We stopped in to Butte on our cross country drive and visited the mining museum after lunch in…read moretown. They offer military and other discounts on their entrance fee The gift shop area includes information on local, current mining operations as well as merch. This is an outdoor museum so dress for the weather. If you want to take the under ground tour be sure you are wearing closed toed shoes. (Crocs not included, I don't know why) They also have above ground tours. Part of the property is set up like a western town. Something that would grow up around a mine. Post office, apothecary, carpenter, blacksmith, etc, etc. All these buildings are set up with window displays but most are not open to the public. You just peer thru the windows. There is a memorial garden to miners. A mine yard with pieces of heavy equipment. The motorized lift, miners locker room, light room, information and equipment used in dry and wet boring, 3D representations of mines and more with information posted on the displays. You can walk up into the mine head if you are so inclined to see how the ore chutes operated. We spent about two hours here without realizing it. Very interesting museum. Staff are very personable, answered questions and suggested reading material for more on the subject. Very good, family friendly stop.

Great place to see the history of mining and also you got to go down into the mine.Also Ken is a…read morereally nice person to do the tour with.

Please don't SCREAM INTO A MICROPHONE…read more Each car on this train is equipped with a speaker. The hyper-enthusiastic conductor and tour guide (I didn't catch her name but she's the one who sings the end of each sentence) yelled into her microphone, blasting us with inescapable noise for more than an hour. There was no break or other opportunity to ask her to turn it down. She should have realized how loud it was and adjusted her voice or fine tuned the equipment. This also seemed disrespectful to the neighborhood we were riding through early on a Saturday morning. I finally resorted to putting my hands over my ears and still ended up with tinnitus for the rest of the day. You could easily walk the route that this train covers and see the same old mansions and city buildings. You would not get the commentary, but you would not have your hearing damaged, either.

We were struggling to find things to do in Helena that were dog friendly outside of your typical…read moreparks, hikes, etc. We almost decided to just drive through to the next town, but then we saw on travel zoo that someone had mentioned they were allowed to bring their dog on the train at Last Chance Tours. So we took a chance and headed over first thing in the morning. They said we could bring our dog along so we bought tickets for the first tour. I'm so glad we did! The tour was great and the open air bus kept things cool with a breeze even in warm temperatures. The engineer was incredibly friendly and knowledgeable, and I'm honestly shocked at how much I learned about the history of this town. The kids who had him as their 8th grade history teacher were lucky, indeed.I feel like we got to see it all wrapped up in a neat little bow of a 1 hour tour. The price was incredibly reasonable and if you need to use the restroom before or after your tour you can just walk across the street to the Capitol building. They also offered snacks, drinks and souvenirs for purchase. I highly recommend this to anyone visiting the city. I think even long-time residents would find this a fun, interesting and educational activity.

After breakfast I was looking for things to pass the time to digest while also learning more about…read moreMontana and this museum fit the bill perfectly. This is located right across the Montana State Capitol building. The museum entrance fees are as followed: - $5 (adult) - $1 (children) - $12 (family: 2 adults and immediate children under 19) - free (members) Once you pay your fees you get a sticker and a receipt which you can actually use as admission for two days. You can go in and out during the day as well if you just keep your receipt. There are a good amount of exhibits here, including one about the history of children toys, history of bison and other wildlife in the area, the daily lives of Native Americans, and the journey of Lewis and Clark through Montana. Some of my favorites were reading and seeing clothing, weapons, tipis, and other artifacts that Native Americans used to live, trade, and hunt. You can actually go into a replica of a tipi and sit on one of the chairs like how they would. I also learned about the history of their interactions with Lewis and Clark as they made their way through Montana, including wars that broke out between them and resulted in whites taking over their land and pushing them out. There were also some exhibits about the different tribes in the state and where they lived then and now. This museum was very informative and is exactly what I am looking for when I want to learn about the history of wherever I'm visiting, especially for a small entrance fee. If you're in Helena and looking to learn more about the area I recommend coming here!

This was an excellent visit for our family. The center has a great collection of artifacts from…read moreMontana history. It is right across from the Capital building.

The cobblestone roads and steep hills make this a fun walk back through time along Reeder's Alley…read more There are some interesting old buildings and fences, all that have signs of wear and tear, but plenty of life left for us to appreciate.

