A 2-day Great Escape into the clean air, endless skies, and a kaleidoscope of badlands, flatlands, and highlands that includes history, culture, trophy fishing, and a really great steak. If you want to enjoy continuously-changing scenery, travel north on Highway 87 out of Billings and drive to Roundup and the beautiful Bull Mountains. While not the highest mountain range in Montana, the Bulls offer some of the most scenic vistas in the state. Roundup offers shopping of all kinds, two museums and their scenic “River Walk.”

From Roundup, drive east on Highway 12 and take in some of the unusual sandstone structures visible along the route. Be sure to stop in Ingomar, once one of the world’s leading sheep-producing regions, and home today to the historic Jersey Lilly Saloon. This rustic 100-plus-year-old building is a great place to have lunch or a snack. Be sure to try the "Best Cowboy Beans in the West" and their "sheep-herders’ hors d’ouvres." If you call ahead, you can even arrange to take a ride on a real horse-drawn stagecoach to see the buffalo herd that calls the area home. You can even stay overnight at the Bunk ‘n’ Biscuit B&B.

Proceeding south and east on highway 12 brings you to Forsyth, county seat of Rosebud County and the site of one of the most beautiful courthouses in Montana. Forsyth is also home every year to the "Matthew Quigley Buffalo Rifle Match” where over 500 participants, many dressed in 19th century garb, shoot original and replica black powder rifles at metal silhouette targets up to 1/2 mile away. Additionally, Forsyth is a hub for railroad traffic hauling coal and grain from the plains of Montana to destinations throughout the world. You’ll also want to stop at the Rosebud County Museum to view some of their unusual collections.

From Forsyth, it’s only an hour-and-half west on I-94 back to Billings. Along the way, you can stop in Hysham to visit the Treasure County Museum in the “Yucca Theater,” one of eastern Montana’s more unique structures.

And don’t forget to stop at Pompey’s Pillar, just 26 miles west of Billings. This famous sandstone outcropping is famous for the signature that Capt. William Clark carved into it in 1806 on his return leg of the Lewis and Clark Voyage of Discovery. Climb to the top and you’ll enjoy a vista that is very much like the view Clark and his men experienced over 200 years ago.

When you get back to Billings, take advantage of big city entities like spas and fine dining. As Montana’s largest city, it is unequaled in the state for the variety of entertaining and relaxing diversions available.

For the history buff, this is a great “off-the-beaten-path” drive. Miles City not only is the historic terminus of the early Texas to Montana cattle drives of the late 19th century made famous by the movie “Lonesome Dove,” but it is also the site of some of the most beautiful homes in Montana, many of which were built by the early cattle barons. It is also home to the “World Famous Bucking Horse Sale” every year, where the world’s best rodeo stock is sold at auction.

The area between Miles City and Broadus features broad, open spaces, plus interesting vistas of the Chalk Buttes. In Broadus, travelers will find two of the most interesting museums in the state, featuring everything from taxidermy mounts to sea shell collections. Proceeding west along Highway 212, visitors are again treated to ever-changing scenery and rock formations formed by eons of wind and rain. 212 passes through the Northern Cheyenne Nation, then on to the Crow Indian Nation. In Ashland, it’s worth a stop at St. Labre Indian School, one of the most beautiful and architecturally-stunning buildings in Montana.

Garryowen is situated at the junction of Hwy 212 and Interstate 90. Here is where you’ll find the Little Big Horn National Monument, commemorating the famous battle between Lt. Col. George Custer’s troops and an overwhelming number of Cheyenne, Lakota and Arikara braves bent on preserving their vanishing way of life. Not to be missed is the Custer Battlefield Museum in Garryowen, where history buffs can view countless artifacts from the conflict that started on that very site on June 25, 1876.

From Garryowen, it’s just a short 20-minute drive to Hardin, home to the Bighorn County Museum. Ever-expanding, this museum features 19th century buildings and homes that have been carefully and lovingly preserved just the way they would have been seen at their original locations.

Billings, Montana’s most-populace city, is just an hour northwest of Hardin, and features first-class dining of several ethnic origins, lodging to fit any budget, shopping and actions such as ZooMontana, the Yellowstone Art Museum and Moss Mansion, built over 100 years ago by one of the most influential residents of early Billings history.

Call 406-254-7180 or visit www.montanafunadventures.com for reservations or more information on any of the following tours.

A Calamity Jane Stomping Ground Tour - Offered year round w/hotel pick-up - She lived her life so reckless… fact or fiction? Come and find out for yourself. Tour historic homes and business districts, Indian Burial Ground and Boothill Cemetery.

