Culture in Missoula, Montana facts for kids
The culture of Missoula, Montana is shaped by the nearby University of Montana and the city's beautiful mountain river valley. This mix creates a lively scene for art, sports, music, and outdoor adventures.
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Arts and Music
Missoula has a busy arts scene. The Big Sky Documentary Film Festival happens every February. It shows over 100 non-fiction films from all over the world. The International Wildlife Film Festival is also held yearly at the historic Wilma Theatre.
The Missoula Children's Theatre is a special program that travels to almost 1,000 communities each year. They visit all fifty U.S. states and many other countries like Canada, Japan, and Germany. The Missoula Art Museum shows many types of modern art. It started in 1975 and was updated in 2005. The museum offers art classes, tours, and has free entry.
Missoula is mentioned in books by famous writers like Ernest Hemingway and Norman Maclean. The city also has a diverse music scene. Some musicians who started bands in Missoula later moved to Seattle. They became important members of groups like Pearl Jam, helping to start the grunge music movement. The band The Decemberists also has ties to Missoula, as their lead singer studied at the University of Montana. Did you know that Ukulele is even taught in Missoula's public schools?
Museums and Galleries
Missoula is home to many museums and art galleries. Most of them are in the downtown area and near the university.
The Montana Museum of Art & Culture (MMAC) is at the University of Montana. It's one of Montana's oldest cultural collections, with over 10,000 original artworks. It officially became a state museum in 2001. Its goal is to collect and keep art that shows the spirit of the American West.
The Missoula Art Museum (MAM) and The Historical Museum at Fort Missoula both started in 1975. MAM's modern art collection is in a former Carnegie library building from 1903. Historic Fort Missoula has a museum that collects items about Missoula County's history. This includes the history of the fort itself and the timber industry in western Montana. The fort also has the Rocky Mountain Museum of Military History.
The SpectrUM Discovery Area is a fun, hands-on science center run by the University of Montana. The Montana Natural History Center is a nature museum. It has exhibits and art about the plants and animals of Western Montana. It's located next to McCormick Park.
Near the Missoula International Airport, you can find the Museum of Mountain Flying. It shows old airplanes used for flying in mountains and for smokejumping. It also has photos and historical items.
Missoula also has many art galleries downtown. These include the Monte Dolack Gallery, which features art by Montana artists Monte Dolack and Mary Beth Percival. Monte Dolack often draws local animals in fun settings.
Points of Interest
Missoula is close to the Rattlesnake Wilderness and Rattlesnake National Recreation Area. These areas protect Missoula's water supply and are home to wildlife. They are also great places for outdoor activities.
The Forest Service's smokejumper base is near the Missoula airport. This is the largest base of its kind. You can take free tours of the base during the summer wildfire season. A walking bridge over the downtown train tracks is a popular spot for railfans to watch trains.
In 2011, the National Park Service added the Westside Railroad District to the National Register of Historic Places. This expanded Missoula's Downtown Historic District. Another important spot is Free Speech Corner, which remembers the free speech fights of the Industrial Workers of the World. This union worked to organize timber and mining workers in the early 1900s.
University of Montana
The University of Montana (UM) is the oldest and largest university in Montana. It was started in 1893 and opened in 1895. The Missoula campus has over 15,000 students. The university hosts many public events. These include sports games, concerts, lectures, and conferences.
The university is also home to the Montana Museum of Art & Culture and the SpectrUM Discovery Area. It has the state's main federal library and houses the State Arboretum.
Sports
Missoula has many sports teams for college, youth, and amateur players. It also has a Minor league baseball team. The Montana Grizzlies' football and basketball teams from the University of Montana are very popular.
The Montana Grizzlies football team is very successful in the NCAA D-1 FCS level. Their home games at Washington–Grizzly Stadium have a winning percentage of almost 90%. Over 25,000 fans usually attend these games. All games are shown on TV across Montana. The Grizzlies men's and Lady Griz basketball teams are also very good. They play their home games at Dahlberg Arena.
