Great Northern Carousel in Helena

This is a great place to bring the kids. They love riding and watching the carousel, and the ice cream is delicious.

So many beautiful animals to choose from on the carousel!

I am very disappointed in my daughters birthday party experience here . Not only did I pay $150 for rude employees that didn’t even greet anyone that came in or offer to help me in any way , but also the only employees working were all teenagers that were playing highly inappropriate rap music for the carousel music talking about n$$ers and girls p$$sy and curse words up a storm . I forgot a knife to cut the cake and asked if they had something to cut it with and they handed me a USED crusted over knife , I asked for a marker or something to write with and all the staff said rudely “ya if we even have one” . Very very very sad that I chose here for my daughters birthday and would not recommend to anyone because of this experience . I will be calling to talk to a manager about this experience /all the kids working there .

Employees were very rude and the music was very inappropriate for kids . Songs with the F word and much worse . Not okay for a place for kids!

Great place to get ice cream and a beautiful carousel, nice first date stop💓

Very cool place carousel is indoor for when its it super cold out as in day I visited. Glad to see it open

If you’re looking for a fun date with friends, (even adult onesthis is your place! So much fun!

I witnessed a male employee yelling at a female employee and the poor girl started crying. Very unpleasant experience. I will no longer take my kids here especially with this male employee still working there. Such a shame as I love the rest of the workers and the carousel.

We are an Asian family. We come here almost every weekend . The carousel has become an indispensable part of our lives. The staff is also very friendly. Highly recommend here

Fun place to take the kids when visiting Helena. Even fun for adults. The ice cream is delicious as well

So glad we came here on our trip to Helena. My two year old LOVED the carousel. Friendly staff and great pricing.The only downside is I am going to miss not being able to get any of that wilcoxins Ice Cream here in TX! The coconut Ice cream was some of the best I’ve ever eaten.

My grandson couldn’t reach up on to the animals and due to my back issues I simply couldn’t lift him. A staff member who I think said her name was Meritt came and helped him up on the ride and buckled him up for me. The service/staff is impeccable and the icecream is the best in town. Thank you Great Northern Carousel for the big smiles and amazing memories with my family. Cannot wait for my next visit.

This is such a good place to stop as a family. The employees have always been friendly, the ice cream is Montana made and delicious, and the carousel is a blast for the kids. Rides are $2 a go for all ages and there are plenty of fun characters to choose from.

Totally fun place to be! I used to bring my son here for ice cream and carousel rides when he was little. We both rode the carousel and had a blast!

So…I’m a very Senior Citizen who can still swing a leg over a pony and Helena’s Carousel brought that to light on a recent trip to visit the Capitol City of Montana. Wonderfully carved critters, round and round they go and a Ring Grab and Toss to boot. Ice cream and candy. Smiling faces. Friendly people. Wow! Cool! The only thing I found rather strange was a lack of true Carousel Music to accompany fun of riding a wooden pony. What rang in my ears that day seemed to be little more than some kind of currently fashionable Teeny Bopper music that may have come from a weakly tuned local radio station. What’s up with that anyways? Here’s hoping that Management will heed my words and play some vinyl that has true Merry-Go-Round music. The horses and goats and fish and bears will smile more broadly too! Jerry Lebsack – Harrison, Idaho

Its a great place for kids and adults to have fun with their kids. Riding on the carousel is only $2, they except cash, debit or credit card and with cash you need exact change. Its free for a baby I believe up to 3 yrs to go on but they need to have an adult with them that does have to pay for themselves. They have icecream and soda there and a lot of room. There is also a nice long walking area with eateries and instruments you can play out side. There are right next to the Exploration Works which is a cool science building all ages can go through, havent been there yet but Im going. Its a good time for kiddos there.

i took my kids to the carousel yesterday during the fun fest and my kids had the best time with the 2 girls running the carousel, if I recall I believe their names were Jordan and Carissa. They made each & every one of them (4feel like royalty & were just so fun & smiley! also the ice cream was delicious 🙂

Got in free with our MOR membership card. Great for kids under 12. Not large but several interesting hands on exhibits. My kids enjoyed it. Friendly staff. Nice area with the Carousel. Nice place to relax with family.

