Live Like A Local: Top 12 Activities in Missoula, Montana

Missoula, Montana, is a vibrant destination packed with outdoor adventures, cultural experiences, and unique local charm. Whether you’re here for the stunning landscapes, lively arts scene, or delicious food, there’s something for everyone. In this guide, we’ll highlight the top 12 must-do activities that showcase the best of Missoula—perfect for first-time visitors and longtime fans alike.

First Friday

Missoula’s year-round First Friday Art Walk invites locals to stroll downtown on the first Friday of each month, enjoying gallery openings, artist meet-and-greets, live music, food, and drinks.

Surf or Float The River

Missoula comes alive on the river, especially in summer when locals and visitors flock to the water. At the heart of it all is Brennan’s Wave, a man-made surf spot near Caras Park where river surfers and kayakers show off their skills. Rent a board or kayak from a nearby outfitter to join the fun, or catch the action from the riverbank or observation deck. For a more laid-back adventure, grab an inner tube, pack a cooler (secure it well!), and float the day away like a true Missoulian.

Ski and Bike The Bowl

Just minutes from Missoula, Montana Snowbowl offers epic winter skiing with deep powder, varied terrain, and some of the region’s best wood-fired pizza and Bloody Marys. In the summer, the adventure continues with chairlift-access mountain biking and thrilling zip line tours through the forested slopes.

Explore The Wilderness

Just minutes from Missoula, Pattee Canyon, Blue Mountain, and the Rattlesnake Recreation Area offer year-round access to hiking, mountain biking, and crisp mountain air—magical in winter when the trails are blanketed in snow. Venture deeper into the Rattlesnake to reach designated wilderness just 15 miles from the main trailhead. Remember to be kind, patient, and respectful of others as you explore responsibly.

Listen to Live Music

Missoula’s live music scene is hitting a high note, earning a reputation as one of the best in the West. From intimate venues to packed-out concerts, both local talent and big-name acts keep the city rocking year-round.

Go Out To Lunch or Dine Downtown Tonight

Missoula summers come alive at Caras Park with two beloved weekly events: Out to Lunch on Wednesdays and Downtown ToNight on Thursdays, both featuring food trucks, live music, and a lively community vibe—all free from June through August. For an extra dose of local flavor, explore the Missoula Maker’s Market during Downtown ToNight, where artists and makers showcase their handcrafted goods.

Get on The Beaten Path

Missoula’s impressive trail system winds through the city and links up with scenic routes like the Kim Williams Nature Trail—and for the truly adventurous, the Bitterroot Trail offers a 50-mile bike ride all the way to Hamilton. In winter, the paths transform into snowy playgrounds perfect for fat biking, snowshoeing, or cross-country skiing.

Drink Local

Missoula’s craft beverage scene is overflowing, with more breweries than we can count, each pouring up local favorites and award-winning brews sure to impress even the pickiest beer connoisseur. And it doesn’t stop there—distilleries, wineries, and cideries round out the city’s spirited offerings, making it a true haven for drink lovers of all kinds.

Eat Like a Local

Missoula is a food lover’s paradise, offering everything from upscale dining to tasty food truck bites. And when we say local, we mean it—many restaurants proudly feature ingredients sourced directly from nearby farmers and ranchers, making every meal a true taste of Montana.

Shop Saturday Markets

Shop fresh produce, flowers, and baked goods while enjoying live local music at the Missoula Farmers’ Market. Nearby, discover unique creations by LGBTQIA+ artists at the Queer Creatives Market and explore even more locally made treasures at the Missoula People’s Market. Don’t miss the Clark Fork River Market for fresh produce, pastries, homemade jams, and locally sourced meats and cheeses. In winter, the Missoula Valley Winter Market offers local meats, eggs, produce, baked goods, prepared foods, and handmade crafts every Saturday.

Local History

Did you know this stunning valley was once a vast glacial lake? Or that Missoula was a key stop on the Lewis and Clark expedition? Plus, it’s the hometown of Jeannette Rankin, the first woman elected to the U.S. Congress. Missoula’s rich history runs deep, celebrated at the Holt Heritage Museum and the Historical Museum at Fort Missoula. For aviation enthusiasts, the Museum of Mountain Flying offers vintage aircraft and fascinating stories from the early days of flight.

Unseen Missoula Tours

Unseen Missoula offers guided walking tours that delve into the city's hidden history, revealing tales of its transformation from a frontier outpost to a cultural hub. Running from April through October, these 90-minute tours explore themes like underground spaces, early 20th-century vice, and the evolution of local neighborhoods. Each tour is led by knowledgeable guides who bring to life stories of scandal, innovation, and community. For those seeking a spine-tingling experience, the “Screams & Spirits” tour in October uncovers Missoula’s haunted past, visiting eerie landmarks and forgotten cemeteries. Tours are offered weekly, with private bookings available year-round.

