Location: Kalispell, MT
Project Size: 10,000 SF
Completed: 2021

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Montana's Great Indoors gives Flathead Valley families exactly what its name promises: an indoor recreation space built for kids on days when the weather outside isn't cooperating. The idea came from Whitefish residents Maureen Casey and her daughter Jennifer Seibert, who, after visiting similar indoor playgrounds in Washington state, set out to bring the concept home. As Casey put it while the project was underway, "There's nothing really for little kids to do here... It'll be a wonderful play structure."

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Swank Enterprises built the roughly 10,000-square-foot facility, breaking ground in August 2020 and completing construction in 2021, working from a design by Ensitio Design's John Montoya. Rather than one large box, the building reads as several smaller connected structures joined by a tunnel-like space — a deliberate move, as board chair Julia Pierrottet explained, so the building "doesn't look massive." A bold blue exterior, which co-owner Seibert called "a bold choice," and a barn-like form give the facility a playful, kid-friendly presence along the highway.

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Inside, the centerpiece is a 24-foot-tall climbing structure with a winding slide imported from Europe, alongside interactive play areas for children ages 2 to 12, a small café, and beer and wine options for parents. In 2022, Montana's Great Indoors was recognized with a Kalispell Architectural Award from the city's Architectural Review Committee.

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