Kalispell, Montana is located in the northwest part of the vast state. From the town center, it is a 50 minute drive to the West Entrance of Acadia National Park. We stayed in Kalispell in order to see more of Montana than just the park. Now, don’t get me wrong, staying by the park certainly saves you time, but I’m glad we explored Kalispell as it has a humbling charm being a small town in Montana. Check out my complete guide to Kalispell, Montana to help plan your trip!
What to do in Kalispell, Montana
Hit the local breweries
Montana has a bunch of breweries cooking up local goodness, the best part, you can walk to a bunch of them! Creating our own brewery tour, we hit Kalispell Brewing Co (right in town), Bias Brewery (right off Main St) and SunRift Beer Company (towards the end of town). It was a fun day jaunt that you can pack all 3 in and end with dinner at a local restaurant as well.
Grab a tasting at a winery
If beer isn’t your thing, there is a local winery in town that can suit your needs – MontaVino. Sourcing their grapes from their neighbor state of Washington, they offer red and white flights for your tasting pleasure. Offering indoor and outdoor seating, its a cozy place to sip some wine.
Shop on Main Street
The downtown area of Kalipell lives on Main Street, here you will find all restaurants and shops that can take up your afternoon. From cute bakeries to old western antiques, the array of stores is worth stopping in every single one.
Golf
Golf courses are all over Kalispell and the neighboring towns – so there is no shortage of courses to chose from. I’m a no frills kind of golfer, so we chose Buffalo Hill Golf Club for a par 3, 9 hole course. They have everything you need to rent with no collared shirts or reservations required. What really impressed me was the view from the course, we finished up our day around dusk and the views were incredible.
Visit Glacier National Park
The reason we stayed in Kalispell was to ultimately make our way to Glacier National Park. Located 50min from the West Entrance, we carefully planned out when and where we would visit the park due to the roundtrip being about 2 hours. For more recommendations for Glacier check out my ultimate guide to Glacier National Park, the perfect 3 day itinerary, What to Do in Glacier National Park and Tips When Visiting Glacier National Park.
Take a drive to Whitefish
Whitefish was a town we had on our list to go check out and I’m glad we did. We actually ended up going there a few times because it had a lot to offer. With an abundance of restaurants and shops, it is a bit more developed than Kalispell and has it’s own charm. For more recommendations for a trip to Whitefish, check out this post!
Where to Eat and Drink in Kalispell
Really great, different sushi rolls. We were actually really surprised by how good this dinner was. The service was excellent (the waitress asked what our names were and then remembered them), the food was great and I would highly recommend.
Wheat and Bakery company that makes their breads and baked goods in house. We came here twice and you can’t walk by their breakfast goods without drooling over their massive cinnamon rolls – those are a must try.
Located at the end of town, this is a local watering hole – in the best way possible. Upon entering, you’ll notice it’s dark, there are peanut shells and wood shavings on the floor and you wouldn’t expect them to serve food. Well, they do and its GOOD. They only serve beer so sit back, mingle with the locals and throw your peanut shells on the floor.
Cute little bakery making in house fresh bread and baked goods. Offering coffee as well, you can’t come in and not stay for the incredible aromas.
Great place for a burger and shake with a side of candy. Yes, candy. It has a 60s diner vibe inside serving fantastic shakes and fast food, but also doubles as a candy store with candy lining the walls. Great place to get your sugar on while having a meal.
Husband and wife serving the best BBQ in Kalispell – hands down. This came recommended to us by a local and they were not wrong about it – I love a good local recommendation!
Where to Remotely Work in Kalispell, MT
- Colter Coffee Roasting – they have multiple WIFI networks – amen
- Bias Brewing
- Ceres Bakery