7 Fun Things-to-Do in the Flathead Valley during the Winter (Indoors)

Picnics on the beach at Flathead Lake just aren't as fun in the winter and a huckleberry shake might give you a serious brain-freeze!  If you prefer indoor activities in the winter to playing in the snow, here is a list of great indoor activities for winter in the Flathead Valley!


1. The Theater!  The Flathead Valley, for its population size has some great options if you want to see a play!  Check out the Whitefish Theater Company, the Bigfork Center for the Performing Arts!

2. Bowling Alleys!  The Flathead Valley has several great bowling alleys including Pick's just east of our hotel!
3. Cinch Rodeo Series!  Rodeos aren't just for the Summer!  Check out the indoor Cinch Rodeo Series at the Majestic Valley Arena, just north of Kalispell!
4.Art galleries!  The Flathead Valley is home to several great artists who consistently produce nationally recognized art!  Downtown Bigfork, Lakeside, Whitefish and Kalispell all have several galleries that are open year round!

5. Breweries!  Kalispell, Bigfork, Lakeside and Whitefish all have local breweries that produce some of the finest microbrews in the Northwest!  There's no better way to spend an afternoon in the winter than watching the snow fall outside the window and sipping on great brew!
6. Coffee Shops!  Relax with a cup of joe and a cozy, inspiring setting!  Kalispell, Lakeside and Whitefish all have great coffee shops and bakeries where you can relax, catch up with friends or enjoy a good book in a great atmosphere!
7. Museums and Mansions!  The Hockaday Museum is a great place to check out a variety of Western Art! You can also jet down to Polson on the south end of Flathead Lake and visit their Miracle of America Museum. It has a vast collection, from WWII planes, Native American artifacts, classic cars and homestead antiques!   Don't forget the Conrad Mansion in Kalispell either.  Built by the founder of Kalispell, it has been maintained just as it was built in the late 1800s.  Winter tours are generally available during the holiday season!

Article written by Matt Harrington, marketing specialist at the Best Western Plus Flathead Lake Inn and Suites in Kalispell, MT.  If you're coming to the Flathead, to Kalispell or to Glacier National Park, check out Kalispell's best hotel!

Uber Comes to Kalispell?!?

Getting around in Montana without a personal car has always been difficult.  Public transportation is extremely limited and taxi services are spread thin (huge areas to cover, but insufficient demand to increase in numbers).  It can take over an hour to get a taxi to pick you up in the Flathead.  While renting a car is still the best option for seeing all Glacier Country and Flathead Lake have to offer, if you want to spend a night on the town, a new, better option will soon be available: Uber!  The crowd-sourcing taxi service that has been sweeping the nation is on its way to Montana.  Last spring the Montana legislature paved the road legally and now uber is "driving" down that road to Montana.

Uber is currently registering drivers for Montana (I tried contacting Uber to see when they will be in Kalispell and they haven't go back to me yet, I'll update this when they do).  The registration process is fairly easy, but it does require a driver's license and proof of insurance.  You also have to watch a short training video and have a "newer" car.  If this description of the driver selection process isn't exactly building up your confidence, take a deep breath driver (and passenger) reviews are a key part of what makes this system work.  User reviews will help you determine the trustworthiness of a driver.  If you read a review that makes you nervous, you don't have to get in the car.  Plus, depending on the city you're in, you can request different kinds of cars.

If you're new to the concept of uber check out this link that walks you through exactly how the process works.

So get excited!  Uber is coming to Montana and will make transportation in cities much easier than it was before!






Article written by Matt Harrington, marketing specialist at the Best Western Plus Flathead Lake Inn and Suites in Kalispell, MT.  If you're coming to the Flathead, to Kalispell or to Glacier National Park, check out Kalispell's best hotel!

Flying to Montana as Cheaply as Possible -When and What City

In the last couple months I have thought a lot about flying in and out of Montana.  I recently visited my sister in Boston, MA and was trying to buy the tickets for the lowest possible price.  A flight is such a large percentage of the cost of most vacations that it is worth doing some research.  I read a great article that explained what day of the week to buy (Tuesday 3pm ET), what day of the week to fly (Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Saturdays) and how far in advance to buy (about 1 month out).  It used a huge data set from hundreds of thousands of flights and averaged it altogether.  The problem is, it varies from city to city and while that might give you some guidelines you really have to do your own research for your area and where you'd like to fly.  So I did some research for those of you traveling to Montana.

There are so many variables in the equation so I decided to focus on a couple and collect the price points on Kayak.  I looked at flights from Boston, MA to 6 locations in western Montana and flights from Miami, FL to those same locations.   Then I looked at how the price changed depending on how many weeks or months out you were booking.  I may not have used the city you are flying from, but I think the information will give you an idea of how far out to buy and possibly what city to fly into when you visit Montana.

Observations

When flying into Montana from Boston, the further out you book, the lower price you'll pay (in general).  The best prices for every city were between 4 weeks and 4 months.  Kalispell, was the average cheapest place to fly into and Butte was by far the most pricey.

