Planning a trip to Montana and wondering if Butte should be on your list of places to see?
Butte, Montana was once known as the “Richest Hill on Earth” in the late 1800’s and has a very interesting, dark past. The entire town is a National Historic Landmark!
My husband and I spent a day in Butte after an epic road trip through Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks.
We were looking for an interesting place near the Bozeman airport to spend our last day out west before flying home, and Butte definitely delivered on the interesting piece!
So is Butte, Montana worth visiting? What is there to do in Butte? This post will answer all of those questions and more! Here are 7 unique things to do in Butte, Montana!
What is Butte, Montana Famous For?
Butte was the first city in Montana and was the largest city between Chicago and San Francisco at one point!
Butte had its heyday in the late 1800s and early 1900s as one of the largest copper mining boom towns in the west.
At one point, it supplied over 25% of the world’s copper! This led to the nickname the “Richest Hill on Earth.”
Additionally, Butte is home to Montana Tech University, has the oldest Chinese restaurant in the US, and has a huge Irish population due to the influx of immigrants during the mining heyday.
What is the Dark History of Butte, Montana?
Being one of the largest mining boom towns in the world doesn’t come without a few skeletons in the closet.
The mining industry made a few key players some of the richest men in the world. At the other end of the wealth scale was the rough side of town and infamous red light district.
Poor working conditions for miners led to numerous labor strikes. The most violent strike led to the Anaconda massacre in 1920, where company guards shot at strikers, killing one.
Additionally, the Granite Mountain Mine caught fire underground and killed 168 miners in 1917. This is considered the deadliest event in underground mining history.
After WWII, open pit mining became more popular. The most famous open pit mine is the Berkeley Pit, located in Butte.
Mining waste was dumped into the pit and it later filled with water after the mine closed. The Berkeley Pit is now one of the worst environmental disasters in the world.
The acidic, contaminated pit has killed wildlife and affected air and water quality. Butte and the EPA are still working on clean up efforts to minimize environmental effects.
Despite that, the pit is open to visitors, and there is even a gift shop and visitor’s center.
Butte used to have a population of over 100,000 and now it is less than half of that at 40,000. All of the things mentioned here just scratch the surface of Butte’s rich and dark history.
14 mining headframes remain in Butte and numerous historical remnants still stand to be explored today.
Is Butte, Montana Worth Visiting?
Butte is worth visiting if you’re already in the area and want to spend a day exploring its unique history.
I personally don’t think it was worth going out of my way to come here, but it made a convenient and interesting stop before flying home after visiting Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks!
Related: The Ultimate 9-Day Yellowstone and Grand Teton Itinerary
How to Get to Butte, Montana
Butte is located in southern Montana, at the I-90 and I-15 junction.
It’s 2.5 hours northwest of Yellowstone National Park and 4 hours south of Glacier National Park, so it makes an interesting and convenient stop on a National Park road trip through the Glacier-Yellowstone-Grand Teton corridor.
Bozeman, Billings, and Jackson Hole are the closest airports. You will have to rent a car to get around as well!
Related: The Ultimate Yellowstone Bucket List: Top 17 Things to See & Do
Where to Stay in Butte, Montana
Butte has a handful of boutique, reasonably-priced hotels located downtown.
- Hotel Finlen: Historic hotel dating back to 1924 located in the heart of the historic district
- The Miner’s Hotel: Boutique hotel in uptown that used to be the Miner’s Bank. There is a speakeasy in the basement as well. We stayed here and had a great experience!
- Copper King Mansion B&B: Stay in one of Montana’s 3 famous Copper King mansions! William Andrews Clark’s mansion was built in 1884 and was converted into a bed and breakfast in 1953.
7 Unique Things to Do in Butte, Montana
1. World Museum of Mining
The World Museum of Mining is constantly rated as one of the best things to do in Butte, Montana. Located at an actual mine, you can explore the history and picture what life would have looked like for a miner’s family in the early 1900s.
You can view the 50 exhibit buildings along with exploring the mine yard full of artifacts.
You can even do an underground mine tour and go 100 feet into the Orphan Girl Mine!
