Finding Creativity in Montana's Yellowstone Country

For those who may not ski, snowboard, or snowmobile, but still enjoy a winter vacation, consider a creative endeavor on your next getaway!

Although winter months are a great time to explore the outdoors, Montana’s Yellowstone Country is full of classes, workshops, resources, shops and gathering spots to help feed your creative spirit. Yes, we’re known for our big mountains, deep powder and trout-filled rivers, but you’ll also find a plethora of creative artisans and craftspeople ready to help you cultivate your creativity.

Bozeman is a hub of opportunities. The Bozeman Art Museum offers a variety of painting and watercolor classes, including flower pounding and watercolors, for kids, where they can press flowers into fabric and explore how art can be combined with the natural world. Kids also love Arts on Fire, a paint-your-own pottery studio with a robust summer art camp schedule. Bozeman Makerspace is a workshop for those looking to find community in circuitry, robotics, soldering, woodworking, fabricating and programming, to name a few. Stix Yarn, Main Street Quilting Company, Garden of Beadin’, and Pinspiration are also great resources for learning new crafts.

Big Timber, once one of the nation’s biggest wool exporters, still has a strong fiber arts following. Little Timber Quilts and Candy, housed in an 1890s former general store, carries fabrics, books, and patterns, and its materials can be bought online. If you’re looking to learn more, the Crazy Mountain Fiber Fest takes place May 30-31, with classes in wet felting and needle felting, tours, demonstrations, a vendor fair, food trucks, showcases and a petting zoo.

 



Also in Big Timber, stop at  Greycliff Mill and you can try your hand at weaving, purchase yarns, or explore leathercrafting.

The Red Lodge Clay Center in Red Lodge provides a professional setting for ceramicists to expand their work through residencies. It also offers workshops, classes, and other educational programming open to the public. (Check out their private lessons and parties!)

In Three Forks, Be Lazy Quilting and Retreat pairs a fantastic shop with the Patchwork Retreat and Guesthouse, which can accommodate 14 people in 9 bedrooms, all on one floor! The Hive, adjacent to the fabric store, provides a workshop for your party to spend your retreat sewing and crafting before retiring to your cozy guesthouse in the evening.

In Livingston, Back Porch Quilts and Thimbelina’s Quilt Shop offer quilting, knitting, and sewing classes, as with The Stitch House in Belgrade. And if you’re in West Yellowstone, the Yellowstone Artistry Hub has a curated selection of art supplies and classes.

Of course, if you want to admire art, add to your collection, or purchase gifts, we have a thriving art scene across the region.