Ten years ago, if you wanted to live in a town on the edge of a mountainous wilderness, surrounded by people prepared to let you be whoever you wanted, you moved to Boulder, Colorado. Everyone did, and property prices became unaffordable. Now you raise your eyes a little further north, and keep your wagon rolling on up to Missoula, Montana, a town about as isolated as the most voracious reader of Henry David Thoreau could hope for.

Missoula sits deep in the Rockies, surrounded by national forests and five different mountain ranges. Deer pass through people’s front yards; moose can be seen from the road and bears sometimes venture downtown to Greenough Park.

While Missoulians have many of the same outdoorsy preoccupations as the rest of cowboy country – huntin’, shootin’ and fishin’ – they’re also stubbornly different in other ways. Suspicious of Missoula’s artsy inclinations (the University of Montana has a renowned creative writing programme) and the wild parties said to go on there, Montanans dubbed it “Zootown”. The townsfolk certainly know how to have a good time – the population of 72,000 sustains a live music scene that would be the envy of somewhere five times as big.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest View down North Higgins Avenue, Missoula. Photograph: Alamy

Kiah Abbey works at Forward Montana, an advocacy group mobilising young people to participate in the political process. “Missoula is really fun,” she says. “A lot of people here love to hike, and in the summer the river is a big focus – everyone is on it.”

Development, however, gets a mixed response: a hotel is being built on the site of the demolished Mercantile building, despite some protest, while across the river the “Hip Strip” and the Old Saw Mill district are revitalising their neighbourhoods. But Missoulians are generally stubborn – they don’t want to see too much change.

CULTURE

Missoula Children’s Theater

In 1970, an aspiring actor called Jim Caron broke down in Missoula on his way to a friend’s wedding in Oregon and ended up staying on to play Sancho in a local production of Man of La Mancha. The resultant friendship with his Don Quixote, Don Collins, sparked one of the most innovative children’s companies in America. The pair would drive into small communities in a big red bus (complete with scenery, props and costumes), audition local children, and teach them a show in a week. The theatre now employs more than 100 staff, operates in 50 states as well as 15 other countries, and has established Missoula’s Center for the Performing Arts.

• 200 North Adams Street, mctinc.org

Missoula Art Museum

“I go once a month at least,” says Kiah Abbey. “It’s free, and they highlight indigenous artists, which is really cool.” Contemporary Native American works are at the heart of the collection, which is in a 1903 library built by Andrew Carnegie, updated and expanded with a modern gallery in 2006. As well as national travelling exhibitions, the museum hosts regular lectures and activities. “They’ve got community events, they bring in artists to talk about their work, so it’s a fun cultural spot and it attracts a lot of young people,” says Abbey.”

• 335 North Pattee Street, missoulaartmuseum.org

OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES

Facebook Twitter Pinterest A mountain biker on a trail near Missoula. Photograph: Jared Alden/Getty Images

Montana is an outdoorsy place year-round. In summer, along with traditional outdoor pursuits there’s also mountain biking, ziplining and chairlift rides, on top of the river fun mentioned earlier. In winter, there’s 2,600 vertical feet of skiing and snowboarding at Snowbowl, just 20 minutes from downtown (and plenty more at Discovery, Blacktail and Lost Trail Powder Mountain). “There’s lots of action sports going on around,” says Samantha Veysey at Board of Missoula. “There are cross-country trails, mountain biking, and people ride fat bikes, too. We have hockey rinks all around so it’s a great place for skating, and visitors can come and use our indoor skateboarding ramp at the back of the shop.”

• montanasnowbowl.com

FOOD

Caffe Dolce

Half coffee shop, half upmarket canteen, Caffe Dolce is a local favourite thanks to its high-ceilinged, light-filled building and its excellent brunches. “It started as a cafe in the mall,” says Erin White at Missoula Wine Merchants. “But the owner wanted to create a standalone restaurant and he found this spot over on Brook Street, a nice quiet neighbourhood. He took great pains when creating the place – the building looks Italian with its tall windows and frescos – and it’s a lovely balance of traditional Italian food with a Californian twist.” It’s also only a short walk from Rockin’ Rudy’s, Missoula’s beloved record store.

• 500 Brooks Street, caffedolce.com

The Pearl Cafe

This is no greasy spoon but the finest French-inspired cuisine Missoula has to offer. “It’s a little pricey,” says Erin, “but it’s really good. The chef-owner, Pearl Cash, has been in the restaurant industry for 40 years and keeps reinventing herself.” The Pearl Cafe is an intimate space but it’s still considerably larger than her last venture, the Alley Cat, which could fit a dozen diners and only three kitchen staff. And while there’s plenty of Montana beef on the menu – including two filet mignon dishes ($34-$38) – the Pearl is known for its fish and seafood, from Idaho trout to Dungeness crab ($29) to seafood blanquette with orange and saffron ($28.75).

• 231 East Front Street, pearlcafe.us

Scotty’s Table

When Scott Gill was a food stylist in California, he hated seeing food wasted. It’s an experience that stayed with him when he finally opened his own restaurant. “Years ago we decided that the best way was just to buy whole animals,” says Gill. “So that drives the menu: filets one day, then a New York Strip, then we’ll move to the ribeye, and smoke the brisket. The big thing for us is sourcing hormone-free, grass-fed beef.”

