Tag Archives: Cody Wyoming

Buffalo Bill Center Of The West

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A trip to Cody, Wyoming is incomplete without a stop at the Buffalo Bill Center Of The West. This museum is a Smithsonian affiliate and it deserves that credential as it is well done. Here you will find five museums and a research library under one roof. For the price of a single ticket, you have access to the Buffalo Bill Museum, Whitney Western Art Museum, Plains Indian Museum, Draper Natural History Museum, Cody Firearms Museum and McCracken Research Library. 

It is large. It is comprehensive. It is impressive. 

I’m guessing you could do the whole thing in a day but we didn’t even try. We started in the Buffalo Bill Museum and then went to the Plains Indian and Natural History museums. I am not all that interested in firearms and my eyes were glossy by the time we talked about going through the art museum. Besides, we needed to hit the road for a long trip back to Casper on a windy day and it seemed ill advised to try it. 

There is a raptor exhibit where you’ll meet a Bald Eagle that was once injured and cannot live in the wild. You’ll also find some beautiful sculptures and Buffalo Bill’s childhood home which was originally located in LeClaire, Iowa but was moved a few times before landing here on permanent display. 

Yes, you can go inside. No, it’s not much to look at unless you have some imagination in which case you might find it kind of exciting. Buffalo Bill walked these floors as a child! 

This place is too much to cover in a single story so I’ll revisit it a few times. Meanwhile, I would like to point out some things. 

It is named for and celebrates Buffalo Bill Cody, a frontiersman and Army scout turned showman who pioneered live entertainment that was the predecessor to the modern day rodeo. His wild west show was performed across this great nation and for royalty across the pond. He shaped a narrative that romanticized the Wild West in ways that we still hold dear today. His actions led to the near decimation of the American Buffalo. 

Depending on who you are and where you stand, he’s either a decent guy or something short of the devil himself. I’m somewhere in between because he did eventually see the damage he had done and became an advocate for the bison, for equal pay and treatment for women, and for Native Americans. 

His legacy is strongly felt in Cody, the town he founded, which has kept his story alive. 

This museum doesn’t celebrate the man without acknowledging that many of the stories are myth or legend. Yes, they embrace the persona and the big picture story but they also remind you of his failings and inconsistencies. I guess what I’m saying is that you don’t have to like the man to appreciate his museum or the collection of other museums that tell stories of the Plains Indians or the natural history of the area. 

I suspect that I’ll be telling you stories from this museum off and on for a while because there are so many cool stories worth mentioning. 

Interesting side note: Buffalo Bill was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor. Late in life when he applied for the $10 monthly pension allowed to these honorees, he was denied the income. Soon after, the War Department ruled that Cody and several hundred other recipients dating back to the Revolutionary War did not meet the criteria for the Medal and their names were stripped from the list. That was in 1917. Buffalo Bill died not long after. 

If you’re thinking about going to Cody, be sure to allow a day for this place. Find info here and look for more stories soon.

Bears In The Basin

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Everyone goes to Yellowstone and the surrounding area hoping to see bears. We were fortunate to see a grizzly snacking on an elk from a safe distance but not everyone gets to see a bear at all.

For those who don’t get to see (or perhaps would prefer not to see) a grizzly, there’s a scavenger hunt called Bears In The Basin that sends folks out looking for small bear statues hidden around downtown Cody, Powell and Meeteese.

There’s a clue sheet and you can sign up to win prizes. There are about twenty of them altogether and they’re the cutest darn things you’ve ever seen. Each statue was hand crafted by local artist Tanner Loren and, if you like western art or statues of any kind, you’ll want to know more about him. Click here to visit his website.

So if you make to to the Yellowstone area, download the clue sheet or at least keep an eye out for these little guys! Get more info here.

The one pictured above is in a high traffic place. You’ll likely find it without even trying.

Cody Theatre

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Theatre nerds and art deco lovers will be glad to know that there’s a fabulous old art deco theatre still in use in Cody, Wyoming.

Opened in 1937, the Cody Theatre was notable for a few reasons. Not only was it the city’s main source of entertainment back then, it is the first building in Wyoming to be air conditioned.

As of 2024, that same air conditioning unit was still in use.

The theatre is still in use too. They show movies and have live performances as well. It’s still very much a center for the community and I was delighted to see how nice it looks on the outside.

The theatre was built for a reported $50,000 which would be well over a million in 2025 money. The art deco design is subtle on the outside and those details continue on the inside as well, according to their website.

The best part of all is the marquee which has gotten some TLC this year. I found a story about efforts to save the marquee that you might want to check out here.

It would be easy to replace the aging AC unit or that fabulous old marquee. It would be easy to gut this theater and turn it into a restaurant or something random. I’m so happy and impressed that people have maintained and protected this place and its assets for all these years.

This theatre is a lovely asset for downtown Cody and a piece of Wyoming history. You know how I feel about these things.

Check out the Cody Theatre website to see what they have upcoming on the stage.

Legends Bookstore

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When we decided to visit Cody, Wyoming, I was stoked to learn there’s an independent bookstore in this legendary city’s downtown. It’s called Legends Bookstore, and friends, it’s like someone built a bookstore around the reading tastes of my fella and myself. 

