Things To Do in Anaconda, Montana, and The Historic Red Tour Bus

In this Southwest Montana community, the streets are lined with historic brick buildings and dotted with Victorian-style homes, an Art Deco marquee glows at dusk, and town deer trot through front yards and alleyways. All set in front of the dramatic backdrop of the Pintler Mountain Range, rising high above town.

But this small town of 10,000 people didn’t just spring up out of nowhere. Such is the story with many Southwest Montana communities, Anaconda was established as a mining town and still wears that history. It was once a global hub for copper smelting, and now it’s a basecamp for lake days, ski turns, hot-spring soaks, and scenic drives. The town has a century’s worth of stories to tell. If you’re willing to listen, Anaconda is willing to share.

Three visitors taking a selfie together on a sunny summer day at Anaconda Stack State Park in Anaconda, Montana, with the vintage red Tour Anaconda bus and a bronze miner sculpture visible in the background alongside interpretive signage and a decorative river rock plaza — the surrounding open grasslands and foothills of Southwest Montana stretching out under a partly cloudy blue sky, capturing the welcoming, story-rich experience of heritage tourism in Deer Lodge County. — Visitors checking out the Anaconda Stack State Park | Photo by Tempest Technologies

The Best Way to Experience Anaconda’s History

If you’re a big history buff, you could likely spend all day exploring the town and taking in the history. But, if you’re short on time, the best place to hear Anaconda’s story is on the red bus tour. Tours run 1.5-2 hours and hit the city’s most iconic landmarks, offering a great overview of Anaconda’s history. After loading up on the vintage red bus, you will tool around town with local guides who know the ins and outs of Anaconda’s story. You’ll be hard-pressed to ask a question they can’t answer. You may even recognize the bus itself if you’ve been to Yellowstone or Glacier. The Anaconda bus is an original 1936 touring vehicle, pulled from one of the parks.

A vintage red and brown White Motor Company tour bus with "Tour Anaconda" lettered on the side, parked on a downtown Anaconda, Montana street beside a historic… A vintage red and brown White Motor Company tour bus with "Tour Anaconda" lettered on the side, parked on a downtown Anaconda, Montana street beside a historic red brick Gothic-style church, decorated with two small American flags on the front grille and featuring classic 1930s-era styling with chrome details, panoramic windows, and a Montana license plate — a charming nod to heritage tourism and small-town exploration in Southwest Montana's Deer Lodge County. — Historic red tour bus | Photo by Sarah Bolt, Tempest Technologies

What You’ll See on the Red Bus Tour

The tour itself cruises through most of town, with guides narrating, pointing out landmarks, and answering questions as you go. There’s plenty to see from the window; you’ll catch a glimpse of the Old Works Golf Course, the state’s oldest fish hatchery, Washoe Park, and historic homes once belonging to copper tycoons.

Then, the tour makes a few planned stops along the way, where you’ll hop off the bus and explore. The bus stops at one of Montana’s smallest state parks, the Anaconda Smoke Stack State Park. The smelter stack towers above town and dominates the landscape in Anaconda, and it’s a very well-known landmark in Southwest Montana. In fact, it’s the largest freestanding masonry structure in the world, and it can even be seen from Interstate 90 when passing by Anaconda. The state park is located near, but not at, the smelter stack’s location, as the general public is not allowed at the site itself. The park offers great views of the stack, as well as interpretive signs and a display that shows the true width of the structure, providing some perspective to visitors viewing the smelter from a distance.

A field of large rounded river rocks and boulders at Anaconda Stack State Park in Anaconda, Montana, with young cottonwood and aspen trees growing up through the rocky landscape, and the iconic Anaconda Smelter Stack — one of the tallest free-standing brick structures in the world — rising above a low hillside in the background against a clear blue summer sky, evoking the industrial legacy and reclaimed natural character of this historic copper smelting site in Southwest Montana. — View of the stack from Anaconda Stack State Park | Photo by Alyssa Starr, Tempest Technologies

After exploring the state park, the bus will take you around town, spotting the historic Deer Lodge County courthouse before heading over to St. Peter’s Catholic Church. The church was constructed in 1898, complete with a bright red brick exterior, pointed arches, tall steeples, and stained-glass windows. You’ll also be able to go inside, where the architecture is equally impressive as the exterior. Colorful light from the stained-glass windows fills the pews, and an ornate altar imported from Austria draws all attention to the front.

