Cheyenne, WY Road Trips

Despite its pride in its Western heritage, the town is a place that looks into the future, and is one day intending to link up with a high speed rail-line to Denver and beyond. Laramie County is on the northern edge of the Front Range Urban Corridor, a commute away in some cases. Some may tell you that they moved to Cheyenne, but still take a one and a half hour drive to Denver for work. Generally, prices are lower here than in Colorado, but it seems like a world away from the rest of Wyoming. In spite of this urban transition, the city has never lost its humor, as evidenced by the local police department on Facebook, and the 5 posts by Denver's 9NEWS about the CPD. In other words, Cheyenne is a town that although famous for its western culture, is never stale, and can and will surprise you. Generally speaking, the climate is largely similar to the rest of Wyoming, and Downtown is under the classification of mid-latitude steph and semi-arid . In summer, you can expect warm to hot temperatures (usually around 75 °F (24 °C)), however the rest is chaotic. Dry treacherous days are mixed with severe storms and heavy rains. For winter, it's cold, but not always snowy. The fact is, the snowiest month is in Spring. Then there is the in between seasons. Autumn is cool, crisp, but generally peaceful. Spring, however, is a mixture of everything. If you wanted all four seasons in one week, consider visiting between March and May. However, be wary of spring storms that can leave you stuck in town for a day. One day is sunny, the next it's snowing, the next there is a tornado.

1 Wyoming State Capitol, 200 W 24th St, ☏ +1 307 777-7220. M-F 8AM-5PM. Completed in 1888 before Wyoming was a state, the Wyoming State Capitol is a National Historic Landmark and the dominant structure on the Cheyenne skyline. (updated Mar 2016) 2 Wyoming State Museum, 2301 Central Ave, ☏ +1 307 777-7022. M-Sa 9AM-4:30PM. Features artifacts, various collections and gift shop, full of souvenirs and Wyoming books. (updated Apr 2017) 3 Cheyenne Depot Museum, 121 W. 15th St, ☏ +1 307 632-3905, [email protected]. Su 11AM-3PM, M-F 9AM-5PM, Sa 9am-3PM. Former Union Pacific Railroad Depot and renovated National Historic Landmark. The plaza in front of the depot hosts concerts and other events during the summer. $8 adults, 12 and under free. (updated Mar 2023) 4 Old West Museum & Store, 4610 North Carey Ave, ☏ +1 307 778-7290. Located in Frontier Park on the grounds of Cheyenne Frontier Days, the historic rodeo called the "Daddy of 'em All". Includes a large display of horse-drawn carriages and exhibits on the history of the CFD rodeo which was established in 1897. (updated Mar 2016) 5 Nelson Museum of the West, 1714 Carey Ave, ☏ +1 307 635-7670. May 1-Oct 31: M-F 9AM-4:30PM. Western museum with 11,000 square feet of exhibits, including Indian artifacts, cowboy trappings, 19th century weapons and outlaw memorabilia. (updated Mar 2016) 6 Governor's Mansion, 300 East 21st St, ☏ +1 307 777-7878. Tu-Su 9AM-5PM. The historic mansion, home to Wyoming governors from 1905 to 1976. Free.

1 Boots of Cheyenne (begin at Wyoming State Museum). Spread over the area, there are 7 larger-than-life boots with art on them. Pick up a pamphlet or your from the state museum. The pamphlet will give you tourism info, and if you have an audio device, the boots will reveal Cheyenne to you. Can you find them all? (Hint: The first one is on the property.) (updated May 2019) 2 Cheyenne Frontier Days, 4610 Carey Ave. World's largest outdoor rodeo & Western celebration that takes place the "Last Full Week in July". This historic rodeo was established in 1897 and is called the “Daddy of ‘em All”. Events include numerous rodeo events, free pancake breakfasts, night-time concerts, and parades. There will be heavy vehicular traffic last week of July on I-25, Carey Ave, and 8th Ave. 3 Historic Trolley Tours, 121 W. 15th St, ☏ +1-800-426-5009. Narrated, 90-minute tours of historic Cheyenne. Purchase tickets in the Depot and tours leave from the Depot Plaza. $10 adults/$5 children. There is also a horse-drawn carriage tour option. 4 Terry Bison Ranch, 25 Service Rd, ☏ +1 307 634-4171. 51 I- 7 miles south of Cheyenne off I-25, this ranch is home to more than 2,000 bison. Take a tour through the herd from the safety of a vehicle. The ranch also has “horses, longhorn steer, camels, llamas, ostriches, emu, chickens, turkeys, turkins (1/2 turkey-1/2 chicken), peacocks, donkeys, goats, and beefalo (1/2 buffalo-1/2 steer).”