When flying into Montana from Boston, it seemed best to book last minute or book 4 months in advance.  The best prices for every city were booked 4 months in advance.  Missoula and Helena seemed to be the cheapest places to fly into, while Butte, Kalispell and Bozeman seemed to be the most pricey.

Overall, Butte seemed to be the only city that was significantly more expensive than the others and no city had a corner on the cheap tickets.  If you want the best deal and can plan far out, your best bet is to buy 4 months out.  

Controlling for Variables

I had all flights starting and ending on Tuesdays.  As it happened, none of the flights directly coincided with traditional holiday traveling times (or at least the busiest holiday travel times).  Holiday flight information behaves differently.  All flights were booked for 2 adult travelers.  I did not look at total flight time or stops.


Article written by Matt Harrington, marketing specialist at the Best Western Plus Flathead Lake Inn and Suites in Kalispell, MT.  If you're coming to the Flathead, to Kalispell or to Glacier National Park, check out Kalispell's best hotel!

10 Fast, Fun, Facts about the Flathead (the Valley, the Lake, the River and the County)

Here are some fun, fast facts about the Flathead Valley.  For clarification, when people say “the Flathead” they could mean one of several things: the Flathead Valley, the Flathead River (or one of its 3 forks), The Flathead Lake or Flathead County.  Flathead County encompasses most of the Flathead Valley and some of the Bob Marshall Wilderness Complex to the East but does not include the land bordering the lower half of Flathead Lake.

The Flathead Valley from Lone Pine State Park

1.  Flathead Lake, to the South of Kalispell is the largest freshwater lake West of the Mississippi (in the continental US).
2. Flathead County has an estimated population of 94,900.  3^rd most populated county in Montana.
3. Only about 30,000 residents live in the incorporated towns of Kalispell, Columbia Falls and Whitefish.  The rest live in the country and in smaller communities.
4. 94% of the 5,000 + square miles of land in Flathead County is National Forest, State Forest, Corporate Timber, Wilderness or Agricultural.  Only 6% is developed.
5.  The total population of the Flathead increases by 40% from June through August.
6.  Dorothy M. Johnson, a Western Novelist, who had 3 of her books made into movies was a long-time Flathead Valley resident.
7.  The town of Kalispell (the largest town in the valley) was incorporated when the Great Northern Railway was built through the valley in 1891.  Prior to 1884 there wasn’t even a post office in the Flathead Valley.
8. The Flathead River and its 3 forks (North Fork, South Fork and Middle Fork) have 219 miles of designated scenic river.
9. Between 3 and 5 million pounds of cherries are harvested in the Flathead Valley every year.
10.  The Flathead Valley is named after the Native American tribe known by that name that now resides on a reservation bordering the south end of Flathead Lake.

Article written by Matt Harrington, marketing specialist at the Best Western Plus Flathead Lake Inn and Suites in Kalispell, MT.  If you're coming to the Flathead, to Kalispell or to Glacier National Park, check out Kalispell's best hotel!

Flathead Cherries- Festival, Seasons and Orchard - Flathead Lake's Fruit

You’ll see the signs and roadside stands all over as you drive in the Flathead Valley and near Glacier National Park:  “Huckleberries and Flathead Cherries Sold Here!”  Huckleberries get a little more publicity, but their domesticated rival, the Flathead Cherry, deserves some credit in the delicious category too.  Flathead Cherries are technically the Lambert variety of sweet cherries, but have their own unique flavor because of where they are grown.  Often colored in both yellow and light red, they have the perfect amount of sweetness combined with a savory flavor. 



As you can see the big three are: Cherries, Huckleberries and Jerky (not necessarily in that order)

Cherries? Montana in Montana?!  Isn't it too cold?

The Flathead Lake region is actually ideal for cherry production given its altitude, water access, soil and moderate climate.  "Cool evenings are our saving grace," said one Flathead cherry grower.  Apparently 40-50 degree evenings combined with warm days are ideal for extending the cherry growing season.  The early cherry growers must have realized this when they started growing cherries in the Flathead over 80 years ago in 1932!  The Flathead Cherry Growers Association has been around since 1935.  



Cherry Stand near West Glacier, MT

The Flathead typically produces between 3 and 5 million pounds of cherries every year with a high of 7 million.  There are 120 cherry growers in the Flathead.  This isn't close to the volume that Washington state produces, but Montana is among the top cherry producers in the nation.  

Where? When?  How?

The timing and volume of cherry crops are extremely weather dependent (this year the harvest was earlier because of the hot weather in June), but in general the cherry harvest occurs in mid July and lasts for 2-3 weeks.  Polson's Cherry Festival celebrating the beloved fruit is typically slated for mid to late July.  This event is a must attend if you are in the area!  Vendors line the streets and there are all manner of cherry related contests including: pie eating, stem tying and pit spitting.  

As stated in the beginning of this article, during the harvest you can buy them at almost any roadside stand anywhere near Flathead Lake and Glacier.  You can often get them in grocery stores and they are even sold at super markets in some northwest, midwest and southwest states.  

But if you want the most authentically Montana experience in obtaining your cherries, you can pick them right from the tree!  Hockaday Orchards, just south of Lakeside on the West shore of Flathead Lake will let you pick your own cherries at $1 a pound!  Or you can adopt your own tree at Point Caroline Orchards!


