The following is a sponsored post from Jennifer McBride on behalf of the Billings, Montana Convention & Visitors Bureau.

Everyone has a bucket list. It may not be a physical list, but you’ve got your list of things you know you want to see and do in your lifetime.

My own is about a mile long and would take me around the world. But lucky for me, I live right smack dab in the bucket of all buckets: Montana.

Just the name of this incredible state ignites excitement and anticipation in travelers. The celebrated beauty and wide open spaces inspire awe in the bellies of anyone courted by this alluring state. Her spectacular, unspoiled nature entices even the most unfamiliar visitor to add her to their bucket list.

She boasts charming small towns with truly local flavor, found on back roads and under the biggest of big skies in this country. Montana’s fresh mountain air and forever views follow you no matter where you go. And once you arrive, you feel right at home –which is why so many people opt to stay and even more return time and again to experience all this wonder-filled destination has to offer.

Therein lays Billings – Montana’s Trailhead.

Enter to win 2 airline tickets to Billings, Montana and cross Yellowstone off your bucket list!

Whether you are seeking adrenaline pumping adventure or easy paced experiences, this is the place in Montana perfect for starting your journey. It offers exceptional air service, is affordable and is accessible from most any direction. It is ideal for setting up your home base and venturing off to enjoy the variety surrounding it.

Just 50 short miles away find the land where General Custer fought the Sioux and Cheyenne: Little Bighorn Battlefield. 25 miles away, walk the path of the Lewis and Clark Expedition at Pompeys Pillar National Monument. Venture through eastern Montana to Dinosaur Country where you’ll stumble into prehistoric history of magnificent size and incredible age at every turn.

Yellowstone’s Grand Prismatic Spring. Photo courtesy of University of Colorado, Boulder

And, of course, there is Yellowstone National Park, America’s first National Park and a bucket list destination all on its own.

From Billings, the most beautiful entrance to Yellowstone is just a one hour drive through the pleasant small town of Red Lodge to the Beartooth Highway. The highway itself is legendary, and your experience in Yellowstone will surely compare.

But Billings also offers so much on its own. Whether you want the local experience or feel more comfortable with national brands, Billings fits the bill.

With restaurants offering mouth-watering dishes with worldwide cuisine and shopping that is unique to “Montana’s style,” you can cowboy (or cowgirl) it up or find the latest trends and treasures. Enjoy authentic western experiences or modern art and culture – not to mention a remarkable variety of events.

As the largest community between Calgary and Denver, Spokane and Minneapolis, Billings boasts big city amenities with a truly small town feel. The people possess a perspective on life that is uniquely Montanan and inherently individual; and they take time to make you feel welcome.

Billings allows you to travel throughout history, through majesty and within legend – and to cross a thing or two off that bucket list of yours.

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