After the hustle and bustle of the Stairclimb, with all the workouts, fundraisers, and traveling that it involves, we decided it would be nice to stay at home for a weekend or two.
After all, I love me a good staycation every now and again. What’s not to like? You get to sleep in your own bed, cook comfort food, and spend some quality time on the couch with the dogs and a good book (at least, that is how I tend to spend my time at home). And the best part is, there is no rush to get anywhere or do anything.
That being said, Pete and I are active people, and even when we are taking some R&R at home, we like to do a little more than sit on the couch all day. For starters, we went to go see the new Captain Marvel movie (and I definitely recommend it to any of you superhero fans, particularly anyone waiting for a kick-ass female hero).
But we also wanted go out and enjoy some of the unique things Polson has to offer. We figure since we live here, we ought to spend some time getting to know our own backyard. So we put our heads together and came up with three things (technically four) that would give us a uniquely Polson experience this weekend.
1. Attending a Play
For anyone who enjoys the theater, it’s hard to beat attending plays in a 1938 log building on the shores of Flathead Lake. The John Dowdall Theater is home to the Port Polson Players, a local group of actors led by the fearless producers Karen and Neal Lewing.
Located just off the highway by the golf course and Boettcher Park, the theater is easy to find, and can easily be paired up in the summer with a round of golf or a picnic dinner (although as you can see in the photos it is not quite summer yet.)
In addition to numerous plays, the theater also hosts concerts and kid camps, and is something we as a community are quite proud of. I have gone to see several plays there, although I usually find myself there at Christmas time (in fact, this last Christmas I went to see a good friend of mine perform the role of George Bailey in It’s a Wonderful Life).
But this weekend we came to see 12 Angry Men.
For those of you unfamiliar with the story, I definitely recommend checking out the 1957 film with Henry Fonda. It is a thought-provoking portrayal of the conversation had by the jury following a murder trial and the different biases and beliefs that influenced their decision.
Pete knows several of the actors in this production, and he knew they would deliver plenty of humor along with the serious reflection, which was a large part of our interest in this particular play.
What to expect if you happen to visit our fine theater:
First of all, keep in mind that this is a community theater, and while it does receive a lot of local support, it does not have the budget to compete with the likes of Broadway. If a high value production is important to you, I suggest you go there.
Personally, I think there is a lot to be said for the local theater experience. It is affordable and generally fairly easy to get tickets. The theater is small and cozy, meaning there are no bad seats in the house. At intermission, you have the opportunity to buy some sort of freshly home baked goody (this weekend it was chocolate cake), and after the show, you have the opportunity to meet all the performers.
So if local theater is your thing, I highly recommend checking out the Port Polson Players to see if there is a show while you are in town.
2. Taking the dogs for a walk along the canal
This little trail is probably not going to make it in any list of must-see hikes in the area, but it is a local favorite for runners and dog-walkers, and I love it.
The trail is not marked, but it is not too hard to find. Turn south (away from the lake) off the highway on 1st E (at the 1st Interstate Bank). Near the top of the hill, the road veers left, turning into Skyline Dr. (which is a nice walk in it’s own right, offering an excellent view of Polson and Polson Bay). Follow Skyline over the hill until it levels out on the other side. There you will see a small bridge crossing the canal.
There is a small, easy-to-miss parking area before you cross the bridge. Park there and walk across the bridge; the trail runs along the canal in either direction from there. We opted to head west.
When I first moved to Polson, I lived near Skyline, and used to enjoy coming up to the canal trail to run. This could have something to do with the fact that despite the hill you have to crest to get there, the trail itself is completely flat. I have since found it to be a wonderful open area for the dogs to run and play.
*Important note: We never bring our dogs here when the canal is full, as it would be very easy for them to get washed away. A local man actually drowned in this canal when he jumped in to save his dog during the run-off.
I love this trail because it offers an excellent view of the Mission Mountains across a large stretch of open farmland, and because the walk is full of pleasant sounds. I always like to hear the trickling sound of water as I walk, even if it is coming from a man made stream, and in the spring (my favorite time to come up here) there is a small symphony of meadowlarks.
The trail was plowed for a little ways. This time of year our choices vacillated between slogging through mud and slogging through slush. On the plus side, it was an excellent workout. On the down side, the dogs got absolutely filthy. (Of course, only the humans thought that was a down side; Rocky and Dug were happy as could be.)
My only issue with this trail is that has regular cattle guards, which I have irrationally feared getting caught in since I was a little girl. Fortunately, there are usually small paths on one side where you can walk around the cattle guard. I’m not sure how effective that is for actually containing cows, but personally I find it to be a perk.
3 (and 4). Enjoying a beer at Glacier Brewing Company (with take out from Richwine’s!)
Since sampling breweries is our hobby, it only seems natural that we would also frequent our local brewery: Glacier Brewing Company. We call it our Cheers bar, “where everybody knows [our] name.”
While I think I have tried all of their beers at some point, these days we almost exclusively drink the same two beers.
Pete’s favorite is the Slurry Bomber Stout. It is the stout by which he judges all other stouts. I like the stout as well, but not usually enough to pass up on my favorite: the Glacier Select. It is an Oktoberfest which is so popular that they make it year round.
The brewery is fairly simply decorated, with a very nice beer garden with horse shoe pits and a stage for live music in the summer. Our favorite time to visit is on trivia night–6 pm on Wednesday–where you can test your obscure knowledge and possibly win free beer and gift certificates to local businesses.
And the best part: dogs are welcome. In fact, our dogs are considered regulars just like we are. Usually they wander around at their leisure, but we always bring leashes just in case. It was a good thing too, cause this time some other patrons brought in a baby goat (no, I’m not kidding), and that was just a little too much excitement for our boys.
Glacier Brewery does not serve food, but they have no problem with people bringing in their own, which brings us to our accidental fourth classically Polson activity this weekend: burgers from Richwine’s Burgerville.
Richwine’s is a locally owned drive thru burger joint. While they are only open seasonally, they are incredibly popular, due in large part to their freshly ground, local grass-fed beef. Each burger is topped with a toothpick skewer of carrot, celery, and radish. Their burgers are affordable and higher quality than your normal fast food.
They also serve hot dogs, chicken, and other sandwiches, as well as some very yummy shakes (although I passed on my chocolate shake this time, since I was planning on having a beer). Many Polsonites consider Richwine’s opening to be one of the signs of spring. That tends to mean that they are incredibly busy this time of year; I did end up waiting quite a while in line.
In Conclusion:
We ended up having a perfectly excellent weekend at home. A little bit of culture. A little bit of time outdoors. And wrap it all up with a very satisfying burger and beer. Can’t get much better than that.
For those of you who don’t live in Polson, I hope this gives you some ideas if you ever end up passing through. In the meantime, let me know what sorts of things you like to do in your home town.