1 Epic Egg, 2300 Carey Ave, ☏ +1 307-632-1002. 6:30AM-2PM. A specialty breakfast and lunch chain in Downtown, great place to watch the CFD parade on the fourth Tuesday/Thursday of July. 2 Plains Hotel Diner (Potentially called Captiol Grille), 1600 Central Ave, ☏ +1 307 638 3311. Gourmet restaurant located in the historic Plains Hotel, not a budget choice (updated Jun 2017) 3 Sanford’s Grub & Pub, 115 E. 17th St, ☏ +1 307-634-3381. Eclectic décor with a huge menu. Look for the back-end of a pickup truck hanging over the entrance 4 Good Friend's Chinese Restaurant, 507 East Lincolnway, ☏ +1 307-778-7088. Serves Chinese and Japanese. (updated Nov 2018) 5 The Albany, 1506 Capitol Ave, ☏ +1 307-638-3507. Doing business for over 75 years. Serving lunch and dinner. Sandwiches, burgers, steaks, and several vegetarian options. 15 beers on tap. (updated Mar 2023)

1 Midtown Tavern (inside old Anderson's Corner), 1303 E. Pershing Blvd. (I-25 exit 11, follow Pershing to Anderson sign.), ☏ +1 307 638-8703. Su-Th 11AM-10PM, F Sa 11AM-2AM. Local pub with live music. (updated Jan 2018)

1 Candlewood Suites Cheyenne, 2335 Tura Pkwy, ☏ +1 307-634-6622. $129/night. (updated Mar 2016) 2 The Cheyenne Motel, 1601 E. Lincolnway (1 Mile East of Downtown on Lincolnway), ☏ +1 307-632-4834. Check-in: 3PM, check-out: 10:30AM. Small, quiet establishment with affordable nightly and weekly rates. Friendly service, attentive staff, and low rates you just can't get at the larger chain motels. $40 and up. (updated Mar 2016) 3 Fairfield Inn & Suites Cheyenne, 1415 Stillwater Ave, ☏ +1 307 637-4070, fax: +1 307 637-4070. (updated Mar 2016) 4 The Historic Plains Hotel, 1600 Central Ave, ☏ +1 307 638-3311. (updated Mar 2016) 5 Holiday Inn Express & Suites Cheyenne, 1741 Fleischli Parkway, ☏ +1 307 433-0751. (updated Mar 2016) 6 Little America Hotel & Resort, 2800 Lincolnway, ☏ +1 307 775-8400. (updated Mar 2016) 7 Motel 6, 1735 Westland Rd, ☏ +1 307 635-6806, fax: +1 307 638-3017. (updated Mar 2016)

In such a rural state, the route to Cheyenne is pleasantly and surprisingly modern, with the almighty Interstate system in full supply, and a few buses to help you get in. (And who's to say Wyoming is backwards?) Cheyenne is at the crossroads of Interstates 80 and 25 in southeastern Wyoming, about 40 miles west of the Nebraska border, 180 miles south of Casper, 50 miles east of Laramie, and 8 miles north of the Colorado border. Cheyenne is 90 miles directly north of Denver. The trip takes approximately 1½ hours, depending on Denver traffic. Inside of Cheyenne, there is minimum traffic, except during rush hour on Dell Range Boulevard, Lincoln-way, and Central Avenue/I-180, where urban traffic jams actually occur, thanks to influx from Colorado. If you're looking to really avoid traffic, avoid CFD (last week of July), which sees 200,000 visit the capital city, and I-25 is screwed. 1 Cheyenne Regional Airport/Jerry Olsen Field (CYS IATA). United Airlines operates flights between Cheyenne and Denver with small regional jets. In some cases, hotels will give you rides to the airport, like Fairfield on West Lincolnway. Check your hotel's website to see if it offers this service. Additionally, arranged taxis and other transits will get you there. Denver International Airport (DEN IATA) is the closest major airport to Cheyenne, for those that want to go international. Rental cars are available at the airport, which is 90 mi (140 km) from Cheyenne via I-25 and E-470. Cheyenne has no Amtrak services.

Cheyenne has a relatively simple street grid, and on-street parking in the city is a breeze due to the lack of paid parking meters. However, time-limited parking exists on many downtown streets and roads, even the medical center. You should always know how long you will stay within a place before you park, or you could pay an unexpected $15 fine. Rush hour runs from about 4:30PM to 6:30PM, Monday through Friday. The Cheyenne Transit Program comprises six bus lines each serving their own region of the city. Accessible "Curb to Curb" buses are also available for the mobility-impaired — the wheelchair entrance is found in the rear. Mostly used by tourists, these buses make a loop of the various downtown landmarks, stopping for about two minutes at each (don't dawdle on your way back in; the next trolley is usually about 90 minutes away). During the "Christmas"" season, trolleys are arranged for decoration tours, which may take you across the entire city. Ask about pricing.