Article written by Matt Harrington, marketing specialist at the Best Western Plus Flathead Lake Inn and Suites in Kalispell, MT.  If you're coming to the Flathead, to Kalispell or to Glacier National Park, check out the Trip Advisor number 1 Kalispell hotel!

As Sweet as Authentic Montana Honey

"Honey is a 12 million dollar industry in Montana," my Montana legislator friend remarked in the midst of a discussion on cottage industries.   Montana isn't known for honey, but perhaps it should be.  The industry isn't huge, but as far as honey goes, Montana was second in dollars of honey sold only to North Dakota (South Dakota was a close 3rd).   Not only are sales high, it tastes pretty amazing too!

Employees pour honey into containers

If you like sweets, it is difficult not to like honey!  I recently toured Glacier County Honey Company during "Fill Your Own Bucket Day".  The process is pretty amazing and so is the honey.  The honey is transferred from the boxes you'll see in fields by simply pulling out the trays that are already in the boxes.  The trays are sealed with wax and put in a hot room.  They are then transferred to a couple pretty impressive machines that first pull all the honey and wax out of the trays and then separate the wax from the honey.  

Honey Bear and Glacier County Honey Co.

They make Christmas ornaments out of the wax and all the honey goes through a set of pipes and comes out of spicket-like piece of hardware on the wall, almost as if it is on-tap.  I was amazed that when I handed them my mason jar, they didn't get any honey on the lid.  In addition to the honey and wax products they sold their own blend of Montana Coffee Traders Coffee and they even had a delicious honey bar recipe!

Great idea for a tasty treat

From what I understand, honey varies greatly by the environment in which it is made so even within the Flathead or Glacier Country the taste of honey can vary significantly.  So this summer, try something Montana may not be well known for, but certainly should be: honey!

The process: start to finish

Glacier County Honey Company is located near Babb, MT and the Many Glacier entrance to Glacier National Park.  

Great Northern Honey Company is located in Columbia Falls, MT near the West Glacier entrance to Glacier National Park.

Both companies have a list of local retailers that sell their honey. Glacier County Honey Company sells directly to customers and can give you a tour if you stop by as well!

Best Restaurants Glacier National Park

Its late and you are just getting out of Glacier National Park.  By the time you get back to Kalispell it will be eight o'clock and you are hungry now!  Is there anywhere you can eat that is closer to Glacier, actually has decent food and isn't trying to rip you off ?!  Oh, you don't want to eat in a seedy bar either?! Why yes, there are several places!  We have divided our suggestions by where you might be coming from in Glacier.

The Pole Bridge Mercantile

Polebridge/Bowman Lake:  If you are adventurous enough to drive up the West Side of Glacier along the North Fork of the Flathead you will come to a town....of sorts, Polebridge!  It happens to have 2 restaurants and a bakery and they're all good!  The Polebridge Home Ranch Bottoms serves standard burgers and fries, and also features Taco Tuesdays!  Northern Lights Saloon and Cafe serves classic burgers and fries and also features pizza on Fridays (sometimes featuring live music)!  The Polebridge Mercantile has one of the best bakeries around....their huckleberry bear claws are to die for!

Where the pies from the Huckleberry Patch Go

Hungry Horse/ West Glacier: Most of the restaurants in West Glacier are overpriced and crowded.  Hungry Horse, just down the road, might be busy, but it has some unique options that are worth stopping for.  If you are looking for a huckleberry shake to hold you over, the Huckleberry Patch and Willow's Huckleberry Haven are good places to start.  The Huckleberry Patch even ships their pies nation-wide!  Hungry Horse is kind of the Huckleberry Mecca of Montana, but unfortunately I haven't found the classic Glacier trifecta (burger, fries and shake) all at the same place in the town of Hungry Horse.  For that you have to go to The Glacier Grill.  The Glacier Grill is a great place for standard burgers, fries and shakes (shakes are spendy though).  They also make tasty pizza!

Two Medicine/East Glacier: If you have been exploring the East side of Glacier and are on your way back to Kalispell don't overlook East Glacier's dining options.  It has two superb bakeries: Rock 'n Roll Bakery and Brownies.  It also has one of the best Mexican Restaurant in Glacier Country, Serranos!  Serranos doesn't open until 5pm and many entrees cost around $12-15 but it is worth waiting for.  Great Chimichangas!  Two Medicine Grill offers the standard burgers and fries but their unique feature is that they bake the best (arguably) huckleberry pies in Glacier Country!  If you are looking for a tasty, slightly more healthy option, check out Luna's for some mouth-watering wraps!

Babb/ Many Glacier:  If you're coming out of Many Glacier around dinner time, you might not have too many options, but Two Sisters Grill is always worth a stop!  Classic burgers, fries and shakes with a few unique features and a funky atmosphere that completes the unique experience!


Article written by Matt Harrington, marketing specialist at the Best Western Plus Flathead Lake Inn and Suites in Kalispell, MT.  If you're coming to the Flathead, to Kalispell or to Glacier National Park, check out the Trip Advisor number 1 Kalispell hotel!