After exploring Missoula’s top activities—from river surfing and scenic hikes to vibrant markets and live music—there’s no better way to end your day than by retreating to The Hohnstead Glamping Cabins. Just 25 minutes from downtown, our pet-friendly, off-grid cabins offer peaceful forest surroundings perfect for stargazing, unplugging from screens, and enjoying our adventurous scavenger hunt. Whether you’re seeking relaxation or a bit of adventure, The Hohnstead is your perfect home base to experience the best of Montana’s great outdoors. Book your stay today and make your Missoula trip truly unforgettable!

Missoula Walking Tours with Unseen Missoula

It took just 90 minutes to learn about - pubic wigs, feet turned into moccasins, tunnels full of ghosts, and over 1,000 buried bodies found under an elementary school near Missoula.

And those were just some of the crazy and shocking facts that we learned on Unseen Missoula’s Walking Tour called “Screams and Spirits.”

Wait, there are other tours, similar to this one?

Sign me up!

Living on and off in Missoula since 2010 and running our glamping business, we haven’t had much time to get to know Missoula. Garrett attended the University of Montana in Missoula many years ago and like most folks, we don’t always venture out to do the “touristy” things.

In an attempt to be more involved in the Missoula community, we’re so thankful that there are so many passionate folks who are excited to bring the history of this little town back to life.

Maybe we can finally get some answers to some of our burning questions:

“What’s up with that M sign on Mount Sentinel?

“Are there really tunnels under Missoula? And where do they lead?”

“What is known about Missoula’s Queen of Brothels?”

A lot of folks think that the highlight of Missoula’s history is Norman Maclean’s book “A River Runs Through It,” which tells the story of two brothers from Missoula, who love fishing on the Blackfoot River. Yes, technically, that book and later the movie helped to put Missoula on the map (though few people know that it wasn’t filmed here, but in Bozeman and Livingston.)

If you live or visit Missoula and love walking tours and fascinating stories, you’re in luck!

WHAT IS UNSEEN MISSOULA?

Unseen Missoula Tours started in 2018, entertaining and baffling over 1,400 people since its inception, and I was recently one of them.

Thanks to the wonderful Missoula ambassadors, Hauna and Melissa, from Women Who Explore (WWE), I learned about the Unseen Tour and decided to sign up. Check out another exciting and insanely photogenic hike we went on with WWE in this blog post.

Unseen Missoula is a program of Heritage Missoula and the Downtown Missoula Partnership that offers educational walking tours that showcase Missoula’s unique history. At the time of this writing, six tours are offered from April to October. Check out the tours and get your tickets here.

SCREAMS AND SPIRITS TOUR

October was the perfect month to hear Missoula’s spine-chilling history, despite that day’s colder temps and rainy conditions. Still, women who explore and I persevered, joining about a dozen other participants, celebrating birthdays and other curious folks.

Our wonderfully informative guide Sophia is a Public Historian, specializing in the history of Western Montana red light districts.

She had laminated printouts of various photos that made the tour come to life, putting a face to certain folks and seeing what the city looked like way back in the day of dirt roads and when Missoula was literally eight feet deeper than today.

We didn’t walk very far on this tour (about five city blocks), but every stop had its significance - like this Ghost Signage, which we just had to document with a group photo for WWE.

Above us are Ghost Signage in Missoula, Montana

WHAT’S A GHOST SIGN?

Ghost signs are considered valuable historical artifacts as they provide information about past businesses, products, and local culture. Due to age and exposure to elements, the paint on ghost signs fades, making them appear faint and "ghostly."

WHAT ELSE DID we LEARN ON THE TOUR?

Sophia did such an incredible job filling the 90 minutes with SO MUCH INFORMATION, but here is the quick summary of the tour to get your anticipation boiling until the tours restart in April:

What was Missoula like during the 19th and 20th centuries?

You’ll hear detailed stories of the convicted murderer John Burns, crooked sheriff William Houston, as well as two of Montana’s first state female convicts, Felicita Sanchez and Mary Drouillard.

You’ll learn about how the Clark Fork River was re-routed, The Wilma Theater was built on a man-made island where Caras Park sits today, as you drive down to the Carousel, you can feel how low Missoula used to exist before.

Your eyebrows will undoubtedly rise when you hear about the shoe-feet mocassins, which are still out there somewhere!

The hairs on the back of our spine stood up, as Sophia told us about a certain plaid-shirt-wearing and mustachioed ghost figure, which continues to show up in various businesses around downtown.

You may be joined on a tour by a business owner who swears that their downtown location has a mystery door that may or may not lead to the tunnel network under Missoula.

You’ll definitely finish the tour at Cranky Sam Public House, which happens to have a framed pubic wig displayed above the bar, ask Sophia about it.

While you’re there check out the Naked Lady in all her glory, but did a ghost reveal her location during the renovations?

We definitely have more questions about Missoula since before the Unseen Missoula Tour, but history reveals some things and leaves other facts hidden, like all the unknown names of the people buried under Rattlesnake Elementary School.

Check out tour offers and prices of Unseen Missoula here.