Our vacation in Helena, Montana

It's our first time here in Helena, Montana, USA. It was a 4.5 hrs from Waterton and about 6.5 hrs from Calgary. Going there we drove past the mountain sides, winding roads and a lot of constructions. One thing a driver must get ready when planning to drive to the US, is that distance/ speed is measured in miles compared here in Canada which is measured in kilometers.

St. Mary's visitor center

 It is important to take note of that, because after we passed the Canada/USA border, we saw a speed limit of 45. If it's 45kph, it would be slow, but 45mph is equivalent to 70kph.

In my opinion, Montana looks very similar to Alberta. It's flat field with mountainous area. Also, there's a lot of cattles around the place.

We stayed overnight in Super 8 hotel, a 2/3 star hotel but it doesn't matter to us, we wanted to find a cheap hotel with breakfast and wifi included.

We stayed there from Sept 23-25 (Mon-Wed), and we were able to check out some places. Here are some of the places we've checked out and the things we did.

1. Great northern carousel
This was a world class carousel with 37 hand-carved animals. It was sculpted by a renowned Disney artist. It was built in 2002. $2/ride and they sell ice cream and banana split. They have a small gift shop and a photobooth.

This is the first place that we visited when we arrived in Helena. It was a fun reward for Emma. She patiently sit on her car seat, sing songs with us and look outside the window.

2. Exploration works
We visited this on the 2nd day. It was like Telus Sparks but smaller. The entrance fee is $9/adult $5.50 for 3yrs and up children.
We loved it here too, because it has a lot of interactive displays. It's a fun way to learn about science and stuffs.

Showing the waterworks in Helena

Lego area

3. Montana State Capitol
We visited this on the 1st day. It's located in Helena. We were not able to go inside, because we arrived pass the closing time. But, still it's beautiful outside.

4. Cathedral of St helena
We just admired her beauty from the outside.

5. Holter gallery of arts
This is an art gallery that showcases local Helene artists. It's free to go inside, but you can give donations if you want.

6. The original governor's mansion
This is the 1st governor's house here in Montana. It was closed when we visited, so we just took pictures from the outside.

7. shopping- Target + Ross
Of course, one wouldn't go to the US if shopping is not included in the plan.
We bought some clothes from Ross dress for Less and some more items from Target. We used to have Target in Canada, but in 2015 they closed all of their stores their. So, I personally miss this store.

8. Haircut at Great Clips
Suprisingly, I had a cheap haircut here too. $15/haircut. It's very cheap compared to Canada. 

In sum, it was a short but a good vacation in Helena. It's a bit cheaper here compared to Calgary.