Western Hats & Suds Tour - Year Round – Tour the largest and award winning micro-brews in Billings. Learn what words like “hops,” “yeast,” and “malt” mean when related to a micro-brew. And this tour is not over until you’ve sampled the brew (beer or root beer for those who prefer it). After sampling, head to the store with the finest hand crafted western hats mad in Billings. The hat makers will take you through all the steps from sizing your head to the final stitch of perfection.

Slice of Country Tour - the sharing of real rural life where you can enjoy a hay ride, visit the Big Red Barn and meet a variety of farm animals on a homestead that was settled in the early 1900’s. Beginning in May through the end of Sept. Reservations a must.

Tour de Chocolate - 1.5 hours, October to May. Meet some of the finest candy makers and see if they will share their secrets. The samples are sure to delight!

Theme Tours are designed for a Montana experience. All tours can be adopted for small groups to a bus group. Jeep tours vary in the level of rugged experience. Inquire for more details.

Beartooth Pass Tour - Full day tour. Thrill, rush, and adrenaline is what you can experience when you climb into the rugged 4x4 open air jeeps. Passengers will experience the Big Sky Country and its wildlife where every tree, wild flower and stream dances with the grace of the Old West. Look forward to the return over Beartooth Pass down into Red Lodge.

Hellroaring Jeep Tour - The Beartooth Mountain Range rises to 9,500 feet above sea level and is composed of some of the oldest rocks on the planet. You will travel an old chrome mining road and trail up the side of a mountain with breathtaking views of Beartooth Pass, the valley below and high mountain lakes.

Sunset Jeep Tour - Travel the old trails traveled by Indians, explorers, and early settlers. See the Bozeman trail, Blood Valley, and other historical sites. Hear the stories of the area and the old west, see the twin stone towers that stand 12 feet high and make the trails high above Blood Valley.

Enjoy the Wild Mustang Tours (Full day tours on Saturdays from June to September) and experience the majesty of the horses on either ATV or in a 4-wheel vehicle in the Pryor Mountains. Or take in the Saddles and Paddles tour (full day adventure) in which you will go horseback riding for half of the day and then cool off with a river float. Call 406-254-7180 or visit www.montanafunadventures.com for reservations or more information.

Battle of the Little Bighorn / a Custer and Sitting Bull story. A native Montana historian is your guide for this battle of two cultures. Call 406-254-7180 or visit www.montanafunadventures.com for reservations or more information.

The Battle of the Little Bighorn tour (year round, 6 hours) includes entrance fees, hotel or campground pick up in the Billings or Hardin area, and no host lunch. Take in sites like Reno/Benteen Hill, Indian encampments, Last Stand Hill, and so much more.

For even more history, check out the Lewis and Clark (Pompey’s Pillar) and Custer Battlefield Combination tour (8 hours, May to October), the Rosebud Battlefield, the St. Labre Indian School & Museum, or the Indian Trails Tour (day trip, with lunch, April to October).

Trips and tours also available for events like Custer’s Last Stand Re-enactment and Crow Fair Pow-Wow.

Summer & Winter trips into Yellowstone Nation Park, Gold Panning, Dino Digs, Saddles (horseback riding) and Paddle (river rafting), Viewing Wild Mustang or Wildlife Viewing in natural mountain habitat to include Eagle watching in the spring. Experience the life and techniques of the Hutterite Colony, or go in-depth with the history of the surrounding lands. Specialty tours for Motorchoach groups available. Call 406-254-7180 or visit www.montanafunadventures.com for reservations or more information.

Montana Fun Adventure Tours also offers specialty tours for holidays like Halloween and Christmas. Check out the Mount View Cemetery Tour, or the tours of Billings Ghosts, both featured during the month of October. For Christmas, enjoy the nostalgic Spirits of Christmas Past tour or take in all of the city’s Christmas lights on the Adventures with Santa Claus on the Fun Express tour. Call 406-254-7180or visit www.montanafunadventures.com for reservations or more information.

Take in a tour bus holdup by surprise cowboy bandits who sweep you onto a covered wagon ride across the Montana Prairie to Happy Pappy’s Chuckwagon camp where the movies Lonesome Dove and Far and Away were filmed. Along the way, learn about the history of the land you see around you. Enjoy the classic Western Romance cuisine with a cowboy cooked meal and western musical entertainment. Best for groups, reservations are necessary. To learn more call 406-348-2048 or visit www.westernromancecompany.com.

Tours to Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument, Pompey’s Pillar, and other historic landmarks are available through Western Romance Company. Inquire for more details.