MISSOULA – Downtown Missoula is the heart of the Garden City and while new businesses continue to set up shop, some current establishments are expanding.
Downtown Missoula is seeing some new amenities being added as businesses in the area continue to expand.
Businesses like Grizzly Hackle — where you can now rent one of their four Dry Fly apartments for a guided fly fishing trip in the morning or to just stay in the heart of downtown Missoula.
“One of the comments that we get from our angling guests is how much they love the rivers they fish, but also how much they love downtown Missoula,” Grizzly Hackle owner Brendan Bannigan said.
“So you know, we wanted to do kind of an urban lodging experience where they have a great place to stay — but that are also centrally located in downtown Missoula so they can walk to bars, walk to restaurants explore other shops.”
So far, Bannigan says the draw of downtown Missoula has been a hit for Grizzly Hackle.
“The feedback that we are getting is really positive. Guys are really exploring and getting out and getting going to Scotty’s Table, Notorious PIG, the Top Hat. And just enjoying all the cool restaurants and bars that Missoula has to offer,” he told MTN News.
You don’t have to be fishing in the morning to stay in one of these rooms. Bannigan says that just the other night someone rented a room to be closer to the Top Hat for one of the many shows the venue offers
Speaking of the Top Hat, they are also offering up some new features for people in downtown Missoula with their new expanded outdoor seating area.
“We’re super happy. There’s a few places, but there’s not a lot of outdoor spaces for Missoula. And once we get this done…we will have sun shades up and a shaded area,” top Hat owner Nic Checota said.
“We will probably do about 80 seats out here. [A] full-service restaurant will be out here and full bar service,” he added.
The outdoor area was a quick addition to the Top Hat but in the future, they have a much more ambitious vision.
“Ultimately, one of the key things that we want to do with it is put an outdoor patio on the second floor that connects back into the restaurant,” Checota explained.
“So really right where we are standing — all the way back to the Top Hat — will be a big outdoor second-floor patio that has river views and looks down the Bitterroot. So, it will be a pretty cool place.”
The outdoor area will be open this weekend for the Missoula Marathon.
Meanwhile, if you would like to book one of Grizzly Hackles rooms they are available on Airbnb or you can call down to the shop at (406) 721-8996 for more information.
