Great Falls Travel Guide, Discount & Cheap Great Falls Travel & Tourism, Free Great Falls Travel Guide Online
Great Falls Travel Guide: Discount & Cheap Great Falls Travel & Tourism, Free Great Falls Travel Guide Online
Great Falls is Montana's heartland. Straddling the Missouri River, Great Falls remains the agricultural and commercial hub that it was meant to be when East Coast entrepreneur Paris Gibson laid the plans for the city in 1885. Great Falls is best known, in fact, as "The Electric City". The Great Falls community sits just below a series of dams on the Missouri, that provides power to a huge area, and the river's water supports a thriving wheat and barley industry.
In 1805 Lewis and Clark first ventured into this stretch of the Missouri, and they discovered a different river from the one visitors see today. Over the ten-mile stretch there were five cataracts, which they called the "Great Falls of the Missouri": "A sublimely grand spectacle," Lewis wrote in his journal.
Today, as a result of five hydro projects, Great Falls offers you the opportunity to see many of the extraordinary sights and sounds that so thrilled and inspired Lewis, and Clark. Anyone interested in Lewis and Clark's expedition should plan on spending a day on the River's Edge Trail, which skirts the southern flank of the Missouri. The best place to experience the river locally is Giant Springs / Heritage State Park. The spring, known as one of the world's largest, bubbles from the earth at a rate of eight million gallons per hour.
See history come alive as you enjoy the area's special monuments and tributes to the men and women who have left such a rich heritage. For one, C.M. Russell (1864-1926) the nation's most acclaimed frontier artist made his home in Great Falls - where he spent the last 24 years of his life. The Charles M. Russell Museum Complex includes his home, featuring his original log-cabin studio and an extraordinary art museum. The museum exhibits the most extensive collection of Russell's original works. Also in the arena of the arts, the Paris Gibson Square is a must see gallery housing the Center for Contemporary Arts. This museum features contemporary exhibits, and includes a fine-art shop and a Museum Café that serves some of the best food in Great Falls.
The Northside Residential historic District, dating back from 1885, is Great Fall's most architecturally interesting neighborhoods. Just west of the Russell Museum and Paris Gibson Square, these thirty-nine homes can be visited in a one-hour walking tour offered by the Cascade County Historical Archives. All this history is set against a backdrop of fine restaurants, hotels, casinos, city parks, shopping malls and specialty stores that make Montana's second largest city an ideal place for a vacation.
At Ulm Pishkun State Park you'll find beautiful landscape, and cultural treasures. Thousand of years ago, American Indians drove herds of bison up this mile long buffalo jump. At the brand new Ulm Pishkun Visitor Center, visitors can hear the stories and view the rich exhibits featuring arrowheads, knives, hide scrapers, hammers and other tools discovered at the site.
Whether you're looking for a relaxing vacation with the opportunity to rediscover the sites of Great falls, or just enjoy the scenery or to experience a great area to golf, fish, hunt, ski, horseback ride or snowboard, Great Falls is the place to be.
Great Falls Attractions: Great Falls Travel Guide, Discount & Cheap Great Falls Travel & Tourism, Free Great Falls Travel Guide Online
Historic Great Falls Walking Tour An hour-long, self-guided tour of Great Falls' historic district features 216 structures, most of which have maintained their original appearance. Homes constructed between 1885 and 1945 make up most of the tour, with typical architectural styles including Bungalow, Prairie, Colonial, Revival, Queen Anne, Victorian and Second Empire.
Fort Benton Montana's oldest community, Fort Benton, was founded in 1846. Visitors can now retrace the fascinating history of this legendary river port in a self-guided tour of more than 15 buildings, sites and monuments. Some of these include the fort's original blockhouse, a Lewis and Clark Memorial and Front Street, which has been called "the bloodiest block in the West" - a reference to the town's wild and unruly past.