Great Northern Carousel is a fantastic place to bring children and enjoy some of the local ice cream flavors. The local flavor is huckleberry, seldom seen anywhere else, and they have all the classic favorites, too. The carousel is in doors and can be enjoyed regardless of changing weather. There are seats for 40 riders, with various fantastic real and mythical animals, all artfully rendered, as well as a teacup style spinning seat for four and a loveseat. There is a small gift shop with toys, stuffed animals, and stylized t-shirts to keep as mementos of your visit. Tokens for the carousel are $2 each, but you receive an extra 20% on purchases of $20 or more.

The remodeled and refreshed carousel experience has far surpassed any expectations I could have had. Trish went above and beyond during our first visit since the reopening. Her and her staff made us feel comfortable while encouraging excitement and so much fun. My kiddo and I are planning on keeping this in our weekly rotation for adventure.

I stop by every couple of years and this carousel continues to bring a smile to my face. Warm and inviting the great northern carousel is an absolute must if your stopping by Helena. Also the ice cream is the perfect compliment to the experience.

We came to Helena Montana on a family vacation from California. We had plans to visit the great northern carousel and other places. Before going, I had double checked that it would be open since I had read on a blog that it would be closed for repair. I double checked on their website and it stated that it would be opened by early spring with the date of "April 1st". We had talked about it to our kids and they were super excited. Well, we get there and its CLOSED!!! We were not the only people that left disappointed.For anyone going, they wont be opened until the end of May. So Im giving it a star because we probably wont be coming to Helena again.

Clean, friendly service, yummy ice cream! Enjoyable family fun with the little ones! However I was extremely dismayed to hear that parents/adults, who MUST ride with children under 6 are now charged to ride! Really?? Thats just not ok! Its already$2.00 a ride, adults who need to accompany children for their own safety, being charged to do so, is just ridiculous!

So fun! Even to ride the carousel as an adult and get scoop icecream. There was an outdoor large musical instruments to keep kids busy. While I was there, a dog training business was having a session in the grass area. So fun to watch all the different breeds of doggies running around while we had our icecream.

Grounds and inside building could use some sprucing up, looks rundown. Ice cream was great! Beautiful carousel, ticket taker could of card less about customers and acted completely over worked, could of been a little more personable.

Not recommended for families with small children. Unlike most carousels they charge parents to stand next to young children who need a little extra assistance - what used to be a good value is somewhat expensive now.

This is a nice little spot to stop by to enjoy some down time while in Helena. Eat some ice cream and let the kids enjoy a ride on the carousel. Have picky kids? Dont worry! They have so many beautiful animals and creatures for them to choose from!

Its a carousel with an ice cream shop attached. The carousel itself is nice. The animals are all carefully carved, and each one is different. But at the end of the day, it is just a carousel, despite the grand description on the website about how life-changing it will be. Its a pleasant distraction for 20 minutes.

We love to visit the carousel! They have the best ice cream, and the huge carousel is awesome! Rides are not expensive.

Worst place I have been for a family environment locally!! Carasoul is more meant for toddlers! They set it up to where adults and teens can only reach the rings so it upsets the kids! My kid was in tears because she could not reach them! The staff dont make it to where the parents can be comfortable with their kids on the carasoul! I had two teens/employees that were very rude, dont know how to smile, come up to me like they were cops for just standing by my child on the horse to grab a ring for her! The employees at the register were the only two decent people working!! This is suppose to be a fun, friendly, environment!! This isnt a zoo!

Its a great carousel in such a fun area. They even have a brass ring the kids can pull and get a free ride. They have ice cream and a garden area for kids to play in, walk around and just have fun.

Had strawberry cheesecake ice cream and watched grandchildren ride carousel it was a blast to see the smiles on there faces . And just spend a little time with them took a lot of pictures of them i even got one of my thirty six year old son .1200 miles away maybe last time i see them in person

Suprisingly very inexpensive. Great staff and a wonderful setting. We brought our 1 year old grandson and 3 year old granddaughter. They had a blast. Rode the carousel twice and had ice cream for under $10.00!!! Used to bring my kids here. Will absolutely be bringing the grandbabies back time and again!!

