West-coasters traveling through Montana may not get as far east as Billings, but if you do, there are a good many things there to see that you just shouldn’t miss. One example is the Yellowstone Art Museum, and don’t let the name fool you, it’s not a bunch of geyser-themed artwork. No, it’s a real museum. So if you’re old enough to keep your hands off the exhibits, it’s well worth the visit.
The original building was once a jailhouse, though today it’s been massively expanded, without destroying the original structure. What they did was grow up, out and over to cover that much more space. So now the old front of the building is inside the grand and glassy lobby.
Once inside you’ll find permanent exhibits, as well as rotating exhibits.
And I point out again, as long as you can keep your hands off the artwork, you’ll enjoy what you get to see. We struggled to keep our hands off, but developed our favorites quickly enough that by the time we started heading back out, we already had things we were ready to see again.
If you’ve got the time, and you like art, this is the best art museum we saw in all of Montana. They have all kinds of different artwork, including some famously Montanian artists, so there are all kinds of things to see for a quiet afternoon out of the sun (which is sometimes necessary in the hot summer Montana sun).
They also have a café there that’s so good it’s just about overrun by neighborhood business folk on the lunch hour. If the locals eat there, I believe it’s a good place for anyone to eat.
To get current hours and exhibit info, check them out online at yellowstone.artmuseum.org, and plan on paying a visit. It’s not a whole day museum, so if you’ve got a few hours to spare, this is an excellent way to spend them, especially considering how central it is to the downtown area, where many of the best hotels are located.
