MontanaWithKids.com

Blockbuster films probably aren’t the first thing you think of when you make your list of booming businesses in Montana, but, the film industry, flush with a new blast of cash from the stimulus package, has set its sights once again on the big sky state, and is already making strides to aid the state’s economy.
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Billings, Montana is a really great city, and not just because every third hotel has a water slide, but because there’s so much history stuffed into such a small area, really making Billings worth driving that far out for. One exceptional example is Moss Mansion, and not just because it’s a really cool old house, but because of the man who built it and the family he raised to live there.
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Dateline: Terry, Montana 05-26-2009 10:00 AM MST – The July WTI crude oil price is a basic no change down 21 cents to $61.46 a barrel. The spot market gasoline price is up 1 cent per gallon and diesel no change so far this morning. The average price for regular unleaded gasoline is $2.421 per gallon in the U.S. with the West Coast at $2.667 per gallon. (more…)

We’ve made no qualms about the great times we’ve had in Billings, and no review series would be complete without a write-up of one of the best places in the area, the Western Heritage Museum. Sure, it’s historic, and sure, it’s fun and interesting, but more than any of that, did you know it’s also Smithsonian accredited? Well it’s that, and affordable!
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One of the funnest distractions we ever found in all our cowboy adventures was this new game I think they just invented called “Horseshoes”. It works like this: you kindly explain to your horses that they’re in a ‘no shoe’ pasture, ask them to kick them off, and then to be a wise Alec, you throw them as far as you possibly can. Ringer!
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A town so far east we barely made it out there on our first trip is Billings. Once you’re there, you’re half way from the Pacific Ocean to Minneapolis, and with our schedule getting busier and busier with each passing day, we weren’t even sure if we’d make it out there, but boy are we glad that we did.
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We spent three weeks in Montana last June/July and another three weeks last August, so when we announced our nine week tour for this summer, friends and family said, “Boy, you guys sure like Montana, don’t you?” Well yes we do, and there are a number of reasons why. Rather than email every single person individually, we decided to publish a story detailing some of the many reasons why big sky country is a place that, once you see it, you just can’t get it out of your head.
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Terry, Montana – My wife and I recently struck up a conversation with a very nice elderly couple while shopping and waiting in line to have some fabric cut at the Jo-Ann store in Bellevue, Washington. The wait was almost 45 minutes so we had plenty of time to discuss various subjects. Our conversation quickly turned to the state or our economy after comparing how many years each of us have been married to our spouses. (more…)

Whether you’re a long-time fan or you just “herd” of this recently, there is an attraction about to make its way through West Yellowstone for the last time. Don’t worry, you’ve still got a while to see it. I mean I don’t want you to cause a stampede or anything.
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It seems that once you hit the summer scorching states, a big percentage of them have water attractions designed to draw you in. Some are better than others, though, and others still soak you twice when it comes to price. We stayed at plenty, but our favorite by a good margin was the Wingate by Wyndam in Missoula. They’ve got the value, quality, convenience and good rooms too.
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Later this summer we’ll be spending some time out at the Bar N Ranch in West Yellowstone. It’s one of those cozy, unbeatable places where it’s strongly advised to book as far in advance as possible, and plan to struggle debating between the many activities available and your natural desire to just sit back and watch the sun set. In response to strong and growing demand, they’ve made a big announcement this week.
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When we set out for the second time to spend a few weeks in Montana, we pledged to ourselves to hit all the big hotspots we missed the first time around. That means we’d hit Glacier National Park, Yellowstone National Park, Great Falls, Kalispell and even get up to Havre… but there are just so many things to see, it didn’t happen. From that whole list, the only place we got to was Great Falls, and it was well worth the trip.
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Of all the things we saw in Montana, this was one of the best, most interesting for all ages, and most memorable too. It’s reasonably priced, has tons of stuff to check out and do, and even if you don’t do the underground tour, you can easily spend a few hours there without seeing anything twice.
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It is Cinco de Mayo in the US to celebrate Mexican heritage and pride. We also commemorate this day in Holland as Bevrijdingsdag or Liberation Day. It is celebrated each year on May 5th in the Netherlands (the official name for Holland) to mark the end of the Nazi occupation during World War II. (more…)

we spent six weeks performing our reviews last summer, and the benefit was so great that we already have 4-6 articles scheduled to run every week from now through July. Much of what’s missing is hotels, and we’d love to get your Montana Hotel, Motel or Resort included in our next round of reviews.

We’ll be spending almost nine straight weeks on our 2009 tour, so your hotel can get in on this opportunity.
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After contact with chambers from every region of the state and many specific cities, we have the good fortune to announce that our summer 2009 tour dates have been, more or less, finalized. Although we still have the flexibility to adjust individual days, and in some lesser cases, the cities, what follows is our complete city-by-city schedule for this summer. (more…)

Super Bowl Fever is gone, March Madness is over but April swine flu fever is now spreading throughout the world. This dreadful disease has to be stopped dead in its tracks at least by calling it at least calling it something else. (more…)