TLDR: Yellowstone Cellars & Winery (1335 Holiday Circle, Billings, MT 59102) is Billings' only production winery — about 25 varietals, live music on Friday and Saturday evenings, and private barrel tastings available for groups. A charter bus or party bus booked through the Billings winery tour transportation network drops your group at the tasting room door, stages nearby while you taste, and gets everyone home without anyone needing to stay sober behind the wheel.

Montana isn't wine country — and that's exactly what makes Yellowstone Cellars matter. For more than fifteen years, one tasting room off Holiday Circle has been handcrafting Yakima Valley grapes into classic French and Italian style wines right here in Billings, so nobody has to drive six hours to reach a real winery. The problem a winery evening creates isn't finding the wine.

It's getting 20 people there and back when every car in a caravan needs a sober person behind the wheel. That one logistics problem is what a Billings winery tour bus solves before the first cork is pulled.

This guide walks through what to expect at Yellowstone Cellars as a group destination, how to build a full wine evening around it, which vehicle size fits your group, and how the booking process works through companies and transportation providers serving Billings.

About Yellowstone Cellars & Winery

Yellowstone Cellars & Winery (1335 Holiday Circle, Billings, MT 59102; (406) 281-8400) has been handcrafting classic French and Italian style wines from Yakima Valley grapes since 2010, making it Billings' only production winery. The tasting room carries around 25 varietals and pours three generous free samples plus the winemaker's currently featured selection. The space is built around a working wine cellar, full tasting bar, and a dedicated event area — with artisanal flatbreads, charcuterie, pizza, and small plates available to pair with whatever's in your glass.

Hours: Monday–Thursday 1:00–9:00 pm | Friday–Saturday 1:00–11:00 pm | Sunday 1:00–6:00 pm. Walk-ins are welcome; no reservations are required for standard tastings. Live music every Friday and Saturday evening is the heaviest-trafficked window for group visits — and the most popular booking slot for winery tour buses.

For a reserved group experience, the winery offers private two-hour tastings with personal service from the winemakers, a barrel tasting, and a full charcuterie spread. Groups of 15 or more wanting that version should call (406) 281-8400 ahead of time to set it up. No pets are allowed inside or on the patio.

One practical detail: the parking lot off Holiday Circle handles everyday retail traffic fine. On a Friday night with a full house and live music going, it fills. A bus drops your group curbside at the entrance and stages nearby — no circling, no competing with walk-in visitors for a spot near the door.

Building a Billings Winery Tour Itinerary

Yellowstone Cellars is the anchor, but the strongest winery evenings in Billings run on two stops. City Vineyard (1335 Golden Valley Circle, Billings, MT 59102; Mon–Fri 9:30 am–10:00 pm, Sat–Sun 10:00 am–10:00 pm) is a wine bar, gourmet market, and craft beer shop less than a mile away. It offers wine flights, rotating bottles by the glass, and cheese boards in a casual retail-bar setting — a natural first stop to open the palate before the main tasting event, or a lighter wind-down after if part of the group wants to keep the evening going.

A Friday evening template that works well for groups of 15–30:

  • 4:30 pm: Bus pickup from hotel, neighborhood, or office in Billings.
  • 5:00 pm: Wine flights and cheese boards at City Vineyard (1335 Golden Valley Circle). The bus stages nearby.
  • 6:30 pm: Bus repositions the group to Yellowstone Cellars (1335 Holiday Circle) for tastings, dinner, and live music. The private barrel tasting is confirmed in advance for groups wanting the full reserved experience.
  • 9:00–9:30 pm: Bus returns to the hotel or adds a final stop on Montana Avenue downtown.

Both stops are within easy reach of each other — the bus repositions in minutes, the group stays together at every step, and nobody is counting drinks to decide who drives. Groups that want to extend the evening further into Billings' craft beer scene regularly pair the wine tour with stops along the local brewery circuit; the Billings brewery tour bus guide covers exactly how groups combine both into one evening.

Why a Bus Beats Driving Yourselves

A winery visit is specifically designed to be enjoyed without a car. Four logistics problems show up in every group that tries to drive:

  • The one-sober-person problem. In any caravan, one person per car nurses a half-glass at each stop. On a bus, nobody draws the short straw. Every pour is fair game for every person in the group.
  • Holiday Circle on a Friday night. The lot works fine for routine retail traffic. When Yellowstone Cellars has a full room with live music, it fills — and circling for a parking spot is not the start to a wine evening anyone planned.
  • Rideshares between stops. Moving a group of 20 from City Vineyard to Yellowstone Cellars means calling four or five cars, coordinating four ETAs, and hoping everyone ends up at the same door. A bus moves the whole group together in one shot.
  • The post-tasting drive home. The most common reason winery trips cut themselves short is the question of who's sober enough to navigate home. On a bus, that question doesn't exist. The evening runs as long as the group wants it to.

What Size Bus Does Your Winery Group Need?

The full vehicle lineup available through booking companies serving Billings spans from sprinter vans to full coach buses. For a winery tour, the right pick comes down to group size and whether you want the celebration experience built into the ride itself.

  • 10–20 people: A 15–35 passenger minibus is the clean choice — easy to maneuver in the retail corridor off Holiday Circle, comfortable reclining seats, and strong A/C for the Montana summer heat. Most bachelorette wine tours, birthday evening groups, and smaller corporate outings land here.
  • 20–25 people: A 25-passenger party bus brings a built-in bar, color-changing LED lighting, and a premium sound system into the ride. The tasting room is the destination; the party bus is how the evening starts before you get there.
  • 25–30 people: A 30-passenger party bus handles the full group in one vehicle with the same built-in bar and sound setup, and keeps everyone comfortable between stops without splitting into two smaller vehicles.