Really, their nonfiction section is robust, they have lots of local interest books and the fiction section was not bad either. I spoke with an employee who said they mainly stock bestseller fiction but they pay special attention to nonfiction because that’s what most local readers seek.

We were there on a breezy, chilly, rainy day and had allotted plenty of time to browse. It’s cozy and welcoming with nice lighting and lots of interesting displays. I found a solid stack of books including one about the first female Hollywood stuntwoman. By the way, she was a pioneer, making movies in the nineteen-teens. 

I would have bought more but was worried about suitcase space so I will just encourage you to go shop there and buy lots if you can.  

They do have a small coffee bar, a few gift items, and some children’s books as well so there’s literally something for everyone. 

Check out their website for more! 

Cody, Wyoming

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Cody, Wyoming feels like an old west town, perhaps because it is. It was founded in 1896 by the legendary Colonel William “Buffalo Bill” Cody. At the time, he was just 41 years old and one of the world’s most famous men. It’s located on the Shoshone River in northwestern Wyoming and is a gateway into Yellowstone National Park. 

It is a charming place with cute shops, museums and access to the outdoors. 

Today it’s known as the Rodeo Capital of the World and is a destination for nature lovers from across the globe. Truly, friends, it’s a beautiful part of the country. 

The year round population is about 10,000 and it seems those folks must be a hearty sort. The wind is strong and the nearest TJ Maxx is like two hours away. You probably think that’s a joke but it’s really not. If you need a new outfit or frying pan, you’re probably going to Walmart. There are some specialty shops downtown that seemed kind of expensive to me and there are thrift stores. The nearest town with shopping is Billings, MT and I’ve never done that trip but it doesn’t sound fun in the winter. 

As a visitor, though, we had a fantastic visit to Yellowstone, the Washakie Wilderness, Heart Mountain, and the Buffalo Bill Center of the West. There’s some neat stuff to look at around town and a great bookstore which I will take you to tomorrow. 

The city is home to an enormous collection of public art including some stunning life sized statues of wildlife, pioneers, ranchers and others. You could pass an entire day just driving and walking around to see all these amazing pieces of art. There are so many of them, they almost become part of the landscape. 

There are some historic hotels in downtown, some chain hotels and some mom and pop places as well. We stayed at Moose Creek Lodge and Suites because it’s downtown, is relatively inexpensive and was nice enough for our needs.

I was sorely disappointed with myself after I left and realized that we had driven by a Carnegie Library and didn’t even try to go in. Good grief. Some other time. The good news is there’s lots of other stuff to talk about and explore from this trip. Come back tomorrow and we’ll start at one of my favorite places – the bookstore! 

Around Here: Back Home Edition

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Around here, I am freshly back from vacation and barely acclimating. I’m not one to rest well when I travel nor do I allow myself a lot of time to just breathe. If I’m going to the trouble of traveling someplace, I want to enjoy that place and see as much as possible. Then I was in hurry up and wait mode as air travel felt like more like a chore than a luxury this time.

So I came home tired, jet lagged and possibly fighting off a cold or something worse.

I slept about fifteen hours last night. While I regret missing so much of this day, I am glad to wake up feeling much better and less like knocking on death’s door.

Around here, the colors are muted, the sky is dull and it is chilly. It’s the perfect day to lollygag with a book and cat and to piddle around the house, putting things back in order. Dishes are done, the bedsheets are drying, and the bed is airing out while it waits to be made up.

It’s also a good day for soup. I found a recipe to try but I’m going to Brandify it so wish me luck. This could go well or be terrible.

Around here, I broke down and turned on the heat today. Overnight temperatures outside have been in the thirties since I got home. I play this game to see how long I can hold out before turning on the furnace. My goal is November 1. It’s October 25 and was 50 degrees inside when I got up.

I’m choosing comfort over valor this year.

Around here, I am five books behind on my annual reading goal with little hope of catching up by December 31. Thats ok. The reading goal is really designed to keep me pushing forward rather than to make me feel bad for missing the mark. In the end, I will still have read a ton of truly good books this year.

Around here I am contemplating what travel stories to tell you in the coming weeks. This trip to Cody was exactly what I needed – some museums, some outdoors, some shopping and some time with my friend who I miss very much.

There wasn’t any hiking though as my knee continues to be an issue. Instead, we did some sightseeing and even some off-roading in her Jeep. Cody isn’t especially friendly to those of us who don’t eat meat so I came home excited for vegetables and with few restaurant recommendations to share.

And much of what we learned in museums wasn’t especially cheerful. The most meaningful place we went was Heart Mountain, the site of an internment camp where Japanese Americans were held during World War II. Their interpretive center is a place I believe every American should experience at least once. Yet, I notice that people I have tried to talk to about it completely check out of the conversation because they don’t want to hear it.

Because ignoring it will certainly make it go away, right?

Around here I’m thinking a lot about the stories we tell ourselves, the ones we choose to hear, and how our ability to only be exposed to what we like or agree with is killing our nation.

Around here, I have a lot on my mind. But for now, I’ll cuddle my kitty cat who is desperately glad to have me here and I’ll make my soup and read my book and be glad to be back home.

Like Superman’s Fortress of Solitude, around here is a pretty cool place to be.