We only had about 18 hours in Bozeman, but that was plenty of time to enjoy several spots downtown.

Bozeman Brewing – Open until 8p, we got in with about 40 minutes to spare. I sampled the Berliner Weisse and Leandra tried the Plum Street Porter. The draft room itself was fun, with lots of bench seating, and a popcorn machine in the back too.

extra points for clever logo

Montana Ale Works – It was a Tuesday night so we didn’t think we would need a reservation for 8pm… we were wrong, they were  packed! We put our names on the list with their promise to text us when the table was ready and walked around downtown for a half hour. Thankfully, their large collection of beer on drafts and tasty food made the wait mostly worth it. Eric ordered the Smoke Stack, a burger with bacon, cheddar, cowboy onions and bbq sauce; Leandra ordered the Black & Blue, a cajun-blackened burger with bacon, spinach and blue cheese. Beers we tried: Carter’s Oktoberfest, Red Lodge Busted Barrel Nitro Scotch Ale, Jack’s 90 Nitro Scottish Ale.

Nova Cafe – After several days of waking at sunrise we decided to sleep in, and woke ready for a large Western breakfast. Nova Cafe didn’t disappoint. I went simple with scrambled eggs, which came with a large pile of potatoes, and Leandra ordered the Lox Bagel Sammy (bagel, lox, Nova-made Kalamata olive sundried tomato tapenade, cream cheese and local microgreens) and a large latte.

After breakfast we walked down Main St. exploring the sights and shops of downtown. The rotating horse was especially fun.

Where we stayed

My Place Bozeman – Our room was spacious, as extended-stay hotels tend to be, with a kitchenette, a large easy chair and a queen sized bed. The hotel was convenient to the highway, but a little loud even with good windows. Also, our room was also rather bright with several blue LEDs from various appliances. For the price, I think it was a good option for us on this trip.