Reeder's Alley, one of Montana's oldest streets and longest survivors of man and nature, is a…read morebeautiful testament to the heart of Helena. It is on the national register of historic places and I could really feel the significance of this site when I was there. The alley is easy to miss as it is quite small and hidden from the new streets of Helena. However, there is a big arc sign over the start of the alley that says Reeder's Alley. Parking is on the street or in the few metered spots to the left of the alley. Walking through the arc, I was transported back in time. The brick road, brick buildings and log cabins are something that you don't see much of anymore. And the cracks and imperfections are all what signify the tragedies and realities that this place has gone through since the 1870's. There is an interpretive and convention center located in the back of the alley. Unfortunately, it wasn't open when I was there, but I'm sure there is a ton of interesting information about the place. It was awesome to see that the brick buildings are in use as well. There are several different businesses that are being run inside the alley like Dundee's Barber Shop, Saigon Alley, Top Sign and Graphics and Helena's Visitor Center. They also have one of my favorite things. A little free library. It's where you take a book and replace it with one of your own. Fun for everyone! Overall, Reeder's Alley shows a great deal of strength, heart and willingness to keep it's history alive and thriving.

We had a nice visit to the Capitol. They are doing construction on the outside of the building but…read morestill easy to get to parking that was close to the entrance. There is an information desk in the lobby and security. No need to check in or show ID. The lobby and mezzanine are open to the public. There are bathrooms on the first floor that have decor from the 40's. Very clean, well maintained building. There is also a post office on the first floor. The grounds on the outside were also very pretty and well maintained. We only stayed about 30 minutes, including buying a post card stamp so no need for a long visit. You can wander the halls and look into the senate, house and Supreme Court chambers. It was worth a visit.

I thought this was a cool experience. When we went we only saw like 6 other people in the capital…read more We did a self guided tour and it was a hot day so the AC was a nice break while taking in some history. There is construction so you have to use one of the side entrances. Kids might be bored but the adults will enjoy the history and the AC if it's a hot one outside.

We went on all three tours. The Breweries and Brothels tour was fun and informative. The Limestone…read moretour was a great little hike with wonderful views and gave perspective on how Helena became the city it is today. The tour guides did a fantastic job with their wit and information. Highly recommend!

From the owner: Our business specializes in engaging visitors with the town's unique and colorful history. We offer…read morea low-difficulty experience that allows people to enjoy nature, good company, sunny days, and maybe even a beer at the end.

A contemporary art museum in Helena MT, they have a number of rotating exhibits and a permanent…read morecollection. When we visited, they were operating on a donation basis so we did stuff some money into the donation box as we started our time here. About an hour was enough to peruse through the exhibits. Some classic arts and landscapes, some modern contemporary art, a number of pro-conservation political messages here and there. Nothing outlandish. I especially enjoyed the "Big Sky" paintings by Dale Livezey and was really hoping that there might be a print I could purchase in the gift shop. Sadly no. His amazing landscapes showed a perfect sky with a gradation of color that I have never seen so well executed. It just smoothly blended from dark blue to lighter blue to very light blue with no lines. Perfectly smooth transition and I was very impressed. I would only say to the artist that there is no need to depict a moon, whether crescent or half. Gift shop is interesting, but little of the art on view is available here. Bummer. Street parking available.

Very good art here in a small town and the space is amazing. They have some great classes and…read moreagain the art collection was fantastic.

They don't make it easy to visit and photograph the historic Fire Tower of Helena. We circled it…read moretwice before we found a parking lot for a closed business and were safe leaving the car there for the 20 minutes it took to climb up to the tower and get some pictures. It is a historic monument and icon for the city of Helena. Allegedly, there are only five of its kind still standing in all of the United States. The tower stands 25 feet tall and was built in 1876 after a huge fire destroyed much of the downtown Helena area. Called "The Guardian of the Gulch", it was manned around the clock to keep watch over the city. If a fire was spotted, the alarm was sounded to alert the town to begin fighting a fire. The Guardian is the last remaining tower of the many that once existed in Helena. It was last used in 1931. Certainly worth the effort to get close to it and see the history. The best trail is just off Cruse Avenue across from Broadway. There is a small hillside park with picnic tables.