43 Best Sights in Cheyenne, Laramie, and Southern Wyoming, Wyoming

Route 130 between Centennial and Saratoga is known as the Snowy Range Scenic Byway. This paved road, which is in excellent condition, crosses through the Medicine Bow–Routt National Forest, providing views of 12,013-foot Medicine Bow Peak and access to hiking trails, 10 campgrounds (six right near the road), picnic areas, and 100 alpine lakes and streams. Gravel roads lead off the route into the national forest.

At the top of the 10,847-foot Snowy Range Pass, about 10 miles west of Centennial, take a short walk to the Libby Flats Observation Site for views of the Snowy Range and, on clear days, Rocky Mountain National Park to the southwest in Colorado. Lake Marie, a jewel of a mountain lake at an elevation of approximately 10,000 feet, is also here. On the Saratoga side of the mountain, the road passes through pine forest and descends to the North Platte River Valley, with cattle ranches on both sides of the highway. Note that the byway is impassable in winter and therefore is closed between approximately mid-October and Memorial Day.

In business since the 1950s, Ulrich's Fossil Gallery has fossils from around the world on display. You can even buy some specimens, particularly fish fossils. Ulrich's also runs fossil-digging excursions at private quarries; call for more information.

The Anthropology Museum at the university takes visitors on a journey through human evolution, starting in Africa millions of years ago. Part of the museum also celebrates hunter-gatherer societies throughout world history.

Among the artworks displayed in the campus art museum are paintings, sculpture, photography, and folk art from America, Europe, Africa, and Asia.

Kids especially enjoy looking at the butterflies, mosquitoes, and other crawling and flying critters at the Insect Gallery at UW. The collection includes preserved insects, as well as a small zoo of live ones.

The Vedauwoo Recreation Area, in the Medicine Bow–Routt National Forest, is a particularly unusual area and a great place for a picnic. Springing out of high plains and open meadows are glacial remnants in the form of huge granite boulders piled skyward with reckless abandon. These one-of-a-kind rock formations, dreamscapes of gray stone, are great for hiking, climbing, and photography. There's also camping here.

Dinosaurs, placed throughout the building, are among the prehistoric animal and plant specimens on display at the WWCC Natural History Museum. Species range in age from 67 million to 180 million years old. Don't miss the fossilized fish and the baby alligator. The museum also has rotating exhibits.

Cold steel and concrete, the Death House, and the Yard are all part of the tour of the Wyoming Frontier Prison, which served as the state's penitentiary from 1901 until 1981. There are occasional midnight tours, and there's a Halloween tour. During the summer months, the prison is open every day of the week.

Between 1905 and 1976 (when the state built a new residence for the governor), 19 Wyoming first families made their home in this Colonial Revival building. Period furnishings and ornate chandeliers remain in nearly every room.

Construction on this Corinthian-style building, now on the National Register of Historic Places, was authorized by the Ninth Territorial Legislative Assembly in 1886. The dome, covered in 24-karat gold leaf and visible from all roads leading into the city, is 50 feet in diameter at the base and 146 feet high. Inside the building, you'll find a statue of Esther Hobart Morris, a proponent of women's suffrage. One of Wyoming's nicknames is the "Equality State" because of its early advocacy of women's rights. Thanks to Wyoming's informal ways, it's not unusual to find the governor wandering the halls of the capitol. You can take a self-guided tour of state offices and the Senate and House chambers. Guided tours are also provided by appointment when time permits.

Several permanent exhibits are dedicated to exploring the heritage, culture, and landscape of Wyoming, covering everything from natural resources to wildlife to historical events. There's a hands-on exhibit geared to children, and the museum hosts several additional temporary exhibits each year. Be sure to check out the semipermanent exhibit of hundreds of whimsical wooden miniatures crafted by Earl Newell. His folk-art pieces from the 1930s show a micro version of Wyoming life, including farm animals, people, and itty-bitty tools.

Perhaps because of the bedlam of the early days, Laramie became the site of the Wyoming Territorial Prison in 1872. Until 1903 it was the region's federal and state penal facility, locking down Butch Cassidy and other infamous frontier outlaws. Today the restored prison is a state historic site that brings to life the legends of frontier law and justice. Open year-round, with curtailed hours in the winter.