The stars of this show are definitely the beautifully crafted carousel animals: each one unique, detailed, and wonderfully whimsical. Local animals such as the rainbow trout, prairie antelope, grizzly bear, mountain goat, and otter make it true a Montana gem. The establishment is always spotlessly clean, bright and joyful on every visit and the staff is happy to be there and to help. I love that the fees are so reasonable; in the summer of 2018 it’s just $1.50 a ride (and an adult standing with a child under 4 years doesn’t have to pay, which is a nice touch!). The ice cream also is delicious (a local regional favorite: Wilcoxsonsand reasonably priced. The very young, very old and everyone in between will find themselves grinning with delight and their eyes a-sparkle after a visit.

Upset I cant help my little one with the rings. I understand the safety rules but Ive been visiting the carousel for 15 years! Might be time to do away with the rings completely!

Great fun! Inexpensive and enjoyable, the historical carousel is well maintained and operated. The ice cream in the little ice cream shop/cafe is delicious, and we had a wonderful time.

Great place to take the family for a quick get out of the house. How can you go wrong with Wilcoxsons Ice Cream and a carousel? Very magical place for the kids and usually not too crowded.

Every time I go here something bad happens. One time the girls running it made my daughter cry because she didnt know she wasnt supposed to throw the metal ring. Another time they charged me to stand next to my kids without telling me they would by making a 3rd hole in the punchcard, which resulted in an uneven number of rides on the punchcard so I had to buy another one (but sometimes parents can stand next to their kids for free, its not posted anywhere and super inconsistent).All in all, my kids LOVE riding it, but I try to avoid it because of the inevitable problems I will have.I mean... who makes a little girl cry? That one mad me really upset... but she still loves to go here (eyeroll).

The neatest carousel Ive ever seen! Its slower than Missoula but the "horses" are different animals! So unique and my daughter wanted to ride them ALL! Employees are SUPER helpful and accommodating. Save yourself the trouble and buy yourself the punch card. Its completely worth it!

Great place, $1.50 per rider, parents standing with toddlers ride for free. Ice cream there is the best. And great outdoor venue to hang out when done!

This is an ice cream shop, that also serves light sandwiches and soup, attached to a beautiful carousel. We purchade the special, buy 10 rides, at $1.50, and get 2 rides free. Then we let the kids have several rides, before we buy them some ice cream.The store is located at the West end of the walking tour of historical markers and businesses in downtown Helena. Right outside the door is a mall with art work and history. Right across the mall is the childrens museum if you want to make a whole day out of your trip for the kids.

A great place to bring your kids for a fun treat. Great ice cream flavors, fun carousel animals, and friendly staff.

Great for kids. You can grab small rings from a lance as you go around! The golden ring gives you a free ride! And the ice cream jlhere is outta this world good! Ive never had caramel apple ice cream, but it was amazingly delicious... Tasted just like an apple dipped in Caramel that you would get from the fair!

Its always fun for the big and little kids here. They have lots of yummy flavors of ice cream and candy if you cant do the cold stuff.

This is one of our Must Visit places every time were in Helena. The carousel is absolutely gorgeous! Kids can have a few rides while grandma and I enjoy an ice cream cone.

Wonderful place for kids. My two year old son loves to ride the animals. They have horses, goats, bison, wolf, bear, rabbits and frogs, but his favorite is the Trout. They have fair prices and great package deals. There is also terrific ice cream too.

Way more fun than you would expect. Cool animals. You try to grab rings from a dispenser as you go around and then toss them into a net held by a bear statue. Get the brass ring and your next ride is free.

What a great place to take your kids! Delicious ice cream too!! Recommend going for your kids and to see the intraquet detail of the animals on the carousel.

The kiddos enjoy coming here for icecream and a few rides on the carousel. Its nice that the icecream is charged by weight so you dont have to get your toddler a huge cone of ice cream.

The carousel is a fine place to take your child on a random day. I would not recommend spending money on renting it for a party or event. They limit you to getting pizza through them in their party package, but they simply order from dominos. They also stop all carousel rides the moment the two hours you paid for are up. Their staff took fifteen minutes to unload and load each ride, so how do you fit rides in that take that long when you also have pizza, cake, presents, and ice cream within two hours with ten eight year olds. Like I said, not good for a party in my opinion. It came down to what the value for the money was and honestly, not enough.