• 131 South Higgins Avenue, scottystable.net

Red Bird

Missoula’s most famous hotel, The Florence, didn’t have a lot of luck – it burned to the ground twice, first in 1913 and again in 1936. But the art moderne building which housed it from 1941 – transformed, in more recent years, to an office complex – is a glorious piece of history. Its still-glamorous lobby is open to anyone who wants to put their feet up and its ground-floor restaurant-wine-bar, Red Bird, shares that feel of a communal living space for Missoulians. It has live music every week, plenty of wines by the glass, and a champagne fondue that everyone in the town swears by.

• 111 North Higgins Avenue, redbirdrestaurant.com

BARS

Plonk

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Photograph: Green Door Photography

From the moment you walk past the thick velvet curtains, you know that your night here is going to be a comfortable one: the wine list is 14 pages long, spanning old world and new. Traditionally more of a beer-drinking town, Missoula has recently started taking wine seriously, and this is a great place to try out the pinot noirs of Willamette Valley and the comparatively local cabernets of Walla Walla (only a five-hour drive from Missoula – relatively close in Montana terms). The cocktail list is full of innovation, from the cucumber cilantro gimlet to a jalapeno-infused tequila that takes no prisoners.

• 322 North Higgins Avenue, plonkwine.com

Montgomery Distillery

Inspired by their mutual love of Scottish single malts, Ryan and Jenny Montgomery began this small-batch distillery in 2012. It took four years before they released their first single malt, made from Montana barley and aged in ex-bourbon barrels. While they were waiting, they came up with a vodka, an aquavit, and their deliciously herbal Whyte Laydie gin. The tasting room has a long and boozy history itself – the 19th-century brick building was originally a liquor warehouse and saloon – and continues the legacy with a selection of classic and original cocktails. The tasting room is open every afternoon, although by law they can only serve you two cocktails; tours take place Fridays at 5pm and Saturdays at 2.30pm.

• 129 West Front Street, montgomerydistillery.com

Charlie B’s

“If you like a dive bar, this one’s an institution,” says Erik Johnson, who has been tending bar in Missoula for years. “It’s been around a long time, it’s got a lot of character and puts on events for the community such as free holiday meals.” The long, narrow and (let’s be honest) slightly dingy room is a real taste of old-school Missoula, crowded with history – one wall is covered in black and white photographs of their patrons down the decades. At the back, a hole in the wall called The Dinosaur Café serves hot-as-damn-it Cajun food that attracts locals for lunch and late-night munchies.

• 428 North Higgins Ave, on Facebook

Imagine Nation Brewery

Montana beer drinkers have fallen heavily for the New England style of IPA and Imagine Nation’s signature brew, Lupujus 7, is a juicy, hoppy joy. But that’s just the beginning of this brewery’s offerings: it also publishes its own arts and literature magazine and promises to “employ mindful practices while brewing”. This is a company that’s serious about doing things differently: its brewery even incorporates a community centre, training and facilitating organisations that work for social change.

• 1151 West Broadway Street, imaginenationbrewing.com

MUSIC

Top Hat Lounge

Missoula’s music scene has undergone a rapid expansion in the past five years and the Top Hat has been at the centre of it. John Baker, owner of the Circle Square secondhand store, used to play there with his band, Cold Beans and Bacon. “It used to be a dive bar and this guy Nick Checota came in about five years ago and totally revamped it,” said Baker. “He did a great job, he modernised it without taking out the vibe, and now he gets touring acts from all over the world there.” Regular events include Wednesday jazz nights and family-friendly Fridays, when children and their parents enjoy live music and dancing from 6pm to 8pm.

134 West Front Street, tophatlounge.com

The Wilma

After renovating the Top Hat, Checota moved on to the Wilma, Missoula’s one-time vaudeville theatre. Built for Edna Wilma Simons, a light opera star from Kentucky, by her first husband, it had last been remodelled in the 1950s. He says: “We wanted to preserve the historical character but make it function as a modern club.” The result was a 1,400-capacity music venue with one of the best sound systems in the country, which has established the tiny town of Missoula as a must-play for touring acts.

• South Higgins Avenue, thewilma.com

Big Sky Amphitheater

The Big Sky Brewing company has been hosting summer concerts in the fields next to its brewery since 2004, and sharing the proceeds with local non-profit organisations. Last year, it unveiled a permanent amphitheatre to host the concert series. But it’s not even the biggest concert space in Missoula any more. Last year Lyle Lovett played the inaugural concert at the new 4,000-seater Kettlehouse Amphitheater, housed at another popular Missoulian brewery.

• 5417 Trumpeter Way, bigskybrew.com

Who to follow

Instagram: @noteworthypaper – Covetable art and design from Missoula’s independent printing studio

Missoula’s popular storytelling project Tell Us Something is a celebration of the local community; you can listen to previous events and stories on its website

Way to go

The trip was provided by Destination Missoula, which has information on the town and activities, with accommodation at the wilmacondo.com (doubles from $130). More information at VisittheUSA.com. There are no direct flights from the UK to Montana and Missoula’s airport serves domestic destinations only. The closest US airports with UK flights are Portland, Seattle, Denver, Salt Lake City and Minneapolis.

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