Missoula is also home to the Missoula PaddleHeads. This is a baseball team that plays in the Pioneer Baseball League. They play their home games at Ogren Park at Allegiance Field. The Missoula Maulers are a Junior Ice Hockey team. They play in the American West Hockey League. Other local teams include the Hellgate Rollergirls, a roller derby team, and the Missoula Phoenix, a semi-pro football team.
Since 1977, Missoula has hosted "Maggotfest." This is a fun rugby tournament held by the Missoula All-Maggots Rugby Club. It brings 36 teams from the U.S. and Canada. The tournament focuses on having fun, not just winning.
Parks and Recreation
Missoula's location in a river valley surrounded by mountains makes it perfect for outdoor fun. The city has over 400 acres of parks and 22 miles of trails. It also has nearly 5,000 acres of protected open land. Three rivers meet here: the Clark Fork, Bitterroot, and Blackfoot. This area is great for white water rafting. It's also famous for fly fishing, thanks to the novel and film A River Runs Through It by Missoula writer Norman Maclean.
Missoula also has two water parks and several golf courses. It is home to the Adventure Cycling Association. The city hosts a marathon that Runner's World magazine called the "best overall" in the nation. The nature park is also a wonderful place for birdwatching. You can often see over 100 different bird species there.
A system of public parks began in Missoula in 1902. Thomas Greenough and his wife Tessie donated land for Greenough Park. They wanted the land to always be a park where people could relax. Today, efforts are being made to return the park to its natural state. This includes removing non-native trees like Norway Maples.
In 1924, Bonner Park was created. Today, it has many sports fields and courts. It also has a band shell used by the Missoula City band in the summer. Kiwanis Park was set up downtown in 1934. It was the first of many parks that now line both sides of the Clark Fork River. McCormick Park is another park along the river. This 26-acre park has a skate park, a water center, and a children's fishing pond.
Other parks include the Jacobs Island Bark Park for dogs. There's also the Memorial Rose Garden, dedicated to veterans. The Waterwise Garden shows how to save water. And Splash Montana Waterpark is at Playfair Park.
Caras Park
Caras Park is located downtown, next to the historic Wilma Theatre. It was created from land reclaimed when the Higgins Avenue Bridge was replaced in 1962. Before that, the Clark Fork River split, creating an island. The park became a central spot for Missoula's events in the 1980s.
Improvements were made, including seating, brick plazas, and restrooms. A permanent Caras Park Pavilion was built in 1997. Because of its central location by the river, the park is now the heart of Missoula's celebrations. These include Out to Lunch, the International Wildlife Film Festival, First Night Missoula, and Garden City BrewFest. It has also hosted concerts by artists like Jewel, Chris Isaak, and B.B. King.
Next to Caras Park, you'll find A Carousel for Missoula. This is a beautiful wooden carousel that was hand-carved and built by volunteers. Right next to it is Dragon Hollow, a magical play area for kids.
Outdoor Activities
Missoula is a dream come true for outdoor lovers all year round. You can enjoy activities like climbing, skiing, hiking, biking, golf, and fly fishing. Missoula is known as the whitewater rafting and kayaking capital of Montana. This is because it's close to many rivers that are great for rafting. Missoula is also a leader in river surfing. This is largely thanks to Brennan's Wave, a man-made surf wave right in the middle of town.
Missoula Bicycling
Missoula is a major spot for bicycle travel. This is because the Adventure Cycling Association is located here. It's North America's largest cycling organization. Thousands of cyclists visit Missoula and stop at their downtown office for free ice cream and advice.
Freecycles is a non-profit community bike shop. They teach people how to build and fix bicycles. They also offer rebuilt bikes. The shop is easy to reach from the town's bike trail system. A Festival of Cycles is held during Walk and Roll Week. This is Missoula's yearly event to raise awareness about different ways to get around.
