1. Cheyenne Frontier Days: Known as "The Daddy of 'em All"®, Cheyenne Frontier Days is the world's largest outdoor rodeo and Western celebration. Festivities include the world's best PRCA rodeo action and a variety of Western entertainment, including nightly concerts, chuckwagon cookoff, parades, carnival midway, a pancake breakfast and more.
2. Ghost Hunting: In a city with a history that goes back nearly 150 years, there are bound to be a few stories about the residents who conquered the Wild West but haven't quite left yet. Cheyenne offers a number of "haunted" spots for supernatural enthusiasts to take part in a ghost hunt. From the Historic Plains Hotel to Warren Air Force Base, and even in The Wrangler, there have been reports of apparitions and supernatural activity all around town.
3. Scenic Hikes and Outdoor Spaces: Situated at the edge of the plains, Cheyenne is a breathtaking location with rolling hills and stunning rock formations all around it - Vedauwoo Recreation Area and Curt Gowdy State Park offer extensive areas for hiking, biking, rock climbing, and much more. Within the city, there are notable outdoor spaces with gardens, lakes and scenic trails, such as Lions Park and the Cheyenne Botanic Gardens.
4. Eat Like a Cowboy: Whether travelers are looking for "High Western Style" cuisine, or they want to eat right off a chuckwagon, there is an authentic and unique dining experience available for them in Cheyenne. Wyoming Rib & Chop offers a sense of the elegance from the cattle baron era. For a different taste of the West, head to Senator’s Steakhouse at Terry Bison Ranch or the Bunkhouse for cowboy-style homecookin’.
5. History Hopping: Cheyenne offers a number of museums and attractions that allow travelers to explore the history of The West. The Depot Museum, Wyoming State Capitol & State Museum, the Historic Governor’s Mansion, and Nelson’s Museum of the West are all in walking distance of each other in and around Downtown Cheyenne. Several historic trains are on display around town (including a Big Boy Steam Engine) and Quebec 01 Missile Alert Facility State Historic Site is a one of a kind museum. The Cheyenne Street Railway Trolley gives guests a fully narrated historic tour of the area as well.
6. The True Western Experience: At Cheyenne's essence, there is a strong sense of Western culture and pride, and travelers have the opportunity to take part in the unique activities that the destination affords. Rodeos like Bulls and Barrels, DeLancey Team Roping events, and Cheyenne Frontier Days, as well as honkytonk bars, such as The Outlaw Saloon and The Bunkhouse, are common place in Cheyenne. The destination also offers the opportunity for up-close encounters with a herd of bison at Terry Bison Ranch. Hands-on hat and boot making demonstrations are available at The Wrangler in Downtown Cheyenne, as well as a Wild West showdown with the Cheyenne Gunslingers.
7. "Spirits" of The West: Cheyenne offers beer enthusiasts a selection of local beers, brewed in some of the most historic spots in town. The iconic Historic Depot Building is home to Accomplice Beer Company, featuring a pour-your-own, pay by the ounce system, making it easy to sample all of the dozen+ beers on tap. A Victorian residence and carriage house is now home to Danielmark’s Brewing Company (with craft root beer on tap too!) And the longest-established brewery in town, Freedom’s Edge Brewing rolls back its garage door to let in the incredible Wyoming summer afternoons. Laramie County is home to two distilleries as well – Chronicles Distilling in the West Edge of downtown Cheyenne, and Pine Bluffs Distilling and Tasting Room on the eastern plains. Both feature one-of-a-kind flavors and sell bottles to take back home.
8. Multi-Generational Family Getaway: There are plenty of ways for all members of the family to enjoy Cheyenne, from the kids to the grandparents. The city features parks that are perfect for biking, hiking, boating, and other outdoor activities. To learn even more about the city's history, many of the museums have dedicated exhibits for the younger tourists, and a stop at the Cheyenne Botanic Gardens is a must. The Paul Smith Children's Village showcases and interprets sustainable systems for food production and preparation, water quality, energy production, habitation, and cultural fulfillment – all in the framework of creative play and imagination. Steps away is the Grand Conservatory, an oasis on the plains and home to a naval periscope that gives a 360-degree view of Cheyenne, all of it free and open to the public. Children of all ages will enjoy taking a scavenger hunt to find all the Cheyenne Big Boots. Each of these eight-feet-tall cowboy boots throughout the community have been colorfully painted by local artists to show the history of Cheyenne and Wyoming.
9. Guys' Getaway: Cheyenne is an ideal destination for a "guys' trip" with plenty of activities available for the boys to take part in. Guys can start the day rock climbing in Vedauwoo Recreation Area, and then head back into town for beer tastings at one of the area's local breweries. They can then top off the day with a Wyoming steak at Wyoming Rib & Chop and some excitement at the Bulls and Barrels Rodeo. If the group wants to go out on the town at night, Cheyenne also has a bustling nightlife with plenty of options of bars, clubs, and honkytonks.
10. Wildlife Viewing: There are few places where travelers can come face to face with a full-grown bison, but Cheyenne affords wide open spaces for an up-close encounter. Terry Bison Ranch consists of nearly 30,000 acres of open grassland where 2,300 bison graze. Daily train rides out to the plains allow guests to have a unique viewing and feeding experience of these majestic creatures of The West. For other wildlife viewing, visitors should head west for hiking in Curt Gowdy State Park, where they are likely to see deer, foxes, beavers, the occasional moose, and a wide variety of different species of birds – in addition to the dozens of pronghorn antelope seen on the drive there.
11. America's "Railroad Capital": The popularity of travel by train has seen a recent resurgence, and trains have a legitimate claim in Cheyenne that has made it America's "Railroad Capital." At its heart, Cheyenne is a railroad town. Its first residents were men who moved west to work on the transcontinental railroad. Train enthusiasts will find themselves in train heaven in Cheyenne, as its various rail attractions are quite impressive. The Cheyenne Depot and the Big Boy Steam Engine are just two of the attractions in the area for train enthusiasts.
12. Cowgirl Getaways: Cheyenne affords the opportunity for a ladies' trip in "High Western Style." Dinner at The Metropolitan downtown is fit for a railroad baroness and the shopping downtown features a range of stores with both Western and locally created items. Numerous art galleries, cultural activities, and spas for total relaxation abound. Sip creative cocktails in the Paramount Ballroom or their garden space. Just minutes from downtown, Little America Hotel & Resort offers stellar dining options and lush amenities, highlighted by rich fabrics and crystal chandeliers.
12. Happening Music Scene: Over the last few years, Cheyenne’s live music scene exploded –festivals like Rock the Block, EdgeFest, and free weekly concerts between Fridays on the Plaza and Fridays in the Asher, and Cheyenne Frontier Nights top the must-do lists of locals and visitors alike. But over the last year, Cheyenne has added the potential of a new music venue in the heart of downtown as a local non-profit renovates The Lincoln and Blue Pig Productions has begun consistently working with the folks at Array and Terry Bison Ranch to bring in national names into up-close and personal venues!