KOA, also known as Kampgrounds of America, has carved out a clever corporate niche in a world of otherwise independent providers. While you technically need nothing more than a few square feet upon which to pitch your tent, KOA has brought in a nationwide corporate brand, and in doing so, they’ve managed to successfully prey on consumers unaware that there is in fact an alternative. Continue Reading

One of the easiest attractions to find in Butte, Montana, is the trolley tour offered by the chamber of commerce. Sure it’s fun and a good value, but it’s also expertly hosted and a great way to get a glimpse of all the other in-town attractions so you can decide for yourself what it is you want to see more of, and even where you might want to bed down for the night.
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Of all the things we saw in Montana, this was one of the best, most interesting for all ages, and most memorable too. It’s reasonably priced, has tons of stuff to check out and do, and even if you don’t do the underground tour, you can easily spend a few hours there without seeing anything twice.
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On our first run through Montana, we drove right past the Mineral Museum on the university campus in Butte (on purpose) to head for the World Museum of Mining. I can’t pretend that the World Museum of Mining isn’t plain fantastic (worthy of recommendation to friends and strangers alike) but we didn’t just miss the Mineral Museum, we really missed out, and we didn’t know so until we swung back through our second time. It’s pretty darn good in fact.
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As an ever-traveling tourist, it’s easy to give up the easy “gimme” destinations in any given town. If you’re in San Francisco, you need to check out the Golden Gate Bridge, or if you’re in Shanghai you need to check out the Great Panda, but when you’re in any town, you really should stop in the local visitors center, and Butte Montana has a great one.
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Just up the hill from the city of Butte is a little thing attraction they call the Mining Museum. It isn’t really a museum so much as a cubicle-half-height wall with a bunch of names and plaques on it, but it’s free as long as you can endure the dust and heat, and if you’re in the area anyhow, it’s honestly almost worth a visit.
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Montana has a real surplus of a few things. They’ve got more sky than they know what to do with (a “big sky” if you will), empty stretches of well-maintained roads, and they’ve also got more ghost towns than any state should ever have need for, especially on a per capita basis. But if you like ghost towns, and I sure as heck do, the best one in Montana is easily Bannack State Park.
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There’s a city in Montana called Butte, and I know what you’re thinking, it sounds like something else (specifically “cute,” — which as far as cities go, it is — but there’s a lot more to the place than just having a great name. Turns out it also has a great history, but I’m not going to spend any time on that either. I’m here to talk about the Berkeley Pit.
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The $20 tickets, on sale since November 1st, are about to get a little more popular, at least in Butte, a town long famous for gambling of the less-than-legal variety. It seems the top prize ticket was issued there at a Town Pump, and one lucky resident is seeing green.
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Butte Montana has a solid handful of things going for it. Not the least of which is that an easy majority of the buildings in town are built out of brick, which is odd all by itself, though odder still, you won’t find a brick museum. One of the less assuming attractions in Butte is the Piccadilly Transportation Memorabilia Museum, which is pretty sound, even without keeping the free admission in mind.
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