The name speakeasy hails from the prohibition era of the early 20th century. On January 16, 1919 the 18th Amendment was ratified and would go into effect in January of 1920. The 18th Amendment of course being the Prohibition of Alcohol. Check out our article on Prohibition in Southwest Montana. While the sale, manufacturing and distribution of alcohol was illegal, this did not stop people from imbibing; they just had to find a way to do it in secrecy. The term speakeasy came from the bartenders’ request of patrons to “speak easy,” or quietly, while inside the bars as not to draw unwanted atten ..read more

Like much of the country, Southwest Montana has been experiencing a bit of a heat wave over the last couple of weeks. Luckily for us, there is no shortage of ways to get out of the heat in the region. Whether you are looking for indoor activities (museums, carousels, art galleries, breweries, etc.) or maybe enjoying the outdoors (lakes, rivers, hikes, etc), Southwest Montana has something for everyone.  While all of these are great options, we took a different approach to enjoying the summer. When temperatures started settling in the 90s, we took the opportunity to explore the region one ..read more

Like many of the best towns in Montana, Winston has a sort of blink-and-you’ll-miss-it quality. From Highway 287, the entire town seems to consist of four buildings and a fishing access sign. And yet, I was completely unsurprised when, in two completely separate conversations, Winston was not only mentioned, but received what are, in my opinion, some of the highest stamps of approval that any one town could ask for. My dad mentioned in a recent email that he had lunch at “what I think is one of the best burger joints in Montana, the Winston Bar.” Which is basically a Michelin star review, as f ..read more

After just yesterday when I suggested that we may not have a White Christmas in Southwest Montana, we were hit with a little snow <3 I’m going to err on the side of hoping that the snow sticks around – at the very least in the Mountains! These cooler temperatures and the fluffy snow I can see from my office window have me craving yet another holiday favorite – Hot Cocoa! The best part of Hot Cocoa, in my opinion, is how versatile it is. You can head down to your favorite local coffee shop and chances are that even if they aren’t advertising it, the baristas can easily whip together a flavo ..read more

If 2020 has taught us anything, it’s how important it is to shop local. With Christmas right around the corner, we are all too privvy that the holidays are not complete unless they include countless stomach aches brought on by the consumption of far too many baked goods. Luckily for us, Southwest Montana is full of  local bakeries waiting for visitors to indulge in their sweet treats! Brit’s Bake Shop is the perfect stop for anyone in the Dillon area looking for some holiday cheer. Brit’s Bake Shop offers a variety of food, ranging from soup and sweet treats to mouth watering pasties perf ..read more

Southwest Montana is home to four unique craft distilleries. Like our micro-breweries, each of the distillers in Southwest Montana has a unique story to tell as part of our charming communities. Craft distillers are gaining popularity across the U.S. and more and more people are including a visit to a distillery on their Montana itinerary. For locals and visitors alike, these businesses serve as community gathering spaces and the perfect place to rest your feet after a long day exploring Southwest Montana. While it is possible to visit all four distilleries in a day (319 mile loop), we recomme ..read more

After a morning of exploring Southwest Montana, I find I usually need a mid-afternoon boost of energy. Especially in the winter, I find myself craving somewhere to settle down for the afternoon. Somewhere cozy and warm where I can thaw, chat, snack on something delicious, and, yes, drink something tasty. Fortunately, sitting and chatting over a tall cup of something delicious is as much a Southwest Montana institution as the mountains and wilderness and history. Every town has a watering hole or two–somewhere cozy and warm where friends gather to chat and escape the wind. Without leaning too f ..read more

“You could leave beer to cool in the river, and it would be so cold when you got back it wouldn’t foam much. It would be a beer made in the next town if the town were ten thousand or over. So it was either Kessler Beer made in Helena or Highlander Beer made in Missoula that we left to cool in the Blackfoot River. What a wonderful world it was once when all the beer was not made in Milwaukee, Minneapolis, or St. Louis.” ~Norman Mclean, A River Runs Through It, p. 88 Norman Maclean’s nostalgia for local Montana beer sounds odd today. Of course you’re drinking beer from the nearest town. What i ..read more

It’s the last week of March, and that means one last blog post, a final hurrah to a spectacular month, a month that has married incredible middle-of-winter fun with the tiniest hints of spring. It’s been a fantastic month, in like a lion and out like a…well, not like a lamb necessarily, but maybe an old cantankerous sheep, the kind that has spent its life on the Montana range. The kind that might be featured in a feel-good movie, headbutting the protagonist into a mud puddle. And the changing weather has really got us started thinking about what comes next, and planning our next season of acti ..read more

As you drive through Southwest Montana, winding your way from Yellowstone to Glacier, you might just find your car parking in front of one of Southwest Montana’s delectable old-fashioned candy shops (cars have a funny way of pulling up in front of candy shops—at least ours does). These candy shops are nuggets of sweetness scattered across the downtowns (sorry, Butte, uptowns) of some of Southwest Montana’s most historic mining towns. Some have been dishing out hand-made confections since before it was retro. Others are of younger vintages, but all are decadent, delightful oases of incredible c ..read more