12 Instagram Worthy Spots for Photos in Billings, MT

Billings, MT is truly the Star of the Big Sky Country. We are the region’s primary commercial hub, the most populated city in Montana, and only a scenic jaunt away from amazing sites like Yellowstone National Park or Custer Battlefield. In addition to our booming economy, Billings hosts a range of beautiful sites that underscore our Montana aesthetic. Indeed, we have many of the most photogenic sites in Montana.

As a Billings real estate agent, folks often ask me: “What are the best places to see in Billings?” or “Where can I find the Montana lifestyle?” As the mother of a photographer (and an amateur photo fanatic in my own right!) I often frame these questions in terms of a great place to capture in a picture. In this post, I’m excited to share my most photogenic spots around Billings, MT. These places run the gamut from natural beauty to western culture to the cosmopolitan high life of Montana’s biggest city. Whether you’re planning a business headshot or a chic Instagram post, these are my 14 best spots for photography in Billings!

1. Best Views Over Billings: Four Dances Recreation Area

My favorite place in the entirety of Billings is the Four Dances Recreation Area. This gorgeous park is situated atop the sandstone bluffs which overlook Billings from the southeast. With nearly 800 acres of wild terrain, you can explore a beautiful landscape of sagebrush and ponderosa pines. From the park’s precarious cliffs, you can enjoy a bird’s eye view of Billings’ sprawl from 500 feet above the magnificent Yellowstone Valley. Four Dances is only a ten-minute drive from Downtown, and the best overlooks are only a quarter-mile walk from the parking lot. This Billings park is Montana’s most accessible spot for rugged photography adventures.

2. Cowboy Nostalgia: The Cowboy Sign at Public Auction Yards

Billings is the capital of Montana’s livestock community. Cowboy culture bleeds into so much of what we do, from PBR rodeos at the MetraPark Arena to Ag conventions at our downtown hotels. Such events are one of the biggest draws for folks living in Billings. One of the most iconic symbols of Billings’ Western heritage is the cowboy billboard outside of the Public Auction Yards. At the intersection of S 18^th St and Minnesota Ave, you can greet this Stetson-wearing dude who beckons you into “The Livestock Center of the West.” If you go here to flex your ranching chops, just remember the cardinal rule: straw hats are good from April to September, but otherwise you need to stick to felt.

3. Voguish Greenery: The Roots Greenhouse

One of my favorite places to gather with friends is the beautiful greenhouse at Roots Garden Center. This lovely venue on Poly Drive features colorful plants, cozy modern seating, and a lovely soundtrack of tinkling windchimes. If you’re trying to enliven your Instagram page, the opaque siding of the greenhouse can even add a mysterious feel. Billings has a trendy side, and the Roots Greenhouse places that artistic attitude is fully on display. This highly photogenic business also features several artistic installations by local artists and the wonderful Black Dog Coffee shop.

4. Brick Backdrops: Last Chance Cidery

Billings was founded as a railroad town. Our Magic City earned this moniker when a flurry of brick warehouses sprung up, like magic, around the Billings Depot. While new industries define our city today, Montana Avenue underscores the beautiful continuum of Billings’ railroad history. One of the avenue’s most lovely standouts is the Last Chance Cidery. This brick-walled brewery pairs the historic vibes with a colorful array of modern features. Billings aesthetes love its famous green fireplace and large paned windows. The restaurant’s modern gastronomy and in-house ales also make for a charming addition to your next Instagram post.

5. Snazzy South Side Vibes: Rail Link Coffee

Rail Link Coffee is the South Side’s greatest hidden gem! Founded as a community development project for underprivileged families, Rail Link employs both local youth and a suave sense of photogenic charm. You’ll enjoy the coffee, as well as the industrial vibes from this café in Billings’ old manufacturing district. Metallic orange furniture and a weathered brick wall combine for a fascinating backdrop to your next study session. The melodies of passing railcars will further remind you that you are not just in a city, but in a Montana city – trains and all!