An upward-looking perspective of the red brick Gothic Revival facade of St. Peter's Catholic Church in Anaconda, Montana, showcasing the ornate rose window with intricate lacework stonework at center, twin flanking turrets topped with gold crosses, a tall central bell tower with arched windows and a gold cross finial, and decorative corbeling along the roofline — all set against a vivid blue sky with scattered clouds, highlighting the grandeur of Anaconda's historic Catholic heritage and copper boom-era architecture. — St. Peter’s Catholic Church | Photo by Sarah Bolt, Tempest Technologies

Finally, the tour will swing by the Art Deco-style Washoe Theatre. The lavish interior is complete with dramatic red silk drapes, frescoes on all flat surfaces, including the domed ceiling, and copper, silver, and gold ornamental details, and, of course, a marquee out front that lights up at night. The theatre opened in 1936 and still operates today. It’s an excellent display of the wealth in the region during the Anaconda Company’s heyday, and it preserves the history and culture of Anaconda beautifully.

Anaconda’s Red Bus Tour Ticketing and Information

Where: While the attraction is in season, tours depart from the Discover Anaconda Visitor Center, at 306 East Park Avenue, Anaconda, MT 59711.

Tickets: Adult (13-64): $20, Senior (65+): $15, Veteran/Military: $15, Child (5-12): $7, and Children under 4 ride free.

Call the Discover Anaconda Visitor Center to reserve your spot at (406) 563-2400

Season: May through September, check the Discover Anaconda website for current availability here.

The view from the back seat inside the vintage Tour Anaconda red bus, looking forward toward the driver and two passengers seated on original brown leather bench seating, with the bus's panoramic windows framing a sunny summer pass through downtown Anaconda, Montana — the Deer Lodge County Courthouse visible through the windshield, capturing the immersive, old-school charm of a historic guided tour through one of Southwest Montana's most architecturally rich small towns. — Interior of the red bus tour in Anaconda, Montana | Photo by Tempest Technologies

Prefer to Fly Solo? Here Are Some Other Ways to Experience Anaconda

Explore Anaconda’s Mining Roots at the Copper Village Museum

Located in the former city hall, and built in 1896, the building houses a history museum, archives, an art gallery, a retail shop, and the local historical society. The museum is free to enter, and includes artifacts and displays about the Anaconda Company, farming and ranching, and life during the smelter city’s boomtown era.

A preserved Anaconda Copper Mining Company electric locomotive — engine number 97 — displayed in black and gold livery on a short stretch of track outside the Discover Anaconda visitor's center, with a red overhead pantograph assembly raised above the cab and a Butte, Anaconda & Pacific Railway ore car numbered 451 coupled behind it, set against a partly cloudy sky with a historic red brick downtown Anaconda building visible in the background, capturing the copper smelting and industrial railroad heritage that defined Anaconda, Montana as one of the most important mining and smelting cities in the American West. — Anaconda Mining Company train car outside of the Discover Anaconda Visitor Center | Photo by Sarah Bolt, Tempest Technologies

Take a Self-Guided Tour Through Anaconda

Taking a stroll around any new town is a great way to get to know it! This walking tour, curated by the Montana Historical Society, is full of history and covers many sites throughout Anaconda.

Hit the Trails at This State Park Near Anaconda

Check out Lost Creek State Park, located about 25 minutes from town, which boasts a beautiful waterfall at the end of a dramatic limestone canyon. Plus, it’s a great spot to see bighorn sheep and mountain goats. There’s a campground, plenty of hiking and mountain biking trails, as well as fishing access spots.

Soak and Relax at Fairmont Hot Springs

Stay the night at Fairmont Hot Springs and enjoy complimentary access to the relaxing hot spring pools! The grounds also have a golf course, a bar, and a restaurant. It’s a great home base for exploring the Anaconda area, or just relaxing and soaking in the mineral-rich waters.