It’s been a long, grey winter, and even though Missoula winters are less bitter than say, January on the Hi-Line, this winter has seemed particularly dreary.
But not to worry, Missoula also has plenty of options where you can chase those winter blues away.
Float Missoula
You may know of Float Missoula as that place with the float therapy tanks, but they also have an infrared sauna, which some folks say will help with that seasonal affective disorder, aka “those winter blues.”
UC Atrium
Need some lush greenery to counteract that grey winter landscape? Head to the UC atrium at UM, and after checking out the bookstore or grabbing a snack, you can sit among some honest-to-goodness tropical plants.
Brandi Weber, a student at the University of Montana, takes refuge from the cold to study under a Canary Island date palm in the University Center. The tree is one of several tropical plants filling the atrium of the center.
Missoula Butterfly House and Insectarium
People are also reading…
What’s something you normally only see a lot of when the weather is warm in Montana? That’s right, bugs! Our long, cold winters mean that we don’t have to deal with a lot of insects (which is probably the main bright spot, so to speak), but if you want to feel like spring is coming, you can visit the Missoula Butterfly House and Insectarium. They have the ubiquitous butterflies, but for the budding entomologists out there or just folks who dig bugs, they also have spiders, beetles and other crawlies.
A pink-spotted cattleheart rests on fruit inside the Butterfly House.
Get Air Missoula
Remember those summer days of spending hours on that trampoline in your backyard (if you were lucky enough) or your best friend’s backyard? You can’t have sleepovers, camping out under the stars at Get Air, but this is the next best thing to having your own trampoline.
A photo of Get Air Missoula, the new trampoline park.
Missoula Public Library
Have you been to our public library lately? Our new[ish] and improved library has a plethora of activities and resources, including a MakerSpace, a demonstration kitchen, a book group for you social bookworms, art classes, and of course tons and tons of books that can help you forget that we are still a long way from spring.
The new Missoula Public Library, Wednesday, April 7, 2021.
Currents Aquatics Center
Are your little kiddos going stir-crazy and looking for something to do away from consoles and tablets? Currents Aquatics Center offers swim hours for absolutely every age group, and they also offer swim lessons. There’s a water playground and water slides for the little ones, while adults can enjoy the lap pool and even the spa!
Annabelle Lowny, a kindergartener at DeSmet School, paddles around the pool at Currents Aquatics Center during swim lessons.
Zoo Thai & Camino
Looking to beat those winter blues through delicious food? Zoo Thai and Camino offer flavors from Thailand and Mexico, respectively, that will make you think of sunnier climes. Located in downtown, these restaurants offer a change of pace from steak and fries.
Chawaphol Leetrakul, left, and Travis Raffetto serve food from the Zoo Thai restaurant during the Mercantile grand opening in 2019.
