Unexpected Gem in Missoula Hosts Some of the Best Karaoke

My husband came home from a conference in Billings recently and told me the best part of the conference was when he and his coworkers went to The Crystal for a rousing night of karaoke.

The best part, he said, was that there were some really good singers and even if people weren't the best singers, the crowd was still supportive. I have to admit, I was kind of envious.

For how often I sing in the shower, car, kitchen--wherever--I can't believe I've never been to a karaoke bar or even sang karaoke on one of those machines in a friend's basement. I was at a holiday party this week and somebody was talking about singing karaoke, and because I've never done it I asked:

"Where is the best karaoke in Missoula?"

Her answer sort of shocked me. I told her it was a hot tip.

Before she shared the hidden gem in Missoula that offers karaoke, she mentioned a popular place that I think a lot of people would know about--the VFW Post 209. As one person said on Yelp, "Dive! Karaoke! Drinks! Nice folks! Downtown! What more do you want?" Not much, if you ask me.

Other places in Missoula offer karaoke too:

• The Sunrise Saloon has karaoke every Wednesday right after pay it forward bingo at 7pm.
• The Union Club Bar & Grill has two karaoke nights in December, with the next one comping up on December 18.
• The Dark Horse has karaoke both tonight December 8 and tomorrow night December 9.

But the karaoke that came highly recommended by the woman I met at the holiday party was actually in a bowling alley: Missoula's Westside Lanes & Fun Center.

She said she was surprised at how good the singers were, especially the ones that sang country music. They offer karaoke on Friday and Saturday nights. It makes me wonder if there's a circuit between the Sunrise Saloon and the bowling alley, and if the really talented singers perform at both places.

I never would have thought some of Missoula's best karaoke would be in a bowling alley, but I'm looking forward to checking it out.