There are plenty of interesting things to do in the "Magic City" of Billings, Montana. Billings is named after the 1882 president of the Northern Pacific Railroad, Frederick H. Billings. The nickname, "Magic City," was earned when Billings experienced amazing population and commercial growth after its humble beginnings as a small railroad town. Pictograph Cave State Park, Zoo Montana, Yellowstone Art Museum and Boothill Cemetery offer many fun things to do.
Boothill Cemetery refers to most of those buried here having died with their boots on, most likely either in battle or in a brawl. The most famous person buried at Billings' Boothill Cemetery is Muggins Taylor. Taylor was the military scout who brought the message of Custer's fall at Little Bighorn. Other Boothill Cemeteries can be found in at least ten states including Arizona, Texas, Kansas and Idaho. Montana has another Boothill Cemetery in Virginia City.
Billings' Yellowstone Art Museum has more than 3,000 exhibits and these works center around Montana's contemporary visual art such as paintings and sculptures. The Yellowstone Art Museum was built into the former Yellowstone county prison in 1964 and includes part of the Prison as an exhibit. The Museum has a wide selection of works that relate to the Old West by artists such as C.M. Russell, J.H. Sharp and Will James.
Zoo Montana is a wildlife park in Billings that features animals such as wolves, tigers and bears as well as reptiles, spiders and many more creatures. The larger animals are in natural habitats that visitors can reach by woodland paths and other walking areas. Zoo Montana also has a play area, petting zoo and picnic area.
Pictograph Cave State Park has pictographs, or ancient rock paintings, that are more than 2,000 years old. More than 3,000 historic artifacts have been found in the caves here and the caves show evidence of being occupied by people who lived more that 4,500 years ago. The hike to view the pictographs is said to take about an hour and you may want to bring binoculars to help you see the rock paintings more clearly.
