What animal can sleep standing up, but can only dream while lying down?

Clarity Animal Hospital

If your dog has ever decided 2 a.m. was the perfect time for a medical emergency… there’s some good news for Billings pet owners.

Clarity Animal Hospital is Billings’ locally owned emergency veterinary hospital, offering walk-in emergency and urgent care for pets Friday through Monday, including overnight weekend hours. No appointment needed.

Led by Billings native Dr. Kayla Erickson, the team focuses on emergency and critical care while also making the experience less stressful for pet owners by allowing families to stay with their pets during parts of the diagnostic process. They also offer flexible payment options through CareCredit and payment plans.

Basically: when your lab eats something ridiculous, your cat starts acting strange, or your pet decides weekends are for medical drama… Clarity is there to help. Located at: 1475 41st Street West | 406-651-5615

Sun Protection Season Has Officially Returned 😎

You can always tell when Billings officially shifts into summer mode.

Suddenly everybody’s outside again.

Walking the Rims.
Working in the yard.
Camping.
Fishing.
Watching baseball.
Standing in a driveway talking way longer than planned because the weather finally feels good again.

And every year around this time, a whole bunch of us collectively remember the same thing at once:

"Oh right… the Montana sun is AGGRESSIVE."

Especially here.

Something about the elevation, the wide-open sky, and the fact that "it doesn’t feel that hot" tricks people every single summer.

Then by evening:
☀️ shoulders are glowing
☀️ foreheads are crispy
☀️ somebody’s dramatically saying "I only forgot sunscreen for like 20 minutes"

Classic Billings behavior.

So this is your friendly local reminder:
sunscreen matters
hats help
water helps even more
and yes — cloudy days still count

Dermatologists generally recommend at least SPF 30 for everyday outdoor time around here — and SPF 50 if you’re spending long stretches outside hiking, fishing, golfing, or floating around in the full Montana sun.

Especially if your weekend plans involve trails, lakes, golf courses, farmers markets, or sitting outside "just for a little while."

Because nothing ruins a perfect Montana summer evening quite like realizing your legs are now the exact color of a Town Pump hot dog roller. 😄

Tourist Season in Billings means a few things:

• packed hotel parking lots
• rental cars everywhere

• somebody driving 11 MPH below the speed limit on Grand 😄
• and at least one person per day asking:

"Are the Rimrocks considered mountains?"

Now listen.

We love this question.

Because you can actually watch local brains short-circuit trying to answer it.

Like:

"Well… not REALLY mountains…"

"But also don't disrespect the Rims."

It's a very delicate emotional balance.

Billings people have a deeply casual relationship with one of the coolest landscapes imaginable.

We’ll drive past the Rimrocks every day for years without thinking much about them…

until somebody from out of town stops dead in their tracks to take a picture.

Then suddenly we're all like:

"Okay, yeah. Fair point."

And honestly?

That's kind of one of the best parts of living here.

Sometimes visitors remind you not to get too used to beautiful things.

🌿 Upcoming Billings Events & Local Happenings

• May 20 — Geoff Tate at Alberta Bair Theater
Classic rock crowd is absolutely going to show up early for this one.
Leather jackets optional. Singing along inevitable.

• May 23 — Pecos & The Rooftops at The Pub Station Ballroom
One of those nights where downtown parking becomes a competitive sport.

• May 30 — OperaFest at Hilands Golf Club
Fancy evening energy. Hors d'oeuvres. Montana people briefly pretending they totally attend elegant cultural events all the time. 😄

• June 2 — Marshall Tucker Band at Alberta Bair Theater
A very strong chance someone in attendance says:
“Man… this takes me back.”
At least six times.

• June 6 — SpringFest at Moss Mansion
Local artists, live music, food vendors, lawn wandering, and peak “Billings finally remembers sunshine exists” energy.

• June 13 — Downtown Mini Golf Tournament
Yes, downtown Billings turns into mini golf chaos again.
Yes, people get surprisingly competitive about it.

• June 13 — Market Mania at MetraPark
Huge outdoor market with vendors, treasure hunting, random purchases you definitely didn’t plan on making.

• June & July — Alive After 5 Concert Series Downtown
One of the most “Billings summer has officially started” traditions we have. Lawn chairs. Food trucks. Everybody downtown at once.

The Annual Billings Tradition of Pretending Winter Is Over Has Begun:

• grilling immediately
• opening every window in the house
• convincing ourselves winter is finally over
• aggressively buying plants at Costco

See everybody outside pretending the wind feels "actually kind of nice today."

Billings Keeps Getting Tastier

• Marble Coffee Co.
  Downtown coffee shop with a modern vibe that’s been getting a lot of local love lately. Good “meet a friend and accidentally stay two hours” energy. 27 N 27th St, Suite 101
• Plush Coffee & Soda - 1603 Grand Ave
  One of the newer sweet-spot drink places in town. Espresso, dirty sodas, matcha strawberry drinks, pastries, cute aesthetic… very “grab a drink and post it on Instagram” in the best way.
• Captain Scurvy's Black Dragon Pub
  Renaissance-themed pub with pirate vibes, costumes, live music, and surprisingly legit food. Honestly feels like somebody said, “What if Medieval Times and a Montana pub had a baby?”
• Tastes So Good
  Local food truck doing gourmet sliders and comfort-food style offerings. Food trucks in Billings are quietly becoming their own little scene.
• Rimrock Mall Food Truck Court
  More food trucks have been clustering there lately, which gives people an easy “everybody pick your own food” option without family arguments ending in someone eating granola bars in the parking lot.
• La Morenita
  New downtown Mexican spot that’s been getting buzz for fresh chips/salsa and a friendly atmosphere. 15 N 26th St
• El Buen Sazón - 4140 State Ave.
  Recently opened on the South Side with scratch-made Mexican food and family recipes.
• Doc Holliday's Roadhouse
  Western-themed restaurant with burgers, steaks, and comfort-food-heavy menu items like mac-and-cheese nachos and bread pudding.

Coming-soon stuff people are talking about:

• Cheba Hut
  Toasted sub chain headed for the West End with a patio and local beer focus.
• Cupbop
  Korean BBQ bowls are reportedly on the way as part of the newer West End expansion wave.
• Surf Sport
  New seafood-focused sports bar downtown aiming for a summer opening with crab boils and coastal-style food. Which honestly feels very “Billings meets Florida vacation energy.”

The Fishtail Coffee Cabin in Fishtail, Montana, has suddenly found itself at the center of global interest after a simple thank-you post about Starlink internet went viral.

Starlink and Elon Musk reshared the post, shining an unexpected spotlight on this cozy rural coffee shop and its close-knit community.

The Horse