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Butte is one of the major towns in Montana, with a population of 34,000. In its heyday between the late 19th century and about 1920, it was one of the largest and most notorious copper boomtowns in the American West, home to hundreds of saloons and a famous red-light district.

Understand

It used to be Montana's largest city, but has dwindled in size and importance along with the state's mining industry. The essence of the town is summed up by the sign on the northern approach from the I-15:

The "greatest mining camp on earth" built on "the richest hill in the world". That hill, which has produced over two billion dollars worth of gold, silver, copper and zinc is literally honeycombed with drifts, winzes and stopes that extend beneath the city. There are over 3000 miles of workings and shafts reach a depth of 4000 feet.

This immediate country was opened as a placer district in 1864. Later Butte became a quartz mining camp and successively opened silver, copper and zinc deposits.

Butte has a most cosmopolitan population derived from the four corners of the world. She was a bold, unashamed, rootin', tootin' hell-roarin' camp in days gone by and still drinks her liquor straight.

Get in

Butte is right along I-90 between Deer Lodge and Whitehall, and also at the intersection with the I-15 highway.

Bert Mooney Airport is 3 miles southeast of the CBD. Delta, through Delta Connection, is the only airline and has daily flights to and from Salt Lake City International Airport. Be aware that if visibility is too low to land in poor weather, flights may divert to Gallatin Field Airport in Bozeman, MT.

Get around

See

File:Our Lady of the Rockies.jpg
Our Lady of the Rockies
  • The most interesting (horrifying?) feature of Butte is the 1,700-foot-deep Berkeley Pit (sometimes referred to by out-of-staters as the "Butte Hole"), the site of a former copper mining operation that is now partially filled with toxic runoff and is listed as a Superfund site. Despite the frightening description, The Pit is an interesting and instructive side trip and should not be passed up.
  • Butte Trolley, 1000 George St, ☏ +1 406 723-3177, toll-free: +1-800-735-6814. Summer hours:Mon-Fri 8AM-6PM and Sun 9AM-4PM.. 2 hour historical tour. Starts and ends at Chamber of Commerce 
  • Copper King Mansion, 219 West Granite, ☏ +1 406 782-7580, . Hours: vary seasonally, check website. 34-room Victorian mansion built as the Butte residence of William Andrews Clark, one of Montana's three famous "Copper Kings". Tours and a bed and breakfast Price: $7.50 adults and $3.50 children. 
  • The Mineral Museum. Is on the Montana Tech Campus. 1,300 specimens of minerals from around the world. The Montana Bureau of Mines and Geology Earthquake Studies Office is also located in the Museum, offering the visitor an opportunity to see active seismographs recording real time data from Montana’s seismic network. The Mineral Museum conducts tours, lectures and workshops. Summer Hours: daily, 9AM–5PM (June 15 through September 15). Winter Hours: Weekdays, 9AM–4PM. Free admission. 
  • Old Butte Historical Adventures, ☏ +1 406-498-3424. Walking tours explore the colorful history of Butte, Montana — "The Richest Hill on Earth". 1 and a half hour tours. Adults: $10.00, children under 12: $5.00, seniors over 65: $8.00 
  • World Mining Museum, 155 Museum Way, ☏ +1 406-723-7211, . Hours:Apr–Oct 9AM-6PM; Underground Mine Tours 10:30, 12:30, 3:00. Call ahead, weather may change times.. Located on an actual mine yard, includes reproduction of an entire mining town, plus hundreds of original mine equipment. Plan plenty of time, this is a big museum. Adults: $8.50 museum, $12 underground tours. 
  • Our Lady of the Rockies. Our Lady of the Rockies is a 90-foot (27 m) statue, dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary, that sits atop the Continental Divide overlooking Butte, Montana. It is the second tallest statue in the United States after The Statue of Liberty. The statue was built by volunteers using donated materials to honor women everywhere, especially mothers. The base is 8,510 feet above sea level and 3,500 feet above the town. The statue is lit and visible at night. 
  • Dumas Brothel Museum, 45 E Mercury St, ☏ +1 406 299-2702, . W-Su 11:00-19:00. Longest operating brothel in the US. All that remains of Butte's Red-light District is on display! (updated Nov 2015)

Do

Events

  • Saint Patrick's Day. The Saint Patrick's Day celebration is a regional legend. It is the kind of party that parents warn their kids about. Butte is one of those rare places that does not have an open container law. Butte is heavily Irish to this day, and the local heritage extends into the enthusiasm for this holiday. Beer is colored green, and many people flock to the town for drinking and partying. 
  • Evel Knievel Days. Fourth weekend in July each year. celebration for the Worlds Greatest Daredevil, various activities each day Price: Free. 
  • An Ri Ra Irish Festival. Each year in August. Check website for exact dates.. Celebrating the cities Irish history. Music, dance, vendors and other activities. $25 adult weekend pass. 

Skiing/snowboarding

Buy

  • Paula's Curiosity Shoppe, 33 North Main St, ☏ +1 406-560-8946. Hours:10AM-5PM. Gift shop 

Eat

Butte is known for the food of its Irish-influenced mining heritage. Pasties are a meat potato and onion mix, enclosed in a semicircle of pastry dough with a crimped edge, served baked smothered with brown gravy. Miners used their helmet candles to heat the self-contained meal down in the shaft below Butte. The crimped edge was used to handle the pastry with dirty hands, then discarded at the end of the meal. (You should go ahead and eat it if you haven't been working in the mine) Pasties are served locally at restaurants with two (Joe's and Nancy's) giving them top billing.

