When we first set out to plan this trip to Whitefish, Montana we knew it was going to be awesome. We both love our National Parks and Glacier National Park was recommended to us by many of our listeners and Instagram followers so we knew we'd see some amazing views. We went to Visit Montana's website to get all the info we needed but we had no idea the town of Whitefish was going to be one of our favorite towns in America! Seriously, it is the CUTEST. If you're hoping to plan a vacation whether a long weekend or a whole week Montana and more specifically, Whitefish, is the way to go. We had dinner with Lisa from Explore Whitefish who works to bring in visitors and we asked her the most difficult part of her job. She told us people often think of Montana as some remote location that has no cell service or electricity...WHAT IS WRONG WITH THESE PEOPLE?! Let's get this out of the way, when you visit Montana you don't revert back to the 1600s, it's very much 2018 with trendy bars, restaurants, and shops...and traffic lights! This is everywhere we visited, ate, shopped, and drank in Whitefish, Montana!
We stayed at The Firebrand Hotel which is a whopping three minute walk from EVERYTHING. Not only is the Firebrand convenient but it's unbelievably gorgeous. The lobby is a comfy rustic-chic with a bar, restaurant, and live music. Whether you want to have dinner, morning coffee, or drinks before going out for the evening you won't have to go too far because it's all right in the lobby. There's a gym, hot tub, and a spa! We both had massages which was very much needed after our 32 mile bike ride (more on that later).
After checking in we were starving so we walked over to MacKenzie River Pizza (yes they have locations in a few states) to get get a slice of pizza! Carla Marie needed some coffee so we stopped at Montana Coffee Traders which is not only a bakery and coffee shop but a full blown store with some of the coolest local finds! We stopped in The Montana Scene which has tshirts, sweatshirts, ornaments and mugs...a great place to shop for gifts! We freshened up before dinner and drinks!
We got drinks at Spotted Bear Spirits which was Carla Marie's favorite stop in Whitefish. Not only were there trendy drinks but it's attached to a boutique so you can take your drink and shop around! The drinks are very carefully crafted and the drink menus are wrapped in an old-timey leather.
Our Friday evening dinner was at Tupelo Grille. It was incredible! The chef is from New Orleans so it's a Montana - Louisiana fusion restaurant and it's perfection. Make a reservation to guarantee a table. Tupelo Grille has a full bar menu with a great wine selection! There are two sister restaurants owned by the same chef in Whitefish, Abruzzo and Latitude 48. We didn't have a chance to check them out but we will next time! After dinner we decided to get some rest because we had a very long day ahead of us!
Our second day in Whitefish consisted of a trip to Glacier National Park but first we need to fuel up and the best way to do that was with crepes! We stopped in Amazing Crepes which is definitely a visitor AND local favorite. We both ordered a Nutella, banana, and strawberry! Before heading back to Montana Coffee Traders to grab some sandwiches to pack for our adventure!
Our trip to Glacier National Park consisted of a bike ride on Going-to-the-Sun Road but first, we needed bikes! We picked up our bikes from Glacier Cyclery & Nordic where Vanessa and her team made sure our bikes were fit just right for us and we knew how to properly take the front wheels on and off for storage in our rental car! Proud to say we both successfully managed to remove AND put the wheels back on with NO issues! Once we had the bikes in our car we set off on the 40 minute drive to the West entrance of Glacier National Park.
We stopped at the Apgar Visitor Center for a bathroom break and to buy a Glacier ornament and post cards (must-haves from all national parks!) and took a quick picture at Lake McDonald before heading out on our 32-mile round trip bike ride on Going-to-the-Sun Road. It was definitely an intense ride BUT so unbelievably worth it. The road is currently closed to cars so ONLY bikes were on the entire road which isn't always the case. It's currently the "secret season" in Whitefish and Glacier. Where the weather is gorgeous but it's so early in the season there aren't many visitors...this is the time to visit! Check out these pics!
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Going-to-the-Sun Road is a MUST DO! It was great! Afterwards a shower, food, and drinks were much needed. We went back to the Firebrand, showered and headed out to some shops in Whitefish before heading to dinner at Pescado Blanco (get it? White Fish in Spanish!) We both got the super burrito and a beer - it was a long day! Afterwards we got a drink at Casey's which is SO MUCH FUN. It's three floors, a regular bar on the first floor, a full blown dance party on the second floor, and the third is a rooftop patio! That's where our Saturday night ended! We had another day of exploring ahead of us!
We kicked off our Sunday morning with breakfast in the Firebrand Hotel lobby. Carla Marie ate huckleberry for the first time and had Huckleberry French Toast!
After breakfast we both had a massage appointment at the spa at the Firebrand hotel! It was Anthony's first massage and he LOVED it! A massage was very necessary after the day of biking.
After our massages we packed up the car and drove back to Glacier National Park and headed out on a 1.5 hour drive to Bowman Lake. We were on the opposite side of mountains we were on the day before and the view looked completely different! On our way to Bowman Lake we stopped at the Polebridge Mercantile - it's a bakery/store in the middle of nowhere! They're famous or their Huckleberry bear claws so that's what we got!
After our snack we drove on a windy, dirt road for 6 miles to Bowman Lake! OH EM GEE VIEWS. it was SO SO crazy! There are some trails to do here as well but we didn't go too far since we had to get to our flight!
After our stop at Bowman Lake we retraced our steps and headed back towards the airport in Kalispell (womp) but we stopped to get some pizza at Moose's Saloon! We had a ton of people telling us to stop there on Instagram so we went and it was awesome! Overall we rate our trip to Whitefish, Montana a 10/10 and we are 100% going back because there is SO much more to see! Make sure you share all of your Montana travels with #MontanaMoment and have fun! You can plan your trip using Visit Montana's website! Special thanks to Lisa who gave us THE BEST tips and tricks for everything Whitefish and Glacier!