Outdoor Activities & Entertainment

Entertainment: Discovering Entertainment in Our Community

Butte calls itself a festival city, and the calendar backs it up. Summer weekends bring music, parades, and street events to Uptown, and St. Patrick's Day is one of the city's signature celebrations.

Most evening and weekend activity centers on Uptown Butte, where historic buildings house restaurants, a distillery, breweries, and a restored theater. You can walk from dinner to a show or a festival stage in a few blocks.

Festivals and Annual Events

Season	Event
Winter	Snoflinga winter festival with skating and cross-country skiing
March	St. Patrick's Day celebration in Uptown
July	Freedom Festival, Evel Knievel Days, and the Montana Folk Festival
August	An Rí Rá Montana Irish Festival
September	Butte-toberfest, featuring more than 17 Montana breweries
December	Uptown Christmas Stroll

The Montana Folk Festival is the city's largest event. Held each July in Uptown, it grew out of Butte's turn hosting the National Folk Festival from 2008 to 2010 and features traditional music, dance, and cultural performances.

Dining

Uptown Café, a fixture in the historic district for about 30 years
The pork chop sandwich, a Butte original
Family restaurants and classic supper clubs
Coffee shops and cafés throughout Uptown

Breweries, Distilleries, and Nightlife

Headframe Spirits, a distillery that celebrates the city's mining heritage
Quarry Brewing
Butte Brewing Company
Montana Axe Bar and Throwing Co.

Performing Arts

Mother Lode Theatre, a restored 1923 venue hosting plays, concerts, and touring shows
Covellite Theatre, offering live music, dance, and drama
Montana Shakespeare in the Parks summer performances

Shopping

Uptown shops specializing in antiques and local goods
Galleries featuring Western art
Butte Farmers Market

Outdoor Activities: Embrace the Outdoors: Activities in Our Area

Butte sits at the headwaters of the Columbia River Basin, with the Continental Divide wrapping around the city. Trailheads, trout streams, and national forest land start within minutes of town, so you can fit a hike, ride, or evening on the river around a clinic day.

Winter brings skiing at Discovery Ski Area and miles of cross-country and backcountry terrain. Summer and fall are built around fishing, mountain biking, camping, and hunting.

Outdoor Snapshot

Item	Detail
Thompson Park	About 10 minutes away, 30 miles of non-motorized trails
Continental Divide Trail	13 trailheads within 10 to 60 minutes of Butte
Big Hole River	About 30 minutes away
Discovery Ski Area	About 45 minutes away
National Forest	Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest surrounds the area

Hiking and Trails

Thompson Park, a municipal recreation area with year-round trails for hiking, biking, and horseback riding
The Milwaukee Road rail trail through Thompson Park, with tunnels and a 600-foot steel trestle
Continental Divide National Scenic Trail, with multiple access points near town
Sheepshead Recreation Area for picnicking and trails
Anaconda-Pintler Wilderness for longer backcountry trips

Mountain Biking

Trail networks in Thompson Park and along the Continental Divide
Whiskey Gulch Mountain Bike Skills Park on the Montana Tech campus
Discovery Bike Park, with about 1,050 vertical feet of downhill riding
Butte 100, an annual July mountain bike race along the Continental Divide

Fishing and Water

Blue-ribbon trout fishing on the Big Hole and Jefferson rivers
Madison and Missouri rivers within driving distance
Delmoe Lake for fishing, camping, and picnicking

Skiing and Winter Sports

Discovery Ski Area for downhill skiing
Cross-country and backcountry skiing in the surrounding mountains
Snowmobiling on national forest land

Hunting and Wildlife

Big game hunting on public land in the Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest
Waterfowl hunting near Anaconda
Wildlife viewing along the Big Hole River

Recharge and Play: Recreation Options

Butte's built recreation reflects its long history with winter sports and its focus on family amenities. The city has an Olympic-sized outdoor speed skating oval, a community pool complex, public golf, and a long-running YMCA in Uptown.

Recreation Snapshot

Facility	Highlights
U.S. High Altitude Skating Center	Olympic-sized outdoor long-track ice oval
Stodden Park	Ridge Waters Community Pool, golf, carousel, and sports courts
Butte Family YMCA	Pool, fitness center, classes, and youth programs
Highland View Golf Club	Public 9-hole regulation and par 3 courses
Butte Country Club	Private golf club

Ice Skating

The U.S. High Altitude Skating Center opened in 1987 as a training site for Olympic speed skaters. Today it serves the community with public skating, a local speed skating program, and the opening events of the SnöFlinga winter festival.

Parks and Pools

Ridge Waters Community Pool at Stodden Park, featuring Montana's longest lazy river and other water features
Spirit of the Columbia Gardens Carousel, with 35 hand-carved horses, and a destination playground at Stodden Park
Splash pad at Clark's Park
Wading pool at Chester Steele Park
Pickleball and tennis courts, softball fields, horseshoe pits, and pavilions at Stodden Park
Indoor pickleball courts at the Butte Civic Center Annex

Sports Complexes and Other Facilities

Community Ice Center
Copper Mountain Sports Complex and 3 Legends Stadium
Jeremy Bullock Soccer Complex
Skyline Park, with a kids fishing pond and dog park
Butte Skate Park at McGruff Park
Fairmont Hot Springs Resort, about 16 miles west of Butte

Fitness and Family Programs

Butte Family YMCA, with an aquatic center, fitness area, and group classes such as yoga, Pilates, and water aerobics
Swim lessons, youth sports, after-school programs, and camps through the YMCA
Whiskey Gulch Mountain Bike Skills Park on the Montana Tech campus

Golf

Highland View Golf Course in Stodden Park, a public facility with a 9-hole regulation course, a par 3 course, a pro shop, and golf simulators
Butte Country Club, a private club
Golf season generally runs April through November