  • Park Street Pasties, 800 W Park St (uptown near the college), ☏ +1 406 782-6400. Relative newcomer serving traditional pasties. 
  • Pork Chop John, 8 W. Mercury (uptown), ☏ +1 406 782-0812. Monday through Saturday 10:30AM–10:30PM. Fast food. Butte residents talk about the local variety of fried, breaded pork chop sandwich. Former Butte residents frequently wax nostalgic for Butte pasties and pork chops. 
  • Muzz and Stan's Freeway Tavern, 2001 S Montana, ☏ +1 406 723-9083. Home of the Wop Chop. Family friendly for lunch. 
  • Fred's Mesquite, 205 S. Arizona (uptown), ☏ +1 406 723-4440. BBQ, steaks and burgers; pricey, but has a nice outdoor deck and good food. 
  • Sparky’s Garage II, 222 E Park St, ☏ +1 406 782-2301. BBQ. Automotive theme restaurant with great food. 
  • Spaghettini's. For surprisingly good upscale Italian. Location varies—ask around. 

Butte has a selection of fine dining establishments

  • Casagranda's Steakhouse, 801 Utah Ave, ☏ +1 406 723-4141. Steaks and seafood. Sushi night every Thursday. 
  • Uptown Cafe, 47 E. Broadway (uptown), ☏ +1 406 723-4735. Good, more upscale American food; very good lunch served cafeteria style. 
  • The Derby, 2016 Harrison Ave, ☏ +1 406 723-9086. Steak house; on the Flat and not within walking distance of any of the hotels. But if you want steak, it's arguably one of the best in town. (on the Flats) 
  • Lydia's Supper Club, 4915 Harrison Ave., ☏ +1 406-494-2000. Full-course dinners served with pride since 1946. 

Drink

Coffee

  • Venus Rising Espresso House, 1 S Main St - Center of uptown Butte, ☏ +1 406 491-4476. Butte's only non-profit coffee house adds more than just feeling good about your purchase. Local goods, free wi-fi/public computer, in-house bakery, light lunches, and an artistic atmosphere are sure to please artists and supporters alike. Open 7 days a week at 7AM 
  • Hummingbird Cafe, 605 W Park St, ☏ +1 406 723-2044. Uptown and serves good espresso drinks, loose leaf tea, breakfast and lunch. Possibly Butte's best selection of vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, and other specialty foods. 
  • For just a drive-through coffee, the best coffee place is Mountain Coffee. They have locations on Montana Street (corner of Montana and Iron) and on Harrison Ave., at the corner of Harvard and Harrison (across Harrison from a Conoco gas station, and across Harvard from a Chinese restaurant.)

Bars

  • Party Palace. Lives up to its billing, with pool and karaoke and cheap beer. It has a reputation for rowdiness among the locals. 
  • Silver Dollar Saloon. Offers a friendly place for a drink, with a youthful atmosphere. 
  • Zeppies. The former Irish Times Pub is uptown, and shares its youthful crowd with the Silver Dollar across the street 
  • Maloney's. In uptown Butte is where you will find exotic beers, including Guinness. 
  • The Cavalier Lounge. In the Finlen Hotel offers a dark, more lounge-like feel—chairs, tables, smoking. 
  • Hops. In the Butte Best Western Inn down on the Flats, next to the Perkin's Restaurant. Don't let this stop you; they have one of the best bartenders in town and despite the shiny neon casino on one side, it has a pretty nice atmosphere. 
  • The Vu Villa. Uptown, but a bit west of the main business district on Park Street. It's one of the main student hangouts for Tech and has an attached pizza restaurant with decent pizza. 
  • Metals Bank. A sports bar with a bank vault. 

Microbrewery

  • Quarry Brewing, 45 West Galena St, ☏ +1 406-723-0245. Tuesday-Saturday 1PM-8PM. Brewer: Chuck Schnabel. Live music most Fridays. 

Distillery

Sleep

  • The Finlen Hotel, 100 E. Broadway, ☏ +1-800-729-5461. An inexpensive and historic hotel, well-located to accommodate walking through the rest of Butte's downtown. Rooms are clean and well-maintained, but be aware that cheaper rooms may actually be located in the motel section, a not-as-historic add-on with much more spartan accommodations. 
  • Toad Hall Manor. An elegant, charming bed & breakfast which takes its name from the British children's classic, "The Wind in the Willows". This is truly a wonderful place for a relaxing change of pace, celebration of a special occasion, or a romantic getaway. 

Connect

Go next

Routes through Butte
Great Falls ← Helena ←  N  S  → Dillon → Idaho Falls
Missoula ← Deer Lodge ←  W  E  → Three Forks → Bozeman
END ←  W  E  → Jct S → Three Forks



This city travel guide to Butte is a usable article. It has information on how to get there and on restaurants and hotels. An adventurous person could use this article, but please feel free to improve it by editing the page.
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