9 Best Shopping in Billings, Little Big Horn, and the Montana Plains, Montana

Al’s Bootery corrals your toes into no-nonsense work boots, moccasins, and fancy cowboy boots with prices to suit the ranch hand's wallet as well as the millionaire ranch owner's.

In downtown Great Falls, this outdoors specialty store carries everything from camping-stove fuel and freeze-dried food to ice-climbing equipment and kayaks. The store also rents canoes, kayaks, stand-up paddleboards, cross-country skis, skate skis, and snowshoes.

Thanks to insightful city planners, Great Falls is blessed with a beautiful and extensive downtown shopping district full of the kind of old-fashioned stores—including galleries, toy stores, and clothiers—that in other parts of the country are rapidly giving way to chain stores and shopping malls. During the summer the downtown area comes alive with events such as the Great Falls Farmer's Market, held outside the Civic Center from June through September, and Alive at Five, which brings live music downtown one evening a week. Most of these businesses are in an area bounded by the Missouri River, 8th Street, 4th Avenue North, and 4th Avenue South.

Impressionist images by the award-winning Montanan artist Harry Koyama are on view at Harry Koyama Fine Art. Subjects include horses, wildlife, Native Americans, and landscapes.

The craftspeople at Miles City Saddlery, in business since 1909, design custom saddles of legendary quality. They also craft saddlebags, holsters, and other leather goods. Even if you're not buying, this is worth a stop.

Rand’s Custom Hats creates cowboy hats for working cowboys and movie stars, and will custom-fit a felt fur hat. Prices range from $300 to $2,000.

Contemporary artists are represented at the downtown Toucan Gallery. On display are paintings, sculptures, ceramics, fabric art, glass pieces, jewelry, and artisan-made gifts.