Sometimes you want to unwind and take it easy in the winter, even when you’re on vacation. When taking-it-slow sounds like a good option, you can explore Flathead history via museum or by staying at or visiting one of the historic inns, lodges or chalets. And with Glacier National Park’s 100 Year Anniversary approaching on May 11, 2010, there’s no better time to take in local history.

There’s no finer place for a peek into the past than Kalispell’s Museum at Central School, home of the Northwest Montana Historical Society. Located in the original, and beautiful, brick Central School—you can see back into the early days of the Flathead. From the days of the steamboat and the area’s early roots as Demersville (the township that was abandoned for the more convenient location of Kalispell) to the days of logging (“Sand Monkeys, Tie Hacks and River Pigs”), six permanent exhibits run the gamut of early experience. Indians of Montana, early settler tales as told by Frank Bird Linderman and charming pictures of downtown Kalispell line the walls and exhibit areas. This spring and summer you can learn the history of Boy Scouts.

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