Admission is $12/person and the museum is open Tuesday – Saturday from 9:30 – 5:00 and Sunday – Monday 9:30 – 4:00.
2. Berkeley Pit
One of the most popular things to do in Butte, Montana is to visit the Berkeley Pit Overlook.
The Berkeley Pit is a former open pit copper mine. It was opened in 1955 by the Anaconda Copper Mining Company and closed in 1982.
When the mine closed, the underground water pumps were shut off and ground water began to fill the pit. The water combined with mineral waste created a toxic, acidic cocktail full of dissolved heavy metals.
It is currently one of the largest Superfund sites, a federal environmental remediation program to clean up hazardous pollution.
The Berkeley Pit remains as a tourist attraction that charges a small fee to enter. There is also a small gift shop attached to it.
3. Our Lady of the Rockies Statue
Our Lady of the Rockies is a 90-foot statue built in the likeness of Mary that sits on the continental divide.
There isn’t an official viewing platform for the statue, which I think is a shame. The best place to see it is from I-15 or I-19 (but you can see it from multiple places in town as well- look to the right from the Berkeley Pit Overlook).
Private cars are not allowed up to the statue, so you have to take a 2.5-hour bus tour to get up close. I personally don’t think spending that much time is worth it, and the TripAdvisor reviews are pretty mixed.
Just take note of the statue, snap a couple of photos and call it good!
4. Copper King Mansion
Another one of the most popular things to do in Butte is to take a guided tour of the Copper King Mansion.
This mansion was built for one of the three famous “Copper Kings,” William Andrews Clark.
He was one of the richest and most influential people in the late 1800s/early 1900s and made his fortune in mining, power companies, newspapers, and railroads.
Construction on the mansion began in 1884 and was completed in 1888. Most of the home is still in its original condition with stained glass windows, plaster walls, and frescoed ceilings.
The mansion now operates as a privately-own bed and breakfast, but you can also take a guided tour. 1-hour tours are offered at 10:00 am, 12:00 pm, 2:00 pm, and 3:30 pm and cost $20 per adult.
You can walk in, or reserve a tour spot here.
5. Mai Wah Museum
The Mai Wah building is a historic building in what used to be Chinatown. In the late 1800’s, a lot of Chinese miners immigrated to Butte to work in the mining industry.
As the mining industry declined, the Chinese were left to work in restaurants, laundromats, and other domestic services.
The Mai Wah building used to be a mercantile and noodle parlor. It is now left as a museum to preserve the history of Asian people in Butte and the Rocky Mountains.
6. Granite Mountain Memorial Overlook
The Granite Mountain Memorial Overlook was constructed to honor the lives of the miners who died in the Granite Mountain Mine fire in 1917.
This event is considered the deadliest event in underground hard rock mining. 168 men lost their lives, mostly from suffocation as the fire consumed the underground oxygen.
The memorial overlooks the 10,000-foot Highland Mountains and the Continental Divide.
There are interpretive plaques that tell the story of this catastrophic event in remembrance of those who lost their lives in mining.
7. Mineral Museum
The Mineral Museum is located on the Montana Tech Campus and is completely free to visit. The museum originated as a teaching collection for the Montana School of Mines, but expanded to the general public after receiving donations and public support.
During the summer (June 15 – September 15) the museum is open 9-5 every day. In the winter, it is open 9-4 Monday through Friday.
How to Spend a Day in Butte, Montana
Start your day in Butte by exploring the World Museum of Mining. Grab lunch at Butte Brewing and Pizza Company, and then head to the Berkeley Pit and Granite Mountain Memorial.
End your day with a tour of the Copper King Mansion or visiting the Mineral Museum on the Montana Tech Campus.
Sparky’s Garage Bar and Grill is a popular dinner spot. You can also hang out at the 51 Below Speakeasy in the basement of the Miner’s Hotel with the rest of your evening!
Do you plan to visit Butte on your next trip to Montana? Did you learn anything interesting in this post about the best things to do in Butte, Montana? Let me know in the comments below!
(And if you’re also planning to explore Yellowstone and/or Grand Teton National Parks while you’re in the area, check out my posts on Yellowstone here and Grand Teton here!)
-Megan