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Choteau Choteau's Old Trail Museum is an excellent place to learn more about Montana's history - going all the way back to the days of dinosaurs. Paleontology research continues amid tours on nearby Egg Mountain, the site of the first dinosaur egg discovery in the Western Hemisphere. Choteau is also a great place to see some of nature's most precious gifts. Just 44 miles northwest of Great Falls, over a million waterfowl, including snow geese, pintail ducks and teal, can be spotted at Freeze out Lake each spring and fall during peak migration. Mountain goats and other watch able wildlife are often visible in this area as well.
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The Museum of the Upper Missouri Old Front Park and Front Street 406-622-5494 This museum highlights the early history of this area as a trading center in the upper plains. Exhibits are interactive and interesting, and they focus on trading, riverboats, and steamboats of all kinds.
The Museum of the Northern Great Plains 20th and Washington Streets 406-622-3278 This museum is the official museum of Montana's farming life, beginning with modern farming in 1908. The museum's 30,000 square feet of exhibition space focus on the life, work, and culture of Montana's farmers.
Lewis and Clark Memorial Fort Benton 406-622-5494 This impressive sculpture stands as a monument to the greatest explorers in American history. The Lewis and Clark expeditions were authorized by Thomas Jefferson, and they ended up charting and exploring an incredible area, from Missouri to Washington.
CM Russell Museum Complex & Original Log Cabin Studio 400 13th St. North 406- 727-8787 Museum with the collections of Charles Russell paintings, bronzes, original models and illustrated letters. Also features Browning Firearms Collection.
Giant Springs State Park and State Trout Hatchery 4 mi. NE on Missouri River Drive 406-454-5840 One of the largest freshwater springs in the world to produce nearly 390 million gallons of water every 24 hours. The State Hatchery, located next to the Giant Springs raises trout. The picnic grounds can be enjoyed by visitors for a morning or afternoon snack.
Mainstrom Air Force Base 406-731-4046 The Mainstrom AFB is home of the 43rd Air Refueling Wing. It is also the center of one of the largest intercontinental ballistics missile complexes in the world. Visitors can take a tour of the Museum, which features historical military displays.
Paris Gibson Square 1400 1st Avenue North 406-727-8255 Paris Gibson Square is a historical site designed as an art pavilion. Known for its exhibitions, this Tea Room and Sales Emporium is a famous gathering spot.
University of Great Falls 1301 20th Street South 406-761-8210 Built in 1932, this 40-acre campus is full of detailed stained-glass windows, and fascinating sculptures. The pool in McLaughlin memorial Center is open to the public.
Montana Cowboys Association Museum 311 3rd Street NW 406-761-9299 Montana Cowboys Association Museum keeps the spirit of the Western cowboy alive with a log cabin display of Old West memorabilia.
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Northside Residential Historic District Cascade County Historical Archives 301 2nd Avenue N 406-452-3462 Take a tour of thirty-nine of the most architecturally interesting homes dating back to 1885.
Broadwater Overlook Park 10th Avenue South and 2nd St 406-761-4434 Broadwater Overlook Park features a heroic bronze by Montana artist Bob Scriver that commemorates the portage and has a visitor's center with interpretive displays.
Ulm Pishkun State Park Ulm-Vaughn Road at Goets Road 406-454-3441 At Ulm Pishkun State Park you'll find beautiful landscape, and cultural treasures. Thousand of years ago, American Indians drove herds of bison up this mile long buffalo jump. At the brand new Ulm Pishkun Visitor Center, visitors can hear the stories and view the rich exhibits featuring arrowheads, knives, hide scrapers, hammers and other tools discovered at the site.