6. The Cozy Lap of Luxury: The Northern Hotel Lobby

The Northern hotel, at the heart of our downtown district, is an outstanding place for a winter photoshoot in Billings. With a roaring fireplace set against white marble tile, and an array of cozy leather furniture, the Northern Hotel’s lobby screams “Christmas in Montana!” This historic hotel is a standby of the Billings skyline, originally built in 1904, and a great place to visit in Billings if you are trying to get a sense of the town’s urban elements. With modern features in its lobby, The Northern does a good job appealing to our city’s chic crowd.

7. Rugged Americana: Cowboy’s of Huntley

Located twenty minutes east of Billings, Huntley, MT is one of the main ranching hotspots in Yellowstone County. As a testament to the hard work of this industry stands the excellent local steakhouse Cowboy’s. The place screams Western culture at its finest. Outside stand grain silos used to store malts for none other than Coors’ Light. Indoors, they feature a wall of Chris LeDoux memorabilia, an array of vintage neon beer signs, and barstools ornamented with the finest personalities in ranching. If you’re looking to capture a photo amidst the cowboys themselves, their namesake restaurant is an outstanding bet.

8. For Quirky Mementos: Prerogative Kitchen

Billings, MT has amazing access to the mountains. Indeed, Montana’s tallest range – the Beartooth Mountains – are only an hour away from town. You can access them by way of the lovely hamlet of Red Lodge, MT. Known best for its skiing and its proximity to the jaw-dropping turns of the Beartooth Highway, Red Lodge is also a great place for Billings residents to visit for a neat aesthetic. Among its many restaurants worthy of an Instagrammable visit, I have to throw out the Prerogative Kitchen. Their interior is full of every backdrop imaginable; peeling stucco walls, surreal pastel murals, and a burlesque-style seating area with red velvet chairs. By posting your next visit to Prerogative, you are sure to generate some Instagram likes – and perhaps a new perspective on Montana’s quirky, artistic side.

9. Soak In the Yellowstone: Dover Park

Located right along the Yellowstone River, Dover Park is my favorite place to absorb views of Billings’ most iconic waterway. One hundred miles upstream, this river connects with Yellowstone Lake. By driving only 5 minutes from our downtown, we can connect with this natural heritage that exemplifies our region. Dover Park, with Billing’s largest dog park and a pleasant network of human trails, is a nice spot to get up close and personal with the river. Feel to brag to your friends in the comments that you live in the county their favorite TV show is named after.

10. Baseball and Rimrocks: Dehler Park

Nothing quite beats a summer afternoon watching the Mustangs play! Billings premiere professional sporting venue also provides a premiere aesthetic perspective. From any seat in the park, you can absorb beautiful views of the rimrocks. The rims add a stunning sandstone relief to a ballgame, whose scale is probably unmatched by any other ballpark in the Mountain West. Often times, you can even watch the cliffs swallow an airplane gliding in for a landing at the airport above! Between the green outfield, the bustling crowd, and Billings’ iconic rimrocks, Dehler is an outstanding place for summer photography in Billings, MT.

11. A Taste of Finer Culture: Yellowstone Art Museum

Of all the reasons we make our homes in Billings, the fine arts may not be the first object which comes to mind. Against these expectations, however, Billings is home to a full-scale opera, a local philharmonic and Montana’s largest art museum. The Yellowstone Art Museum is an expansive place to explore contemporary art. Indeed, their collection is among the only ones in the entire nation whose entire catalog is available for public viewing! Among the collections you’ll find expressive landscape paintings by local Crow artists, sketching by Will James, and innovative photographs to inspire your next adventure for of the Gram.

12. Art Deco Amazement: The Babcock Theater

Billings is full of unique architectural sites, but few are so enticing as the Babcock Theater downtown. The colorful interior could have been designed by Gaudi himself, with bulging features that speak to the fantastical nature of our favorite dramas. This building, like many across our city, has been revitalized by recent development investors. However, its continued upkeep relies on the generosity visitors. Its marquee welcome sign alone is worth a visit to enliven your next shoot, so check out this highly photogenic location and contribute to the local Billings culture!