Cheyenne
The real Western town in Wyoming
The capital city of Wyoming makes you think of the Old West, with its cowboys, rodeos, trains, and the beautiful High Plains. Cheyenne is a town in Colorado that feels like it’s from a time when Wild Bill Hickok and Calamity Jane ruled the streets. It’s only 145 kilometers north of Denver. There is a story about Cheyenne from the past, but today’s Cheyenne is making a new one with its diverse music scene, public art, museums, and wide range of restaurants and locally made drinks.
The capital city of the Old West
The famous Wyoming State Capitol Building is a must-see on any trip to Cheyenne. It is a National Historic Landmark and the place where women were first given the right to vote and run for public office in the United States. You can learn even more about Wyoming’s history at the nearby Wyoming State Museum. There are Western shops and museums in Downtown Cheyenne, or you can go on a historic walking tour to really feel like you’re in the Old West. Take in Western-themed public art, shop, and eat. You can see the Cheyenne Gunslingers perform or go to Terry Bison Ranch to live like a cowboy: The ranch, which is 12,000 hectares and has 2,300 roaming bison, is a great place to use what you’ve learned about the West.
The Outdoors: Tough and Not-So-Tough
From horseback rides and rock climbing to fishing and mountain biking, the city has a lot of outdoor activities. You can get to some of the country’s most famous parks and monuments from Cheyenne. It takes less than a day to drive to Mount Rushmore and the Black Hills in South Dakota, Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado, or Devils Tower National Monument, Yellowstone National Park, and Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming. You can see beautiful granite towers and rock formations at Curt Gowdy State Park and Vedauwoo Recreation Area. While you’re there, you can walk, camp, or mountain bike.
The Cheyenne Botanic Gardens are a nice change from the wild woods. It is on the high plains and has hectares of different environments. It has a big indoor conservatory, a Peace Garden, a Discovery Pond, and The Paul Smith Children’s Village, where kids learn about things like how to grow food in a way that doesn’t harm the environment.
Cheyenne’s History of Railroads
In order to beat the cowboys and rodeos, train historians say that Cheyenne is “America’s Railroad Capital.” The Depot Museum and the Cheyenne Depot, which is thought to be one of the most beautiful train stations in the United States, are must-sees for both railroad fans and non-fans. The Cheyenne Street Railway Trolley gives full-narrated tours of the city. You can also check out the world’s biggest steam locomotive, Big Boy Steam Engine, in Holliday Park. The Union Pacific’s Heritage Fleet is home to three of the company’s only steam engines that are still running.