Great Falls Events: Great Falls Travel Guide, Discount & Cheap Great Falls Travel & Tourism, Free Great Falls Travel Guide Online
Great Falls Facts: Great Falls Travel Guide, Discount & Cheap Great Falls Travel & Tourism, Free Great Falls Travel Guide Online
Great Falls Kids Activities: Great Falls Travel Guide, Discount & Cheap Great Falls Travel & Tourism, Free Great Falls Travel Guide Online
Fort Benton Montana's oldest community, Fort Benton, was founded in 1846. Visitors can now retrace the fascinating history of this legendary river port in a self-guided tour of more than 15 buildings, sites and monuments. Some of these include the fort's original blockhouse, a Lewis and Clark Memorial and Front Street, which has been called "the bloodiest block in the West" - a reference to the town's wild and unruly past.
More Info
Choteau Choteau's Old Trail Museum is an excellent place to learn more about Montana's history - going all the way back to the days of dinosaurs. Paleontology research continues amid tours on nearby Egg Mountain, the site of the first dinosaur egg discovery in the Western Hemisphere. Choteau is also a great place to see some of nature's most precious gifts. Just 44 miles northwest of Great Falls, over a million waterfowl, including snow geese, pintail ducks and teal, can be spotted at Freeze out Lake each spring and fall during peak migration. Mountain goats and other watch able wildlife are often visible in this area as well.
More Info
The Museum of the Upper Missouri Old Front Park and Front Street 406-622-5494 This museum highlights the early history of this area as a trading center in the upper plains. Exhibits are interactive and interesting, and they focus on trading, riverboats, and steamboats of all kinds.
The Museum of the Northern Great Plains 20th and Washington Streets 406-622-3278 This museum is the official museum of Montana's farming life, beginning with modern farming in 1908. The museum's 30,000 square feet of exhibition space focus on the life, work, and culture of Montana's farmers.
Lewis and Clark Memorial Fort Benton 406-622-5494 This impressive sculpture stands as a monument to the greatest explorers in American history. The Lewis and Clark expeditions were authorized by Thomas Jefferson, and they ended up charting and exploring an incredible area, from Missouri to Washington.
CM Russell Museum Complex & Original Log Cabin Studio 400 13th St. North 406- 727-8787 Museum with the collections of Charles Russell paintings, bronzes, original models and illustrated letters. Also features Browning Firearms Collection.
Giant Springs State Park and State Trout Hatchery 4 mi. NE on Missouri River Drive 406-454-5840 One of the largest freshwater springs in the world to produce nearly 390 million gallons of water every 24 hours. The State Hatchery, located next to the Giant Springs raises trout. The picnic grounds can be enjoyed by visitors for a morning or afternoon snack.
Mainstrom Air Force Base 406-731-4046 The Mainstrom AFB is home of the 43rd Air Refueling Wing. It is also the center of one of the largest intercontinental ballistics missile complexes in the world. Visitors can take a tour of the Museum, which features historical military displays.
Paris Gibson Square 1400 1st Avenue North 406-727-8255 Paris Gibson Square is a historical site designed as an art pavilion. Known for its exhibitions, this Tea Room and Sales Emporium is a famous gathering spot.
University of Great Falls 1301 20th Street South 406-761-8210 Built in 1932, this 40-acre campus is full of detailed stained-glass windows, and fascinating sculptures. The pool in McLaughlin memorial Center is open to the public.
Montana Cowboys Association Museum 311 3rd Street Northwest 406-761-9299 Montana Cowboys Association Museum keeps the spirit of the Western cowboy alive with a log cabin display of Old West memorabilia.
More Info
Broadwater Overlook Park 10th Avenue South and 2nd Street 406-761-4434 Broadwater Overlook Park features a heroic bronze by Montana artist Bob Scriver that commemorates the portage and has a visitor's center with interpretive displays.
Ulm Pishkun State Park Ulm-Vaughn Road at Goets Road 406-454-3441 At Ulm Pishkun State Park you'll find beautiful landscape, and cultural treasures. Thousand of years ago, American Indians drove herds of bison up this mile long buffalo jump. At the brand new Ulm Pishkun Visitor Center, visitors can hear the stories and view the rich exhibits featuring arrowheads, knives, hide scrapers, hammers and other tools discovered at the site.
