Fall Tour
Fall Tour is a fun and interactive field trip where we tour nurseries, greenhouses, landscape sites, and other areas of interest in our host city. The Tour moves to a different city each year so we can see the best Montana has to offer! This behind-the-scenes tour gives everyone a look at some of the best operations and sites in the area. The Fall Tour is a great way to see what fellow professionals are doing in the field, and take home a few tips and tricks to use yourself. There are lots of opportunities to learn from each other, rejuvenate, connect, and share new ideas during the tour. Come join us!
HOW TO REGISTER: You can register on-line by following the link on this page, by emailing your registration form to info@plantingmontana.com, or by calling the office at 406-755-3079. You can also download the registration form and mail it to the address listed on the form.
WHERE TO STAY: We have reserved a room block for Fall Tour guests at the Hampton Inn, 2301 14th Street SW, Great Falls. Reserve by August 29th to secure the reduced rate. Call the hotel to book at: 406-453-2675, and ask for the Montana Nursery & Landscape Association group rate.
Want a preview of the Fall Tour events? Here's what we have planned:
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 14: Pre-tour
CERTIFIED PLANT PROFESSIONAL EXAM: The CPP Exam will offered on Thursday, at 1:00pm. Applications for the test and order forms for the manual are available online, or by calling the MNLA office at 406.755.3079. Registration for the exam is not included in the Fall Tour registration; if you wish to take the exam and attend Fall Tour, you will need to complete separate registration forms for each. Register online for the CPP Exam here. Registration deadline: August 31st.
KICK-OFF DINNER: All Fall Tour registrants are invited to join us Thursday evening, September 14th for a welcome dinner. Dinner is included with your Tour Day registration, and is a great time to see familiar faces and connect before the hustle and bustle of tour day.
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 15: Tour Day
Tour Day Details: The 2023 Fall Tour will take place in and around Great Falls on Friday, September 15, 2023. To make carpooling easy, the tour will leave from our host hotel at 7:00am, and return to the same hotel at the conclusion of the tour (around 4:00pm). There will be a detailed map of tour stops provided at check-in the morning of the tour. There will be some fun games and door prizes along the way!
Your registration includes Kick-Off Dinner the evening before the tour, as well as Breakfast and Lunch on tour-day.
Where will the Fall Tour be stopping this year? This year's sites include:
Rocky Mountain Hardscapes - Rocky Mountain Hardscapes is a locally-owned business that specializes in the supply and installation of outdoor living products. With over 25 years of construction and hardscape installation experience, RMH is a leading outdoor living contractor in the Great Falls area. They specialize in areas that fall between what most landscapers and builders are able to deal with. The end result? Incredible outdoor living spaces. We will enjoy some tasty breakfast burritos, courtesy of 2M Company, while touring their facility.
Centene Stadium - Home to the Voyagers, Great Falls’ minor league baseball team, Centene Stadium also plays double-duty as an out-of-the-ordinary event and meeting site. The 95,000 sq ft field, 3,200 seat structure, plays host to 38 home games per season as well as dozens of other events, including concerts, MMA sporting events, parties, and special occasion functions. With that much use, the turf takes a pounding each year. We’ll get a behind-the-scenes look at what maintenance looks like on this large-scale project, and hear from the installers responsible for the recent revamp of the entire field.
Tilleraas Landscape & Nursery - Established in 1986, Tilleraas Landscape & Nursery is a family owned and operated business that has established themselves as a cornerstone of the Great Falls community. Hosting both a retail nursery and landscape service on-site, they have a little bit of everything – and have seen a little bit of everything. Attendees are sure to take away a few tips and tricks from this stop. We’ll also have some fun touring their on-site Pumpkin Patch, and hearing how Tilleraas has extended their season and become a part of family traditions with their annual Fall festivities. Midland Implement will be providing lunch for everyone while we tour the grounds.
Great Falls Recreation & Aquatics Center - In September of 2020, in conjunction with Malmstrom Air Force Base, the City of Great Falls was awarded a $10 million dollar Department of Defense Community Infrastructure Program (DCIP) grant to fund a new Recreation Center. The grant program is designed to enhance the military family quality of life. Part of the Great Falls Park Master Plan, this new facility will cost an estimated $20 million dollars, and will be overseen by the Great Falls Parks and Recreation Department. The sprawling facility is currently under construction, with an estimated completion of Spring 2024. When complete, the facility will feature an indoor pool, tennis courts, splash pad, outdoor pavilion, and will serve as a hub for numerous community activities.
...Plus a Few Awesome Residential Landscape Sites!
THANK YOU to our Fall Tour Sponsors!!
Interested in sponsoring the Fall Tour? We have several sponsorship opportunities available. Download the sponsorship form, or contact the MNLA office at info@plantingmontana.com, or call 406.755.3079 for sponsorship details.
