Helena

Helena is known as the “Queen City of the Rockies” and that moniker remains with the city. The capital still maintains the same charm as it did during the Gold Rush of the 1800s. Helena’s history and culture ring through every street. Visit Reeder’s Alley, a brick complex built for miners in the 1800s. It is one of the oldest intact pieces of early Helena. The Great Northern Carousel is a great place to visit with kids, for a chance to ride one of their 37 hand-carved Montana animals. 

Montana is also famous for various ghost towns from the Victorian era, eerie remnants of the mining camp life. The Elkhorn Ghost Town and Virginia City are located an hour or two away from Helena. Both cities are frozen in time as they were two centuries ago. In the main city, visitors can take a walking tour of the iconic Mansion District with its various Victorian-era mansions. 

In the midst of the Rockies, there are amazing nature-related activities to try. The top place is the Mountain after which the city is named, Mount Helena. It's a 620-acre park that rises 1300 feet above its namesake city. If you’re trying the iconic Lewis and Clark Trail or have even heard about their Expedition, you have to make a stop at the Gates of the Mountains Wilderness Area, one of the most recognized landmarks of the expedition.