Montana road trip: Helena

We wake up early and drive directly from Dillon to Helena. Montana's capital is lively little town (pop. 28,000) with lots of history. We decide to dig right into its storied past and spend the day touring historical sights. Here’s what we did:

1) The Parrot Confectionary, Helena

My kids' eyes get as big as saucers when they walk inside this old-fashioned soda fountain. As soon as you pass through door, there's a colorful display of hand-dipped candies.

But we can't have candy yet. We must eat lunch first. We park ourselves in one of the booths and order four bowls of chili.
This old-fashioned soda fountain looks just like it did in 1935 when it first opened in this location (it first opened in a different spot in 1910). There's a big red Formica counter with stools that spin around, and then several wooden booths. The lunch menu is simple: hot dogs and chili.
A friendly teenage boy carries the steaming bowls filled with huge chunks of steak to our table. There's a basket of Saltine crackers to go with it. We all devour our chili without saying a word. After her last bight, my daughter says, "Can we have some candy?"
It's hard to choose from the dozens of offerings: Turkish delight, raspberry creams, chocolate peanut butter fudge, almond butter toffee. We all decide on "Parrots," which are the same thing as a Turtle with chocolate, soft caramel and toasted pecans.

The lady behind the counter asks, "Do you want a tour of the back?"

My daughter practically screams, "Yes."

In the back we're escorted into a tiny refrigerated room where a woman who has worked at the Parrot for 30 years is hand-dipping chocolates. The time and effort that goes into each piece of candy is remarkable. These bon-bons are truly made with love. We all get a sample, and then another. "That's my favorite place in Montana," my daughter said, as we were leaving The Parrot.

2) Great Northern Carousel, Helena The kids take a spin on this modern carousel featuring Montana wildlife. My daughter hops on a bison and my son a big-horned sheep. There's a dispenser hanging from the wall feeding out little rings that you can grab and then throw into the mouth of a clown. My kids arms aren't long enough to reach a ring, but they keep trying. The rings make the carousel all the more fun for older kids.

3) Montana State Capitol, Helena
Montana's Capitol dates back to 1902 and in 2002 it was restored to its original look. The interior of this neoclassical building is absolutely stunning with stained glass, historical murals, and a barrel vaulted ceiling over the grand stairway. Free guided tours leave on the hour, with the first leaving at 9 a.m. and the last at 2 p.m. My kids ages 6 and 8 seem to find the tour interesting, and they like the stories that our guide tells about the murals of Indians, miners, and Lewis and Clark.


4) Last Chance Train Tours, Helena
The best way to see the town and pick up some history is on board this one-hour train tour. The guides know everything about the state's history but they don't bore you. They keep it fun by cracking lots of jokes. "That's what you call a 'Montana rode-eo'" our guide said when the train went over a big bump in the road.

Here are a few of the places we passed on the tour:

Opulent mansion district featuring homes of Helena's mining millionaires


St. Helena Gothic Cathedral with dramatic 230-foot spires

The Old Fire Tower, built in 1876. One of the few remaining in the U.S.


5) Toi’s Thai, Helena
The food coming out of this amazing little Thai restaurant is what you’d expect to be served at the home of a family living in Thailand. The flavors are intense and the coconut curry chicken that we savor is rich and lemony and far tastier than anything I’ve eaten at the Thai restaurants where I live in the metropolitan city of San Francisco. In the middle of our meal, Toi comes out of the kitchen and says hello to diners. There are only about six or eight tables. It's truly like eating in someone's home.
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