A few of our favorites in the Flathead Valley:

Cafes; Breakfast/Lunch:

Uptown Hearth - Columbia Falls

Outlaw Diner - Columbia Falls

Laurie’s Deli - popular soup & sandwich place for lunch - Columbia Falls

Knead Cafe - Kalispell

Echo Lake Cafe - Bigfork

Loula’s Cafe - Whitefish

Montana Coffee Traders (Columbia Falls & Whitefish): coffee, tea, breakfast & lunch

Great Northern Railway Cafe - dine in a train caboose! - Coram

My Thai To Go - one of our favorite food trucks; check their website or Instagram page for locations and times, but seasonally they are in Columbia falls on Thursdays & Sundays, Kalispell on Fridays, and Whitefish on Thursdays.

Sushi:

Indah - Whitefish

Saketome - Bigfork

Pizza:

North Fork Pizza - Columbia Falls (NY style; we love it!)

Moose’s Saloon- Kalispell (thin & crispy, Moose’s is an institution; if you’re brave - try the sauerkraut & jalepeno pizza).

BBQ:

Piggyback BBQ - Whitefish

DeSoto Grill - Kalispell

Finer dining:

Three Forks Grille - Columbia Falls

Schafer’s Restaurant - Bigfork

Abruzzo - Italian - Whitefish

Laughing Horse Lodge - Swan Lake (worth the drive; summer only)

Mercantile Steak - Kalispell

Cocktails & Bars:

Gunsight Saloon - Columbia Falls (full menu, great patio/garden/music stage (seasonal)

The Rendezvous - bar and food truck - Columbia Falls

Backslope Brewing - beer & food - Columbia Falls

Blue Moon - traditional Montana Bar & seasonal rodeo - Columbia Falls

Spotted Bear Spirits - Whitefish

Stonefly Lounge - Coram (amazing savory & sweet pies)

Garden Bar - Bigfork

The Great Northern Bar & Grill - Whitefish

The Ritzy Salon & Lounge - Kalispell

Night Owl & Back Room restaurants (2 of them) - VERY classic-ish dining and drinks - Columbia Falls

Glacier Distilling Co: distillery/tastings, no food; affiliated with Josephine’s - Coram

Josephine’s Bar & Kitchen: food and drinks, affiliation with Glacier Distilling Co - Coram

Grocery stores:

Smith’s - Columbia Falls

Super 1 - Columbia Falls

Sundrop Health Foods - Columbia Falls

Liquor stores:

Pack Mule Liquor & Wine - Columbia Falls

Whitefish Fine Wine & Liquor Store - Whitefish

Muphy’s State Liquor & Wine Store - Kalispell

Evergreen Liquor Store - Evergreen/Kalispell

Gym’s/Fitness/Pools:

Logan Health Fitness Center - Kalispell

The Wave - Whitefish

Farmer’s Markets:

Bad Rock Farmer’s Market - Columbia Falls (Sundays, small, and our favorite)

Columbia Falls - Thursday evenings

Whitefish - Tuesday evenings

Kalispell - Saturday mornings - one of the largest and most well “stocked” with variety of vendors

You may be visiting Montana for Glacier National Park, our abundant lakes and rivers, hiking, but these are a few out of the norm spots we love:

Rivers Edge Park - beautiful open space park for a walk, sit by the river, or whatever you want in Columbia Falls along the river (one of our favorites)

Historic Blankenship Bridge with River Access

Pin & Cue - Bowling, drinks, food, casino - Whitefish

Hiking at Columbia Mountain Trailhead (steep!, but close to the house)

Hiking at Jewel Basin (particularly Birch Lake hike and Mt Aeneas) - Bigfork (trailhead about 35-40 mins from house - up very steep/windy/dirt road.

Hike to Stanton Lake (trailhead about 40 minutes from house)

Skiing or snowboarding at Whitefish Mountain in the winter is of course popular, but look into Blacktail Mountain Ski area as well, along with several good spots for nordic/cross country skiing in the winter.