6 Best Sights in Kalispell, Kalispell, Missoula, and Northwest Montana

A town highlight is the Conrad Mansion National Historic Site Museum, a 26-room Norman-style mansion that was the home of Charles E. Conrad, who made a fortune in shipping and freighting on the Missouri River and founded Kalispell. Docents lead entertaining and informative guided tours, including a variety of special theme tours offered throughout the year.

Inside the historic Great Northern Depot is visitor information from the Kalispell Chamber of Commerce and the Flathead Convention and Visitors Bureau. Outside is the lovely Depot Park, where live music, arts shows, a gazebo, picnicking, and a playground attract both locals and travelers.

Housed in a renovated, turn-of-the-20th-century Carnegie library building, the Hockaday Museum of Art presents contemporary art exhibits focusing on Montana artists and the art and culture of Glacier National Park.

At an elevation of 2,959 feet, this 186-acre park offers breathtaking views of Kalispell, Flathead Lake, and the Whitefish Mountain Range. Features include a self-guided nature trail, a gift shop and visitor center that has exhibits detailing the local wildlife and ecology, nature interpretive programs, picnic areas and shelters, horse trails, and a horseshoe pit. Be sure to bring your camera.

You can ring the old school bell at the Northwest Montana History Museum, housed in the Central School building that served as the educational backdrop for students of the Flathead Valley for nearly 100 years. The museum hosts galleries, activities, and displays about regional heritage and history, including local Native American culture. You'll also find a café, a museum store, conference rooms, and a reference library.

One of 28 city green spaces, Woodland Park has a playground, ball fields, rose gardens, and a picnic area. Geese, ducks, peacocks, and black swans flutter to the pond, which in winter opens for ice skating; there's a warming hut nearby. Open June–August, Woodland Water Park is an affordable and popular attraction with a pool, waterslides, and the "Lazy River" float.