Outdoor Activities & Entertainment

Entertainment: Discovering Entertainment in Our Community

Evenings and weekends in Billings center on a walkable downtown with breweries, restaurants, and live music. The city also hosts concerts, rodeos, and minor league sports. Because Billings is the largest city for hundreds of miles, national touring acts and events stop here.

Dining and Drinks

Downtown Billings has a walking brewery district. The Billings Brew Trail links nine local breweries, three distilleries, a cider mill, and a winery. Many stops serve food and host live music.

  • Billings Brew Trail and the downtown walking brewery district
  • Locally owned restaurants downtown and on the West End
  • Summer farmers markets downtown

Live Music and Shows

  • Alberta Bair Theater: About 1,400 seats, hosting Broadway tours, concerts, and comedy
  • Pub Station: National touring acts and local bands
  • Craft Local: Live sets from jazz to folk
  • First Interstate Arena at MetraPark: 10,000-seat arena for concerts and major events

Sports

  • Billings Mustangs baseball at Dehler Park
  • Billings Bulls hockey at Centennial Ice Arena
  • Billings Wolves indoor football at MetraPark
  • Montana State University Billings athletics

Family Attractions

  • ZooMontana: Wildlife and botanical park with grizzly bears and gray wolves
  • Yellowstone County Museum
  • Downtown ArtWalk and Alive After Five summer concerts

Annual Events

Event Timing
Strawberry Festival July
MontanaFair August
Magic City Blues Festival August
MINT Film Festival September
NILE Rodeo and Stock Show October

Shopping

Montana has no sales tax, and Billings is the main shopping destination for eastern Montana and northern Wyoming. Downtown boutiques and galleries sit alongside larger retail centers on the West End.

Outdoor Activities: Embrace the Outdoors: Activities in Our Area

Outdoor recreation starts inside the city. You can hike or bike the Rimrocks before work, fish the Yellowstone River after clinic, and reach a ski area or the Beartooth Mountains in about an hour. Billings calls itself Montana's Trailhead for that reason.

Outdoor Snapshot

Item Detail
Trails in and Around Billings More than 47 miles
Nearest Ski Area Red Lodge Mountain, about 1 hour
Signature Scenic Drive Beartooth Highway, about 1 hour to the start
Blue-Ribbon Trout Rivers Yellowstone, Stillwater, Bighorn
Nearest National Park Yellowstone

Hiking and Biking

  • Four Dances Recreation Area: 3-mile trail atop the Rimrocks with views of the Yellowstone River
  • Swords Rimrock Park and Skyline Trail: Views of the Beartooth, Pryor, and Bighorn ranges
  • Zimmerman Park: More challenging terrain on the Rimrocks
  • Phipps Park: 350 acres of natural area with unpaved trails
  • Riverfront Park: Flat 4-mile loop along the Yellowstone River and Lake Josephine
  • Acton Recreation Area: Badlands and ponderosa pine, about 30 minutes away

Fishing and Water Recreation

  • Yellowstone River: Fly fishing, floating, and paddling through town
  • Stillwater River: Whitewater rafting and trout fishing
  • Bighorn River: One of Montana's premier fly-fishing waters
  • Lake Elmo State Park: 64-acre reservoir in the city for paddling, swimming, and ice fishing

Winter Sports

  • Red Lodge Mountain: Downhill skiing and snowboarding, about an hour away, with a ski school
  • Snowshoeing and cross-country skiing near Red Lodge
  • Ice skating and ice fishing at Lake Elmo

Scenic Drives and Day Trips

  • Beartooth Highway: 68-mile route climbing to nearly 11,000 feet on the way to Yellowstone's northeast entrance
  • Yellowstone National Park: Weekend trips via the Beartooth Highway
  • Red Lodge: Historic mountain town with hiking, dining, and shops
  • Pictograph Cave State Park: 23-acre park with trails to ancient rock art

Climbing and More

  • Rock climbing on the Rimrocks' 70-million-year-old sandstone
  • Horseback trips across the plains and rock outcroppings
  • Golf at Lake Hills Golf Course and other area courses
  • Wildlife viewing along the Yellowstone River corridor

Recharge and Play: Recreation Options

Billings Parks and Recreation manages a large system of parks, fields, and courts across every part of the city. Most neighborhoods are a short walk or drive from a playground, ballfield, or trail. The department also runs more than 140 recreation programs for youth, adults, and seniors.

Parks System Snapshot

Amenity Count
Total Park Land About 2,700 acres
Trails About 50 miles
Playgrounds 38
Tennis Courts 24
Basketball Courts 25
Pools 2
Spray Parks 2
Dog Parks 2
Neighborhood Centers 6
Golf Course 1 city course

Signature Parks

  • Pioneer Park: 32 acres in the center of the city with a disc golf course, playground, and paved trails
  • Stewart Park: 54 acres with ballfields, basketball courts, and paved trails
  • Castle Rock Park: The Heights' largest city park at 25 acres
  • Centennial Park: 30 acres on the West End, including a 6-acre dog park
  • Amend Park: The city's largest soccer complex, with a community garden
  • Poly Vista Park: Home to Billings' Miracle League baseball field
  • Swords Rimrock Park: 60 acres with paved and unpaved trails along the Rimrocks

Sports and Activity Facilities

  • Ballfields and athletic fields across the city
  • Pickleball, tennis, and sand volleyball courts
  • Disc golf courses and a skate park
  • Rose Park Pool and South Park Pool
  • Centennial Ice Arena for hockey and public skating
  • Dehler Park for baseball

Family Recreation

  • Spray parks and wading pools for young children
  • Playgrounds in neighborhood parks citywide
  • Youth sports leagues and summer programs
  • Lake Elmo State Park for swimming and paddling

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