One thing we had a chance to catch on our tour last summer was the Havre Fair, and no trip to the fair would be complete without taking in the rodeo. This isn’t the pro-circuit, but it has every last thrill you’d hope to see, plus a few surprises as well. After a long day of getting full on the food and dizzy on the rides, I can’t think of a better way to end the day than by sitting down and taking in the Havre rodeo in its full spectacle. Continue Reading

The Great Northern Fair in Havre has everything you could ever want from a fair, like ten tons of food, great shopping, daily shows, midway games and a full assortment of rides for the very young right up through the more adult-centric sorts. But there is more to it that makes it great… did I mention admission is free? Continue Reading

The first settler in what ultimately became Havre was John Bell, a sergeant from Fort Assinniboine. His first home was nothing more than a log cabin, but when the railroad came through, more settlers showed up, and they became the farmers, ranchers, and entrepreneurs of the city. As their fortunes grew, so too did the need for permanent homes, and so was born the stunning city you can still see today. Continue Reading

Havre isn’t the biggest city you’ll find on your travels, even if you’re just traveling through Montana, but it is a magnet city for the surrounding counties along the high-line, and as such it has many offerings you might only expect from much larger cities. Pro Putt is a fine example. It’s fun, well maintained, and offers more than just your regular mini-golf experience. Continue Reading

As a Seattle native, I’m no stranger to “underground” tours, so when I read that Havre had one of their own, I was intrigued, but seriously skeptical. Unlike Seattle, Havre doesn’t have wicked hills to cut into the geo-history of the town, so I was understandably surprised when I found out that there was such a wealth of history, and fascinating history at that, beneath the streets of Havre. Continue Reading

The fort was built as a tribute to Sitting Bull, and it was meant to keep the peace between white settlers and the Sioux, a people who lived all around the south and central areas of Montana. This fort was charged with the impossible task of keeping the peace in an area so large it could barely be contained with today’s technology, but the history of this fort and those who lived and worked there has not been forgotten. Continue Reading

Havre isn’t a huge city, but they still act like one when it comes to civic recreation. Even though they aren’t huge, they still have 22 city parks within the city. These parks cover almost any activity you could imagine, like playground equipment, picnic areas, ballfields, tennis courts, volleyball courts, basketball courts, and even a skate park, all complete with working drinking fountains and clean restrooms. Continue Reading

As with any good tourist attraction, the Buffalo Jump in Havre is conveniently located just behind the shopping mall. Unlike most tourist attractions, however, the mall came much, much later, and the fact that they’re so close is nothing more than a coincidence. If you want to see a well-preserved archeological site complete with more artifacts than could ever be excavated, this slice of American history is just the thing for you. Continue Reading

If you’re looking for a great museum to start your time in Havre, this one has just about everything you’re looking for. It’s conveniently located right off the highway, right inside the Holiday Village Mall. It’s free, and if it doesn’t have enough of a primer for the local area, they’ll gladly point you in the right direction. Continue Reading

Before we arrived in Havre, Montana, we read about the MSU-Northern collection online, and after talking to the people at the Chamber of Commerce, we felt we had to stop in and check it out. During the school year, you can just pop in and see it, but over the summer, it’s better to announce yourself first, which is what we did, and the collection really was pretty darn interesting. Continue Reading

If you’re in the Havre area, you’re going to have to stop and eat at some point, and there’s one place I can recommend higher than any other. Even if you’re just stopping off for a quick break from the Amtrak, this will work, and it’s well worth your time. It’s Wolfer’s Diner and it’s the quintessential 50′s diner, and it’s really fantastic. Continue Reading

Havre is a bigger city than its census population might suggest, and as such, it’s home to more restaurants than you could reasonably expect to try out in a single trip, regardless of how long it might be. This is a city big enough to have its own Walmart, so sorting through the noise to find the rose among thorns might be tricky, so let me suggest a place we sampled that we found exceptional. Continue Reading

In our first two tours, we frequented Motel 6, largely because we didn’t know better. We thought that the rock-bottom lowest price was the best value, but we’ve since learned that it isn’t. On our third tour, we’re proud to say we didn’t once stay at Motel-6, and even though we paid a couple dollars more, we feel we got a better value. We instead aimed for homegrown Montana chains the likes of Townhouse Inns, and our experience in Havre is a fine example of what the great experiences we enjoyed. Continue Reading

When visiting Havre, we had an opportunity to stay at the Best Western Great Northern Inn. It’s the sort of place that has all the quality you come to expect from a brand like Best Western, though at a Montana high-line price low enough to surprise you, but what really made the stay special for us was the level of service we enjoyed during our visit. Continue Reading

We first learned about Havre thanks to Debbie Vandeberg at the Chamber of Commerce. We were looking for a Montana destination with character, personality, and enough fun to keep short-attention-span tourists like us entertained while we checked out the town and wrote up all the attractions. Debbie didn’t just engage us, she pointed us in the right direction, and what we’ve found is Havre, Montana. It’s a city with a long, rich history, unique cultural attractions, a large and growing base of local citizens, and an overall fascinating town. Continue Reading