
Red Lodge

Buffalo Bill Cody and Calamity Jane once stayed in this historic lodge that’s been around since 1893 and was completely renovated in 1994. As the first brick structure in Red Lodge, "old-fashioned comfort" reigns supreme, but now the lodge also offers modern conveniences from oversized Jacuzzi tubs to treadmills--garnering it wide recognition and several awards. Once in your room, "peer out of the lace curtains to look over Main Street and get transported back to another time and place." Each night’s stay includes a full breakfast and "warm, Western hospitality from the moment you walk through the door." If you can manage to tear yourself away from the lodge, Beartooth Highway takes you on one of the country’s most scenic drives to Cody, Wyoming. Read more.

Sweet Pea Festival of the Arts
Bozeman

Going on almost 30 years of celebrating the arts, this community and family-oriented event is "very unique." Every year in August there’s "food, music, arts, crafts, flowers, a parade, outdoor plays, fun-runs, and even a charity ball." The founders’ vision was to cultivate a community-building event around the celebration of arts and culture in Bozeman. What started as a group of 17 organizers now includes: 35 committees, 50 year-round board members, and up to 2,000 volunteers. In fact, the entire festival is volunteer-run and organized. Continuing in the community spirit, any profits realized after the year’s expenses are paid goes straight back to the community in the form of grants for arts, arts education, and special projects." Read more.

Calf-A Cafe
Dell

Some claim Dell, Montana’s population to be 37, and others counter that "it depends on the time of day"--either way, it’s a small town with a big restaurant following. If you find yourself driving between Salt Lake and Butte on I-15, stop by the Calf-A Café and take a seat at one of the "large farm tables surrounded by blackboards and books"--after all it was a schoolhouse from 1903 to 1963. A restaurant since 1978, the menu, including hot-beef sandwiches and cherry pie, is "a divine example of excellent, home-cooked farm food," and the service has been described as "homespun." The décor is "quaint," with an "early-40s theme." Order the daily special written on one of the blackboards, then marvel at memorabilia like vintage rifles, a fur-bearing trout, bedpan banjo, and well-worn school desks.

Plonk Wine Bar
Bozeman

British slang for "cheap wine," Plonk is the name of this three-year-old wine bar that’s even captured the hearts of loyal cowboy bar-goers. It’s definitely more urban than country, with candle-lit tables and "cozy couches." The wine list spans the spectrum, and "they have a full bar with sake and offer great prices on wine." In fact, they "sell you the bottle for a little over wholesale." The cheese plates include tastes from around the globe and pumpkin seeds that can only be eaten by the handful. This wine bar also features daily lunch and dinner service and DJs on Friday nights.

Fort Peck Theater
Glasgow

When the Army Corps of Engineers came to Fort Peck to build what has become the largest embankment dam and fifth largest man-made reservoir in the U.S., they also designed and constructed a temporary structure that is today’s Fort Peck Summer Theater. Set along the shore of the Fort Peck Reservoir, the "setting is picturesque," and the theater was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983. Every summer, professional actors and technicians descend on Fort Peck from various areas within the region to put on a season of performances. The many volunteers of the Fort Peck Fine Arts Council, Inc. keep the theater going strong year after year--recognizing the vibrant and vital role the theater serves for culture in the community. Read more.