Overview of Billings

Photo courtesy: John Ansotegui

Zoo Montana

Photo courtesy: Robert J. Scruton

The Moss Mansion

Photo courtesy: Donnie Sexton

Scenic Downtown View

Photo courtesy: John Ansotegui

Billings, a county seat, is a major trading center for a vast area of southeastern Montana. It was named for Frederick Billings, lawyer, railway promoter, and philanthropist. He was one of the original stockholders of the Northern Pacific Railway and secured the right-of-way for that line to cross Montana. In 1879 he became president of the company. (from Cheney’s Names on the Face of Montana, Mountain Press Publishing Company)

Bordered on the north by distinctive rock formations known as rimrocks, Billings was established in 1882 with the coming of the Northern Pacific Railroad. Two years later the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy railroads arrived and further boosted the economy. Today it is a major shipping center for cattle and other agricultural products. Interstates I-90 and 94 offer Montana's largest city access to easy travel.

Billings is where Montana Territory began, and where your historical and cultural passport to the legendary west begins. Use Billings as a central point to the best western attractions, events, hospitality, shopping and cuisine.

Regional accommodations specialize in making travelers feel welcome and safe. Put up your feet, kick back, and relax at one of the many and varied hotels, motels, bed and breakfasts, resorts and historic lodges in and around Billings.

The MetraPark is a modern concert, trade show and rodeo arena, surrounded by the fairgrounds, pari-mutuel horse-race track and superbarn complex. New Expo Center and Pavilion buildings overlook a relaxing lake park. MetraPark is a stellar entertainment complex, home of the state's largest event — Montana Fair.

The Alberta Bair Theater for the Performing Arts is the largest theater between Minneapolis and Spokane, and boasts the largest movie screen in the area. The theater presents hundreds of productions yearly, with over half performed by national and international professional touring companies. From Broadway musicals to African dance, the Alberta Bair Theater has it all!

The Yellowstone Art Museum is a unique and important visual arts center for Montana and the surrounding region. Founded in 1964 by a local group, it is now a fully-accredited museum. Revolving exhibits and permanent collections make this an 'must' stop for artists and collectors.

The Moss Mansion captures turn-of-the-century life when the Preston Boyd Moss family lived in the 1903 red sandstone structure. Visitors see original draperies, fixtures, furniture, Persian carpets, wall coverings and artifacts during one-hour guided tours. Seasonal exhibits are featured. Designed by the famous American architect, Henry Janeway Hardenbergh, the home is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Western Heritage Center: Visit "Our Place in the West: Places, Pasts and Images of the Yellowstone Valley 1880-1940." Discover the past with interactive computers, hands-on exhibits, videos and a theater.

Montana's only wildlife park, Zoo Montana, is nestled in 70 acres of lush Montana green. Follow Canyon Creek along a winding nature trail to Siberian Tigers to a Bald Eagle. Then stop and watch the otters play as you discover the native and exotic animals in their natural habitats.

Whether you're looking for bronco busting rodeo action or the relaxation of fishing or hunting, you'll be in good company around Billings. Watch Montana's wildlife by grabbing your binoculars and heading to the plains or hiking in the mountains that surround Billings. Billings is the gateway to Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument, Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area, Yellowstone National Park, the Yellowstone River and the Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness.

Pompey's Pillar National Monument, features the only visible evidence of the Lewis and Clark Expedition. The new visitor center features the expedition along the Yellowstone River.

Here, vast ranches, farmland and stockyards are situated just outside the conveniences of a modern city. Billings features broad, treelined avenues and the metropolitan flavor of Montana's tallest buildings. Billings is easily accessible by air or interstate highway.