Shopping

There’s plenty of shopping to be done on and around Main Street, with many shops focusing on Western-style interior decorating and others offering designer cowboy clothes.

Northern Lights (1716 W. Babcock St., 406/586-2225) has equipment and clothing for hikers, climbers, campers, and cross-country skiers.

For a large selection of kayaks, rafts, and canoes as well as discounted outdoor gear and clothing, head a couple of miles west of town on Highway 191 to Northern Lights’ outlet-style store, The Barn (83 Rowland Rd., 406/585-2090).

Montanaphiles, baseball lovers, and jazz buffs alike will thrill to the collection at Vargo’s Jazz City & Books (6 W. Main St., 406/587-5383). The shelves are packed with new and used books on topics both mainstream and obscure, and Fran Vargo is a great person to talk with about books, music, and beyond.

Country Bookshelf (28 W. Main St., 406/587-0166) is an exceptionally good general bookstore with many books autographed by their Montana authors.

If you need special camera supplies, stop by F-11 (16 E. Main St., 406/586-3281, www.f11photo.com [1]). It’s one of the best photo supply shops in the state, serving both film and digital photographers; many camera repairs are done in-house.