For corporate outings, large family groups, or multi-family wine events over 30 people, a full charter bus covers the headcount in a single comfortable vehicle with overhead storage and reclining seats for the holds between stops. ADA-accessible vehicles are available through the booking network — note that need in your quote request ahead of time so the right vehicle is arranged.

Winery Tour Bus Prices: What to Expect

Every quote is shaped by vehicle size, total hours, date, and route. As an illustrative planning example — idea-stage figures only, not quotes or current market data: a 15–20 passenger minibus runs roughly $90–$180/hour; a 25–30 passenger party bus runs roughly $150–$280/hour. For a three-to-four-hour Friday winery evening in Billings, a mid-size group often splits a total that works out to $25–$60 per person — comparable to two round-trip rideshares per head, with no per-stop regroup required and the built-in designated driver already handled.

Check the Billings party bus prices page for current rate context, or call 406-506-6140 to request estimates from transportation providers serving Billings.

Which Groups Book Billings Winery Tours

Yellowstone Cellars draws a consistent mix of celebration and corporate groups, and each one shows up a little differently:

  • Bachelorette and girls' trips. Live music on a Friday or Saturday at Yellowstone Cellars is one of the most-requested stops on a Billings bachelorette party bus itinerary. The party bus is the pregame; the tasting room is the anchor stop for the night.
  • Birthday celebrations. A Billings birthday party bus evening that includes a private barrel tasting and charcuterie spread at Yellowstone Cellars is a low-logistics way to make a birthday genuinely memorable — not just another dinner reservation.
  • Wedding parties and rehearsal nights. A wine tasting the night before a rehearsal dinner keeps out-of-town guests together and on a schedule. A Billings wedding shuttle handles the routing without anyone renting extra cars for visiting family.
  • Corporate groups and team outings. Friday afternoon private tastings — dedicated space, barrel access, personal guidance from the winemakers — are a popular corporate event that doesn't require a full venue buyout. The bus handles logistics from the office or downtown hotel so nobody has to coordinate the carpool.
  • Private and milestone events. For any Billings private event that includes a winery stop inside a larger evening, the bus takes care of the full itinerary routing so the organizer isn't fielding departure questions between stops.

Drop-Off and Pickup: Logistics at Yellowstone Cellars

Holiday Circle is a retail corridor on the west side of Billings with ample surface parking for standard evening traffic. A minibus or party bus drops your group curbside at 1335 Holiday Circle and stages in the outer lot or along the street while you're inside — easy access, no complex routing. On Friday evenings with live music, arriving before 6:30 pm puts your group in ahead of the walk-in crowd.

For a private reserved tasting, the winery holds your space regardless of walk-in volume, so late arrival is less of a concern.

The pickup process is simple: your group's organizer signals when ready, the bus repositions to the front entrance, and everyone boards together. No rideshare app, no parking garage, no counting heads across a dark lot.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do we need a reservation at Yellowstone Cellars for a group visit?

Walk-ins are welcome for regular tastings. For groups of 15 or more wanting a reserved, private experience — dedicated space, barrel tasting, personal service from the winemakers, and a charcuterie spread — call (406) 281-8400 before your visit. The private two-hour tasting is the version most organized group trips book, and it fills up on popular Friday and Saturday evenings.

What wines does Yellowstone Cellars produce?

Classic French and Italian style reds and whites, handcrafted in Billings from Yakima Valley grapes since 2010. The tasting room carries around 25 varietals with three free pours per visit plus the winemaker's current featured selection. Hours, current wine offerings, and event listings are at yellowstonecellars.com.

Can we add downtown Billings stops to the same itinerary?

Yes. Groups regularly pair a wine stop with dinner on Montana Avenue or a later stop downtown. The Billings group transportation services page covers full-evening multi-stop itineraries — the bus handles routing between every venue so the organizer isn't coordinating separate departures between stops.

What about a day trip to Tongue River Winery near Miles City?

Tongue River Winery is Montana's only commercial vineyard growing native Montana grapes — a genuinely different experience from a Yakima Valley tasting room, and about two hours east of Billings along I-94. For a group day trip that distance, a 40–56 passenger charter bus with onboard restrooms handles the long haul comfortably for larger parties. Request estimates for eastern Montana routes when you submit the quote form.

How far in advance should we book a winery tour bus?

Two to three weeks covers most standard weekend evenings. Around Billings event peaks — MontanaFair in August, the NILE Rodeo in October, and summer weekends through July — book four to six weeks out. Vehicle availability tightens around the busiest local weekends, and the earlier you lock in, the better your vehicle options.

Is there a minimum group size for a winery tour bus?

The quote form works for any group size. A sprinter van suits up to 10 people; a minibus handles 10 to 35. Most Billings winery groups run 12–25 people, which puts them squarely in the minibus and 25-passenger party bus range.

The comparison tool shows all available vehicle options by headcount so you're never paying for capacity you don't need.

Request Your Billings Winery Tour Bus

Yellowstone Cellars & Winery is one of those Billings evenings that delivers exactly what it promises — 25 varietals, barrel tastings, charcuterie, and live music on the weekends in the only production winery in town. A Billings winery tour party bus handles the rest: the pickup, the move between stops, the post-tasting ride home. No one holding car keys instead of a wine glass.

No caravan math. Just the evening your group planned.

Use the quote form on this page to request estimates from transportation providers serving Billings, or call 406-506-6140 to talk through your itinerary, headcount, and which vehicle fits the group. Whether it's a bachelorette night, a birthday wine tour, or a corporate team outing — the bus is ready when you are.