Cozy winter weekend in a small Montana town

By Jane Seagrave

Associated Press Writer

updated 11:24 a.m. ET Jan. 17, 2008

PHILIPSBURG, Mont. - When our daughter told us she couldn't come home for a visit because of her work schedule, we did what any doting parents of an only child would do: we went to her. No matter that she worked 2,300 miles away on a remote ranch in Western Montana that had just received 10 inches of snow.

No, she's not a cattle wrangler. She was working as an intern for Project Vote Smart, a nonpartisan voter education Web site based on a ranch 25 miles from Philipsburg, Mont., an old mining town midway between Missoula and Butte.

And if winter is not exactly high season, we still found our long weekend in Montana to be unexpectedly delightful.

Philipsburg is just off Montana's oldest state road, Highway 1, a 55-mile stretch known as the Pintlar Scenic Loop for the mountain range that surrounds it. The route runs through historic copper town Anaconda, between vast tracts of grazing land dotted with black and brown cows, past glistening Georgetown, Silver and Echo lakes and up into foothills thick with pines. The recent snowfall had frosted the trees and softened the dry landscape with a smooth coat of white. Under a full moon, the effect was spectacular.

The turnoff from the highway offers no clue to the charm of downtown Philipsburg, which could be a movie set for an old Western. A center of gold and sapphire mining in the late 19th century, the town has reinvented itself as a tourist destination trading on its historic past. The wide main street, aptly named Broadway, is lined with gaslights and colorfully painted storefronts that house a variety of saloons, shops, restaurants and our home base for the long weekend, the Broadway Hotel.

The hotel alone is worth going out of your way for. Painstakingly renovated in 2003, it has nine spacious guest rooms, each uniquely and artfully decorated by owner Sue Jenner. We stayed in the Andes Room, a two-room suite with a pair of comfortable queen-sized beds separated from a small sitting room by French doors. The south-of-the-border theme was accomplished without kitsch and included a clever wall display made by draping Ecuadorean blankets into a large fan.

If you go ... GETTING THERE Philipsburg, Mont., is almost equal distance from Missoula and Butte airports, which are on opposite ends of the Pintler Scenic Loop (Highway 1). Driving time from either airport to Philipsburg is about 90 minutes. PHILIPSBURG CHAMBER OF COMMERCE: philipsburgmt.com or 406-859-3388. THE BROADWAY HOTEL: 103 E. Broadway, Philipsburg, broadwaymontana.com or 406-859-8000. Rates: $74.50 to $124.50 per night, including continental breakfast. There are also two guest cottages with kitchens available. DOE BROTHERS SODA FOUNTAIN: 120 E. Broadway, Philipsburg, doebrothers.net or 406-859-7677. Winter hours: 8 a.m.-6 p.m., Saturday-Monday; 8 a.m.-8 p.m. Fridays. Ice cream, salads, sandwiches (meals average $5-$13.). WILD ROSE: 116 W. Broadway, Philipsburg, 406-859-7673. Gifts and home decor. THE SWEET PALACE: 109 E. Broadway, Philipsburg, sweetpalace.com or 888-793-3896. Winter hours: 10 a.m.-5 p.m. daily except Saturday. DISCOVERY SKI BASIN: Georgetown Lake, Mont., skidiscovery.com or 406-563-2184. Lift hours: 9:30 a.m.-4 p.m. daily. Full-day lift tickets, $32 (seniors and children half-price). PROJECT VOTE SMART: This nonpartisan organization aims to educate voters by providing factual information about candidates, their public statements and positions. Though the organization prefers its visitors online — votesmart.org — it offers internships in exchange for room and board for a minimum 11-week commitment. Source: The Associated Press

Sue gave us a tour of the guest quarters, all located on the second floor. (Because the entrance to the hotel is from an elevated parking lot in the rear, there are no stairs to climb.) Three suites, including ours, overlook the main street, but there was little traffic the weekend we were there to disrupt our sleep. In the Brittania Suite, furniture covered in damask and chintz accompanies mementos from Sue's native England. We especially liked the Discovery Room, featuring maps of ski areas along with antique sleds and a whimsical bedboard made of old skis.

At the heart of the hotel is a huge living room filled with chairs, tables, books and games, where guests can relax in front of a gas fireplace, often sharing the space with Sue's two friendly Boxer dogs, Georgie and Josie. (A computer with Internet access is also available for use by guests.) Lodging includes breakfast served in the modern eat-in kitchen and consisting of a serviceable selection of cereal, fresh fruit, muffins and toast, and lots of juice, tea and coffee.

It took our love of strong coffee to lure us out into the freezing air, but our effort was rewarded. Just across the street from the hotel is the Daily Grind, which serves espresso drinks along with various teas and pastries. Thus sustained, we spent the balance of the morning exploring the shops on Broadway.

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