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<\/a><\/p>\nCity or town name:<\/strong><\/p>\n Paradise Valley, Montana \u2013 which is not a city, but an AREA that is a major river valley of the Yellowstone River in southwestern Montana.\u00a0 It is located just north of Yellowstone National Park and flanked by the Absaroka Mountain Range on the east and the Gallatin Mountain Range on the West.\u00a0 Bozeman, Livingston, Gardiner and Dillon are the cities\/towns that are most notable in the Paradise Valley.<\/p>\n Is there an airport there? If not, what is the nearest airport and how far away is it?<\/strong><\/p>\n The closest large airport to this area of Montana is in Bozeman.\u00a0 Sometimes we fly into Salt Lake City and drive from there to our destination \u2013 about 5 hours \u2013 it\u2019s a beautiful drive.\u00a0 Most years, we pack up our Suburban and drive everyone and everything up with us for 2-3 weeks \u2013 including the dogs.\u00a0 It\u2019s a 3-day drive and we love to go up through the Texas panhandle, Colorado and Wyoming for the most scenic route.<\/p>\n Is this a place you have visited more than once? If so, what keeps you coming back?<\/strong><\/p>\n We have vacationed in Montana \u2013 specifically this area \u2013 many times, almost every summer for the past 8 years.\u00a0 There is nothing like the \u201cBig Sky Country\u201d and its beautiful mountains, valleys and rivers.\u00a0 We love the outdoors.\u00a0\u00a0 A few members of our family love fly-fishing and the weather in the summers can\u2019t be beat.\u00a0 Believe it or not, we\u2019ve only gone into Yellowstone National Park<\/a> once in all the years we\u2019ve been going back.\u00a0 We don\u2019t like crowds or traffic jams, which is what the norm is in the summers there.\u00a0 You have to visit it once just to say you\u2019ve seen Old Faithful and some pretty spectacular waterfalls, but we like to go where there aren\u2019t a ton of people and the scenery is just as spectacular.\u00a0 We\u2019ve rented RVs and stayed along the Gallatin, Madison and Yellowstone Rivers on different trips.\u00a0\u00a0 We\u2019ve enjoyed the small town feeling and great food in Bozeman, and we\u2019ve rented a house as well.\u00a0 My parents used to live in Dillon, Montana \u2013 so we have stayed with them at times and taken their RV on many an expedition as well.<\/p>\n What makes this place great for families to visit?<\/strong><\/p>\n If you love the outdoors, it\u2019s the perfect family vacation.\u00a0 You can fish, you can swim, you can hike, you can go into town and enjoy a good meal, you can find places that have horseback riding\u2026 or you can venture into Yellowstone National Park if you feel like you have to see the standard fare.\u00a0 We love it because you can\u2019t beat the beauty and we aren\u2019t distracted by all of the hustle and bustle of a busy city.\u00a0 Because we live in a very urban setting year-round, it\u2019s where we can really relax, unplug and enjoy being together.\u00a0 Although we have friends that go into Colorado or stay in Jackson Hole, Wyoming (beautiful places), there\u2019s something special about Montana \u2013 it just doesn\u2019t seem as touristy or crowded in the summers.<\/p>\n How long should a family plan to stay to hit the highlights?<\/strong><\/p>\n No less than 10 days \u2013 there\u2019s so much to see and enjoy.<\/p>\n What are some of the fun things to do? What were your favorites? Why? What ages would these spots appeal to?<\/strong><\/p>\n Our family (specifically Rachel\u2019s dad and sister) loves to fly fish, and Montana is famous for its fly fishing.\u00a0 You can find professional guides to take you on guided tours or \u201cfloats\u201d on the various rivers, or you can enjoy standing knee-deep in the glacier-fed rivers by yourself and fishing.<\/p>\n We do a lot of swimming, hiking and just sitting along the river \u2013 as well as sitting around the campfire in the evenings!\u00a0 We\u2019ve been taking our son to Montana since he was 2-years old, but as he\u2019s gotten older he\u2019s enjoyed it even more.\u00a0 All ages can enjoy this type of trip, depending on your lodging situation.\u00a0 This summer, we\u2019ll rent a house because so much of our family is meeting there for vacation \u2013 and we would recommend renting a house if you have really small children.<\/p>\n What family-friendly places to eat would you recommend? Anything special about them?<\/strong><\/p>\n Family-friendly eating on a vacation like this is about \u201ccamp food\u201d if you\u2019re camping out or in an RV.\u00a0 When we stay in a house, we make big trips to the grocery store and I (aka \u201cMom\u201d) cook up a storm \u2013 all the things we can\u2019t have during the year.<\/p>\n However, if you\u2019re looking for a few fun places in various towns, we have some recommendations.<\/p>\n -DILLON, MONTANA:\u00a0 you have to go to the Sweetwater Caf\u00e9 on Bannack Street for wifi (to check in with the world for a moment) and great coffee, salads and bakery items.\u00a0 This is a really small town and the Sweetwater Caf\u00e9 is great food and a great atmosphere.\u00a0 Plus, it\u2019s right down the street from the Patagonia Outlet, where we always find great deals on our favorite outdoor gear.<\/p>\n -BOZEMAN, MONTANA:\u00a0 there are lots of great places, many that serve locally grown fare, etc\u2026 but our favorite place to visit is a place called The Naked Noodle on South Willson \u2013 where you get to create your own noodle dish.\u00a0 Sounds odd, but our son loves it and it tastes good.\u00a0 Our other eatery in town is located in the historic Baxter Hotel \u2013 where there\u2019s a great wine bar and lots of yummy dishes.<\/p>\n -LIVINGSTON, MONTANA:\u00a0 you can\u2019t beat going to The Northern Pacific Beanery (on West Park Street) for a GREAT breakfast\u00a0 — great omelettes, pancakes and even chicken fried steak (for breakfast)!\u00a0 Plus, it\u2019s located in a historic building \u2013 the old Northern Pacific Railroad Depot.<\/p>\n What hotels or other places to stay can you recommend?<\/strong><\/p>\n There are hotels and motels galore in the various small towns in the Paradise Valley.\u00a0 However, the BEST way to experience this part of Montana is by renting an RV or renting a home that is out in the middle of it all.<\/p>\n For RV Rentals:\u00a0 We\u2019ve rented from both Big Boy Toys<\/a> and C&T RV Rentals<\/a>, both located in Bozeman, Montana.\u00a0 One year we rented a trailer we hooked to the back of our Suburban and camped along Madison River and one year we rented a full-blown RV that we drove up to the Gallatin River and made that our home base for a couple of weeks.<\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n