For those not real familiar with Butte:
The Griz social will be held Friday, April 21 at 6 pm at the McQueen Athletic Club (since 1919), 3250 Hecla St. (Intersection of Hecla and Continental Drive). It's a fun neighborhood bar and hall. Has outside volleyball area. This is sure to be a good time for everyone.
Stay the night, Butte has some new hotels for your comfort. I highly recommend, if it opens in time, staying at the soon to be re-opened (multi-million dollar total building renovation) Copper King Hotel and Convention Center, 4655 Harrison Ave, out south by the Bert Mooney Airport (which is also under new construction). This hotel will be one of the nicest in the state. It is set to open, "Spring 2017". I drove by today, it is looking like it possibly will be finished in time. There is a banner saying, "Now Hiring" outside as well, so there is that. ha There is a brand new Fairfield Inn and Suites by Marriott, 2340 Cornell Ave (couple blocks off Harrison Ave). And a couple years old is the Holiday Inn Express and Suites, 2609 Harriosn Ave. Also recently renovated was the La Quinta Inn and Suites, 1 Holiday Park Dr (just off Harrison Ave and near the Fairfield). The Hampton is a good choice as well, 3499 Harrison Ave (good location for nearby restaurants). The Super 8 is a well kept motel, I know the owners, they win a lot of company awards, it is located 2929 Harrison Ave.
The 11:00 Tailgate will take place, in the festival city, near the northwest entrance of the stadium on E. Silver St (corner of Main and E. Silver St). The stadium sits directly on the north side of Butte High. Beverages will be available, and food vendors selling Butte specialties will be on hand for the 2-hour pre-game tailgate. There is some seating to eat (tables with bench seating/picnic table style) just inside this particular stadium entrance.
The 1:00 kickoff will be somewhat historical. The Griz/cat game used to be played in Butte, at Clark Park (named after a Copper King) and also at Naranche Stadium (named after Butte High Griz RB Hall of Famer and WW!! hero Eso Naranche). This will be the first time the Griz have played in the renovated stadium and new turf. The Griz played in Butte in 2010, but the renovated stadium opened in 2011. And the artificial turf is new from last year. This is a nice article from the Billings Gazette on Naranche, with pics: http://bit.ly/2o66k9u
Hot spots after the scrimmage will be just a couple/few blocks north on Main St. The Metals Sports Bar and Grill, 8 W. Park St...corner of Main and Park...kitty corner from the new Northwest Energy headquarters. This is where the visiting team (Griz or cat) bus stops every year to eat on the way to the Brawl of the Wild. They also check out Naranche Stadium for history sake. The famous M&M Cigar Store (Bar and Grill), 9 S. Main St...facing Northwest Energy. The Vu Villa Bar and Pizza, 521 W. Park St...a few blocks short of MT Tech...formerly owned by Mick Delaney and his brother Charlie. If you are looking for a nice brewery, I recommend Butte Brewery, 465 E. Galena. And if you are looking for a distillery, Headframe Spirits makes awesome drinks...21 s Montana St...in up town Butte, not far from the scrimmage. This place won Entrepreneur of the Year by the State of Montana this past year. John McKee, the owner along with his wife, has an interesting back story,
As far as eating uptown, if you are looking forward to fine dining and/or great cocktails (they also make a mean burger) in a nice environment, I recommend Park 217, located at 217 W. Park St. It has a wine bar upstairs, Fred's Mesquite Grill (steaks, ribs, seafood), 205 Arizona St, in uptown. Sparky's Garage Bar and Grill (BBQ and Burgers), 222 E. Park St. For Asian I recommend SOHO Asian Cuisine, 60 E. Broadway St. (on the 2nd floor). Directly below it is the Acoma Lounge, good atmosphere with booth seating tables.
Downtown recommendations: Chef's Garden (awesome Italian), 1201 S. Montana St. The newer Mackenzie River Pizza Grill and Pub, 3450 Monroe (1 block off Harrison). Montana Club Restaurant and Bar, 3450 Harrison Ave. Silver Bow Pizza Parlor (game room) just finishing renovations, 3500 Harrison Ave. Pizza Ranch (new and has a buffet including chicken and mashed portatoes and game room), 3541 Harrison Ave. Buffalo Wild Wings, 3745 Harrison Ave. El Taco, 2300 Harrison Ave. Pork Chop Johns, 2400 Harrison Ave. And a great local sandwich shop called Paul Bunyan's, 3150 Busch St. (1 block off Harrison Ave).