We decided to do something different this year and googled "best Christmas towns in America". Whitefish, MT was always in the top 5 and we decided to go for it.

We are flying up a few days before Christmas and flying back a few days after. We've got a pretty cool looking AirBNB near Flathead Lake.

We've got some things lined up like snowmobiling and driving through the few open roads at Glacier Natl Park (assuming weather is good) but I was wondering if anyone had any recommendations for can't miss places to eat, etc.

We know there aren't going to be a ton of things to do. We're actually looking forward to a low-key 9 days...

Also, has anyone seen the aurora borealis up there in December? It looks like it is the perfect time to see it if everything lines up right.

Thanks in advance...

interesting..we thought to do something similar but on the other side of the state in Bozeman. we never been so looking for things to do as well. of course, we should be able to access the north entrance to yellowstone...

Desoto Grill in Kalispell. Get the cornbread.

You made a great decision. Been to Whitefish many times and its great during December. Not near the crowds of the summer. Is cold but I love it.

If you ski, we thought the skiing was great. A lot of fun runs and hardly any wait a the lifts. Couple good places for apres ski on the mountain.

Bonsai Brewing is the only brewery left in town since Great Northern closed down but its a good time and good beers. So is the Glacier distillery in Coram. If you are staying near Flathead theres a couple breweries around the lake.

Glacier is cool because its basically empty. Ya a lot of its closed but there is still plenty you can see. We were there while it was snowing and being there during that was almost a religious experience.

A lot of good places to get a bite to eat. Loulas is our favorite for breakfast, the Bulldog is great for a casual meal, Tupelo Grill and Buffalo Grill are our favorite "nicer" places. Theres a fairly new Italian place thats supposed to be good as is the restaurant by the golf course. A lot of people like Latitude 48 but we were very unimpressed.

You mentioned your by Flathead Lake thats a good 40 minute drive to Whitefish. If you are not married to that place I cannot recommend the Garden Wall Inn in Whitefish enough. Probably my favorite place I've ever stayed. The accommodations are very good but the service and food is unmatched. Plus its an easy walk into downtown Whitefish, even in the cold.

I love the place as you can see and a,m taking most of my family up there this summer. If you've got any other questions I'll try to answer them.

Wife's family used to do a ski trip up there every year and my SIL got married up there a few summers ago. Fun town, kind of small mountain though. Also can be a real pain in the ass to get in/out on a plane in the winter. Delta and United used to love canceling that route last minute it seemed. And that was even before all the lockdown insanity.

Thank you both for the info!

While we wanted to visit Whitefish to see/experience the Christmas stuff, we knew we weren't going to spend ALL of our time there which is why we chose something a little further out.

And yeah...a cancelled flight is one of my fears. Most of the seasonal forecasts I have seen call for a cold but dry winter. Hoping that is the case...

We fly Alaska and never have had an issue. Usually a short layover in Seattle. I'm not sure if there are nonstop flights from Texas in the winter like there are in the summer.

Not sure what your dates are but we were there when they had the annual Christmas stroll. It was basically a big street festival on main street. Fires in the streets, street vendors, all the shops were open, they had some crazy looking abominable snowmen chasing kids around, it was a scene. It was also 10 degrees that night but you already knew it was going to be cold.

We are flying up on the 21st with a layover in Denver.

Bachelor99 said:

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we should be able to access the north entrance to yellowstone...

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Does it not close by then? East side closed in October years ago. Does the north not close?

davido said:

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Bachelor99 said:

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we should be able to access the north entrance to yellowstone...

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Does it not close by then? East side closed in October years ago. Does the north not close?

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i understand the north entrance through gardner is the only vehicle accessible entrance in the winter....the other entrances you will need a snowmobile or snow coach to enter....

Check out the Blaine Creek Grill a little southeast of Whitefish. Beautiful views of the mountains and decent chow. The drive from Whitefish is not too far and a very pretty drive at that.

I bet I can guess the VRBO you're staying at too.

I second Garden Wall Inn and Tupelo grill. We stayed summer of 2016 and enjoyed both. Whitefish is a great town, I can't wait to go back.

We got back from the trip a couple of days ago. We had to take it day-by-day because of the weather but we hit a lot of the places recommended in this thread (Loula's, Desoto Grill, etc.).

I will add that Sykes Diner, Cislo's Family Restaurant and Norm's Soda Fountain in Kalispell are highly recommended and filled with locals. Outlaw Diner in Columbia Falls was also pretty good.

Also, if you are there in the winter and your kids want to go sledding, the perfect hill is behind Harbor Freight.

We'll definitely be going back but probably make it a summer trip so we can experience more of Glacier.

Thanks to everyone who offered advice and tips!

A few pics from the trip...

Taken on the way to Glacier National Park...



Lake McDonald in Glacier National Park. This was the furthest we could go into the park from the west entrance. There were deer EVERYWHERE in the forests around the lake. We went on a short hike and they didn't really care we were within 15 feet of them.



Flathead Lake on Christmas day....one of the only days we saw the blue sky.



Flathead Valley (Kalispell) taken on a Christmas day hike. You can see see the snowstorm blowing in.

Making my first trip to ski Whitefish in February. Should I rent skis at the resort or in town? Can't believe I stumbled onto this thread. Have never been to MT before. Also considering skiing Blacktail another day maybe.

Been looking at Whitefish as well, any other recs for places to stay, I don't think Garden Wall Inn would work for us?

We stayed at an Airbnb (Ruby Red Loft) near Flathead Lake, which as someone mentioned above, was about a 30-40 min drive from Whitefish (in winter conditions). We also didn't go up to the Whitefish resort or ski, so I don't have any answers on where to rent.

We didn't mind the drive because we were on vacation and not in a hurry to get anywhere in particular...and were going to other places than Whitefish.

If you want to get closer, look at places on the north side of Kalispell or around Columbia Falls.

We rented there on the mountain. It was quick, easy and I didn't think unreasonable price wise. You could probably find cheaper if you looked around but I was satisfied with them so I didn't.