There’s more to this Wyoming town than meets the eye. Discover the hidden gems of Cheyenne.
For more than 150 years Cheyenne, Wyoming has been home to rough-and-tumble cowboys, local rough stock rodeo, and chuck wagon vittles. We all know it’s where the buffalo roam.
Before rodeo season kicks off and brings Cheyenne Frontier Days to the area, we’re rounding up some ways to experience Wyoming’s home-on-the-range hospitality. Step back into history, enjoy great shopping, feast on award-winning cuisine, and go on an outdoor adventure. We got a chance to speak with Jim Walter, Vice President of Visit Cheyenne, to find out the goods about a place that has frequently been called the cowboy capital of the country.
The Grandaddy of Them All — Cheyenne Frontier Days, Cheyenne, Wyoming
July 19 – 28, 2024
Offering thrilling rodeo since 1897, Cheyenne Frontier Days is frequently touted as the “World’s Largest Outdoor Rodeo and Western Celebration.” Frontier Days began with humble beginnings, featuring the best local cowboys trying to one-up each other with steer roping and bronc- busting contests. Now a 10-day long celebration, it offers full slates of music, kid’s activities, Western-themed events, and, of course, rodeo. The popular categories include, bull riding, breakaway roping, barrel racing, and “barren colt races” on the track (in which the young colts run to their mothers).
Roaming Bison and Much More
The Terry Bison Ranch is known as a place ’where the bison and camels come to play.’ Just seven miles from downtown Cheyenne, the ranch boasts camels, ostriches, horses, chickens, and is home to approximately 2500 head of American Bison — all experienced from the Terry Rail Express custom-made trains, available for four tours a day. “The ranch is on the Colorado/Wyoming border and takes visitors out by train, putting them in the middle of the bison herd where you can touch and feed them,” says Walter.
The ranch features a family-friendly escape for a daytime visit or overnight fun, with cabins, RV, and camping spots. And while the bison are the main draw, there are plenty of other activities on the ranch, from alpacas and ostriches to hand-led horse rides. The Senator’s Steakhouse serves buffalo burgers and steaks year-round.
Hell on Wheels Rodeo
June – August
“Hell on Wheels” was Cheyenne’s nickname in the 1860s, and this rodeo offers a smaller rodeo experience, as well as chuckwagon dinners on repeat throughout the summer. The Hell on Wheels Rodeo features an open-rodeo format, which means that anyone can pay the entry fee and compete in nine different rodeo events, including bareback and saddle bronc riding, breakaway, tie-down and team roping, steer wrestling, barrel racing, novice, and standard bull riding.
Entering its fifth year, Hell on Wheels is a six-series rodeo, “with eighty percent of contestants coming from less than three hours away,” explains Walter. “We started it during the pandemic when we couldn’t have a national draw. But what would summer be like in Cheyenne without a rodeo? Our cowboys and cowgirls come back year after year to compete and I anticipate that the purse will be close to $80,000 this summer.”
Historic Downtown — Don’t Miss Museums and Unique Shops
Bohemian Metals Jewelry, Mineral, and Fossil Gallery
Westward, a contemporary Western art gallery
The Wrangler Retail Outlet — Now two buildings, in 13,000 square feet, the store features ranch-wear and Western clothing, hats, boots, and even a diamond-studded Stetson.
Cowgirls of the West Museum & Gifts
Hiking and Biking in and Around Cheyenne
Top biking trails include the nine-mile Dry Creek Greenway, the popular Sun Valley Greenway through Cheyenne, and Southern Converse Greenway. Take a 25-minute drive West of Cheyenne, deep into the Rocky Mountains and miles of hiking trails. Two musts are the Curt Gowdy State Park and the Medicine Bow National Forest.
Street Railway Trolley Tour
A trip to Cheyenne is not complete without taking a ride on the Cheyenne Street Railway Trolley. Offering 90-minute “Wild West History Tours” year-round, the trolley is the easiest way to immerse oneself in the rich history of Cheyenne. Learn about the city’s most interesting sites and historic buildings with lively storytelling from the engaging drivers.
Cheyenne Street Railway Trolley departs the Cheyenne Depot Square at 121 W. 15th St.
