To me the mark of a good city is the number of family friendly activities it has. And lucky of us, Billings has plenty of them! If you’re looking for budget friendly things to do with your kids and whole family, I’ve compiled a list of some of my family’s favorite FREE things to do in Billings.
Yellowstone Art Museum is Montana’s contemporary art museum in the heart of downtown Billings. Explore the colorful galleries and wonderful rotating exhibits with the entire family. The YAM offers free admission on Thursday evenings from 5-8pm. Every First Friday, they also offer FAM at the YAM where you can create art together as a family alongside a professional artist. https://www.artmuseum.org/
The first Friday of every month Downtown Billings comes alive with special hours, events, art, and activities and more. Check out their calendar for more information, https://downtownbillings.com/calendar/. Those Friday events are a great excuse to get the family out of the house and explore the shops of beautiful downtown Billings.
Enjoy the many parks and trails throughout town. Many of our parks have updated playground equipment. Terry Park has a free splash pad. Pioneer Park has a creek, tennis courts, a wading pool, and Frisbee Golf course. Riverfront park has a large pond, Lake Elmo is home to a 64-acre reservoir in city limits and a great place to swim, paddleboard, picnic, and to take a stroll. Hike or Mountain Bike at Zimmerman Park or walk on top of the Rims on Black Otter Trail. Check out Billings Trailnet for a list of the trails around town, https://www.billingstrailnet.org/.
We’re lucky to have a top-notch library here in town. The community of Billings voted in a new library in 2011 and in 2014 it opened its doors. It’s a beautiful LEED Gold certified building downtown. The children’s section houses a play area, reading tower with wonderful story times, and they offer so many extra programs, most available for free or for a minimal cost. There’s also programming specific for teenagers including a TECH Lab. Learn more at their website, https://billingslibrary.org/.
