I know most people are winding down their summer travels if you did any traveling at all because #2020, but I wanted to share a list of toddler-friendly activities in Whitefish and Kalispell Montana. This is because when we were planning out our trip to Montana, I couldn’t find many guides with information specific to younger children.
Well, we spent a month in the Flathead Valley and had an activity every single day. Thanks of local family and friends, we ended up with a nice list of toddler-friendly activities that were great for the summer months in Montana.
Feel free to save this post for later but I hope this helps you plan out your next trip to Montana with little kids. Let’s get into it!
Toddler-Friendly Activities in Whitefish, Montana
1.Baker Park
Baker Park was a huge hit for us since there is a toddler-sized jungle gym as well as one for older kids. It’s right next to Riverside Park as well so you can tag this pint-sized jungle gym on to the beginning or end of other activities. I also liked that it was so close to the main area of Whitefish so I could easily park, get an iced coffee, then walk to the park and let Teddy play. Once he burned off some energy, we could go and look into the various shops around town.
2. Mountain Gondola & alpine slide
This was another fun activity that would be fun with kids at any age. The ride to the top of the mountain can be either in a gondola or on a ski lift chair. You can hike down or simply picnic at the top then take the gondola back down. The alpine slides are another fun activity for kids depending on age. Since Teddy was only 18 months on our trip we skipped it but a two to three-year-old might like the slide. They simply have to go down with a parent. See more about our trip to Big Mountain here
3.Whitefish Train station and Depot Park
The Amtrak station in Whitefish is a hit if you have a Thomas lover in your house. The train station itself is historic and has old train cars displayed around the outside. The platform is open to anyone so you can take your tiny train lover and watch for any interesting freight trains that might pass by.
Depot Park is the large open green space outside the train station. It’s where the Whitefish Farmer’s market takes place as well as local festivals like the Huckleberry Days festival in August.
4. City Beach in Whitefish
The City Beach at Whitefish is a nice spot if you want to splash and swim with small kids. It’s a sandy beach on Whitefish Lake that looks up to Big Mountain. The downside is that it’s pretty small so go early to claim your spot on weekends. We went on a weekday morning and had no trouble parking (the lot is pretty small) or claiming our own patch of sand. There’s also a grassy area if you want to be near the water but don’t want the sand.
5. Whitefish Library Storytime
One of Teddy’s favorite activities is storytime at our local public library. Lucky for us, they have storytime at the Whitefish public library as well! The local library is just to one side of Depot Park and Tuesday morning at 11 am they have storytime for kids. In response to Covid-19, they have moved storytime outside. You walk around the building while a librarian reads the posted story and finish with a craft.
6. Whitefish Stage Organic Farm U-Pick Berries
About 10 minutes outside of Whitefish is Whitefish Stage Organic Farm. They have U-Pick strawberries in June/July, raspberries in August, and pumpkins in the fall. Make sure to check their Facebook page to know when to visit. They announce when the fruit is ripe and ready for picking as well as when they are done for the season. See more about our visit to Whitefish Stage Organic Farm here.
7. Whitefish Farmers Market
Tuesday evening is when the farmer’s market comes to Whitefish. It’s a fun activity if you want to get dinner out. There were plenty of options for food trucks as well as people watching. The farmer’s market takes place in Depot Park right outside the train station.
8. Sweet Peaks Ice Cream
Sweet Peaks is the local favorite when it comes to all things ice cream. You’ll probably smell the waffle cones before you spot the shop. It’s totally worth the wait. They have great flavors from the classics to local treats like huckleberry.
9. Mountain Berry Bowls
Another popular spot for a treat is Moutain Berry Bowls, the acai bowl food truck. They make delicious and pretty acai bowls to-go. They even have dairy-free options.
10. Paved Running & Biking Trails
If you want to get some fresh air without going too far from the city, Whitefish has a bunch of paved running and biking trails all around. Start at Riverside Park and just pick a direction. You’ll have a nice paved and mostly flat route with beautiful scenery.
Toddler-Friendly Activities in Kalispell, Montana
Kalispell is about 25 minutes from Whitefish and also has some great spots for little kids. If you’re traveling in the area it’s probably cheaper to stay in Kalispell versus Whitefish if you don’t mind the drive. There’s also more convenient shopping (Costco, Target, Walmart) in Kalispell if you need to stock up on supplies.
1. Lawrence Park
This park is perfectly manicured and has a really great playground. They have both a toddler and regular sizes jungle gym and swing sets. Plus they have a really cool zip line toy that I’d never seen in a park before.
2. Woodland Park & waterpark
This park can be a bunch of activities all wrapped up in one. There are jungle gyms for little and big kids, swing sets, and some other toys I wasn’t familiar with. There’s a pond with ducks that you can feed. There are also formal gardens on the other side of the park from the play area which are quite beautiful. But the kicker of Woodland Park is that there is a waterpark! It’s on the opposite side of the parking lot from the playground area.
3. Kalispell Farmers Market
Kalispell Farmers Market takes place on Saturday mornings at Flathead Valley Community College. It’s more of a traditional farmer’s market than one with activities and food trucks. We actually never ended up going to the market but I’d heard about it from a couple of people.
4. Sweet Peaks Ice Cream
Kalispell also has a Sweet Peaks location. Sweet Peaks is the local favorite when it comes to all things ice cream. You’ll probably smell the waffle cones before you spot the shop. It’s totally worth the wait. They have great flavors from the classics to local treats like huckleberry.
You May Also Like:
- Glacier National Park with a Toddler
- Raspberry Picking at Whitefish Stage Organic Farm
- iPhone Diary: Big Mountain
