• “The Park” = Yellowstone National Park. Usage: “Are you going to the park while you’re visiting?”

• “The Canyon” = Gallatin Canyon, the road to Big Sky

• KGLT - the Local’s radio station with live DJs, only music, no commercials. 91.9fm Bozeman and world-wide at kglt.net

• “Bridger” = Bridger Bowl, the local’s ski area 17 miles up Bridger Canyon

• “The M” is how we refer to the giant M on the Bridger Mountains just north of town. The M is also a trail you might want to hike (2.5miles)

• MSU = Montana State University, the Fighting Bobcats (Blue & Gold). (Never mention UofM or Missoula or make the unforgivable mistake of wearing maroon or driving a maroon rental car)

• Helena pronounced: ‘Hell - En - Uh   (not Hell - ‘Ane - Uh)

• Creek or Crick (either works)

• Meagher County (the first governor of Montana was Thomas Francis Meagher) = pronounced “mar” (not meager)

• Montana’s standard license plate starts with a number from 1-56, one for each county in the state. Bozeman is #6 (1=Butte; 56=Libby).

• Go on a bike tour with Bozeman Bike Tours - duh…

• Rent bikes from Owenhouse Cycling:

  • A fun way to get around and see Bozeman

  • Explore the trails right in town: See GVLT Digital Trail Map

• Last Best Comedy Club (find it!)

• The Great Rocky Mountain Toy Company

• Shop, eat and drink downtown

• Self Guided Downtown, Cemetery, Historic Home Walking tours - Gallatin History Museum

• Hike the M

• Walk up Peet’s Hill for sunset

• Guided Walking Tours - Bozeman’s Extreme History Project

• Bozeman Bucks Legion Baseball

• Live music - it’s in the Bozone

• Swim at Bogert Park Pool

• Gallatin History Museum (right downtown)

• Museum of the Rockies (dinosaurs)

• Hike Crosscut & Bridger Bowl

• MSU Campus Tours

• See a film at the Ellen Theater with Bozeman Film Society (google it)

• Monday: Go Bowling at The Bowl

• Tuesday: Farmers Market at Lindley Park (east main)

• Wednesday: Do Something.

• Thursday: Music On Main (you can’t miss it!). And Valley View Rodeo (fairgrounds)

• Fridays: Art Walk Downtown Bozeman & Livingston

• Saturday: Farmers Market at Gallatin County Fairgrounds

• Other: Sweet Pea Fest; Gallatin County Fair; Rodeo at Fairgrounds; Raptor Festival

• Bozeman Distillery - local whiskey

• Mountain’s Walking Brewery & Eatery

• Map Brewery - best views while drinking local beer

• Bacchus Pub - bar and good grub in lobby of the famous Baxter Hotel

• Bozeman Distillery - tasting room and full bar. Bozeman’s whiskey.

• SkyShed Rooftop bar at Armory Hotel or below at the Tune Up Bar with live music

• Crystal Bar - and rooftop bar

• 317 Pub - (think Irish, 3-17). The locals will be there all day

• The Eagles FOE - It’s not ever gonna change

• The Haufbrau - College drinking hole since forever

• Filling station - A former gas station, bikers bar and now music venue

• Molly Brown - College bar with pool tables, foosball and live gambling

• R-Bar - you might have heard of it

• Plonk - eat or drink

• Daniels Gourmet Meats - Find it! Amazing Jerky, Meat Stix and complete butcher shop

• Cateye Cafe — breakfast

• Nova Cafe — breakfast

• Western Cafe — breakfast - go early

• Jam — breakfast - yummy so go early

• Wild Crumb Bakery — breakfast/lunch

• Pickle Barrel — lunch - great for a hangover

• Fink’s Deli — lunch

• Revelry — lunch

• Hafbrau — lunch

• The Coop - two locations — lunch/dinner

• Food Trucks on 7th — lunch/dinner

• Nina’s Tacos — lunch/dinner

• Roost - best chicken in Montana — lunch/dinner

• Black Bird — dinner

• Little Star — dinner

• Plonk — dinner

• Carlisle — dinner (mellow substitute to Montana Aleworks)

• Fresco Cafe — dinner; best Italian in town

• Pizza Campania — dinner

• The Eagles - local’s Friday night burger night — dinner

• Whistle Pig Korean — takeaway or eat-in

• Naked Noodle — takeaway or eat-in

• Tarantino’s Pizza — takeaway or eat-in at 317 Pub with some whiskey

• How to YNP (Yellowstone initials) - arrive at the gate before 7:15am or expect to wait in line; or arrive after 10am. Hire a guide - Lets Go Adventure Tours are the best.

• How to raft or tube - Call Montana Whitewater - they’ll take care of you.

• How to ride a Horse - Canyon Adventures, Big Sky.

• Big Sky - visitbigsky.com or BigSkyBozeman.com

• Livingston - Go to the Murray Bar. Then walk Main Street.

• Chico Hot Springs. Go early in the day - fresh water and no people. Go later if you want to socialize.

• Norris Hot Springs. Go early in the day, avoid the crowds.

• Fish - Hire a guide. They’re all good.

• Beautiful drives — Find It: 

  • The town of Sedan. 

  • Old Saloon, Paradise Valley. 

  • Plentywood - seriously far away, but a beautiful drive.

• Rodeos: Weekly at Bozeman Fairgrounds. Also each summer in: Livingston, White Sulfur Springs, Three Forks, Big Sky and more.

Just a few to impress your friends. Wiki the rest:

• Bozeman has over 300 sunny days per year

• Spring rain is rare. Rather, it snows through May (sometime severe snow storms in June)

• Bozeman established 1864

• Montana, 41st state in 1889

  • Population, 2024: 1,137,233

  • State Area: 154,546 square miles
    (Compare Massachusetts = 10,565 sm. So 15 MA fit into Montana. Or Minnesota = 79,626 sm. So about 2 MN fit into Montana)

  • People per square mile: 7.7 people

• Gallatin County - Bozeman is county seat.

  • Gallatin County is America’s Drunkest county: 26.8% of people in Gallatin, MT are excessive drinkers. The next 5 counties behind Gallatin are all in Wisconsin (intoxistates.com)

• Gallatin - River and County named after Albert Gallatin - Secretary of the Treasury in 1805. He’s the guy who paid for the Lewis and Clark expedition.

• Madison - River and County named after James Madison - Secretary of State in 1805. He’s the guy who authorized the Lewis and Clark expedition.

• Jefferson - River and County named after Thomas Jefferson - President responsible for the Louisiana Purchase and mastermind of the Lewis and Clark expedition.

• Three Forks - the headwaters of the Missouri River formed from the confluence of three rivers: Jefferson, Madison and Gallatin.

• Missouri River - In case you forgot, it flows 2341 miles from Three Forks, MT, all the way to St Louis, MO where it joins the Mississippi. Fun fact, eh?

Bears are a factor in SW Montana. Things to know:

• In the Bozeman area grizzly bears have not been seen in decades. You might see black bears. For statistics over a hundred years there are no confirmed fatalities caused by black bears.

• Bear Encounters Info

• Safety in numbers: bear encounters are significantly low when there are lots of people - in your group or on busy trails. Many of the trailheads in town are frequented by lots of people and bear sightings are rare in those locations.

• Carrying bear spray is recommended for trails out of town. Notice what the locals are doing - if you see lots of locals with bear spray, maybe you should have some too (or stay near someone who is carrying, right?).

• Bear Spray: What you need to know.

• What to do with bear spray when you fly home? At the airport, before you go to security, drop it off in a donate/recycle bin at the Yellowstone Forever Store near the baggage claim on the first floor.