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

The gardens' greenhouse conservatory—several stories high—looks like a cathedral of plants and feels like a tropical oasis. It makes for an especially wonderful escape on winter days. The lush banana plants are the big star here; also look for cacti, bonsai, and perennial and annual plants. Kiddos will enjoy seeing the city through the periscope located at the top of the building (only open certain days), as well as exploring the whimsy of the Paul Smith Children's Village across the parking lot from the conservatory. The grounds are open daily from dusk to dawn.

This spacious museum within Frontier Park houses some 400,000 artifacts related to rodeos, ranching, and the city's blockbuster of an annual event, Cheyenne Frontier Days. The museum's "rolling collection" of more than 160 carriages is the largest fleet of horse-drawn vehicles in the world (with many that still go on parade). In July, the carriages are swapped out for the Frontier Days Western Art Show & Sale, with works by top Western wildlife and landscape artists from across the country. Every spring, the Western Spirit Art Show & Sale features pieces that celebrate the heritage and heart of the American West. For young visitors, there's a children's room with hands-on exhibits open year-round, plus camps in the summer.

You can fish, boat, hike, and picnic at this park named for Wyoming's most famous sportscaster, who got his start at local radio stations in the 1940s. The park, which is 24 miles west of the city, is especially popular with mountain bikers. There are more than 43 miles of hiking and biking trails, including an International Mountain Bicycling Association EPIC trail—a designation given to some of the most challenging and beautiful single-track trails in the country.

Fort Laramie is one of the most important historic sites in Wyoming, in part because its original buildings are extremely well preserved, but also because it played a role in several significant periods in Western history. Near the confluence of the Laramie and North Platte rivers, the fort began as a trading post in 1834, and it was an important provisioning point for travelers on the Oregon Trail in 1843, the Mormon Trail in 1847, and the California Trail in 1849, when it also became a military site. The 1868 Treaty of Fort Laramie was signed here, leading to the end of the First Sioux War, also known as Red Cloud's War. National Park Service rangers interpret scenes of military life and talk about the fur trade, overland migration, and relations between settlers and Native Americans.

The modern interpretive center at the Grand Encampment Museum holds exhibits on the history of the Grand Encampment copper district and logging and mining. A pioneer town of original buildings includes the Lake Creek stage station, the Big Creek tie-hack cabin, the Peryam homestead, the Slash Ridge fire tower, a blacksmith shop, a transportation barn, and a two-story outhouse. Among the other relics are three towers from a 16-mile-long aerial tramway built in 1903 to transport copper ore from mines in the Sierra Madres. You can take guided tours, and there's also a research area. A living-history day, with music, costumes, and events, takes place the third weekend in July.

The center's Halseth Gallery houses a permanent collection of nearly 500 mostly American paintings, prints, drawings, and photographs, including works by Norman Rockwell, Grandma Moses, and Rufino Tamayo. The center also draws some of the best traveling art exhibitions from around the country. Concerts and other programs are presented throughout the year as well.

The Flaming Gorge area is as rich in history as it is spectacularly beautiful. Mountain men such as Jim Bridger and outlaws such as Butch Cassidy found haven here, and in 1869, on his first exploration down the Green River, John Wesley Powell named many local landmarks: Flaming Gorge, Horseshoe Canyon, Red Canyon, and the Gates of Lodore. The recreation area straddles the border between Wyoming and Utah; most of the park's visitor services are in Utah. There are marinas, campgrounds, places to rent horses and snowmobiles, and trails for mountain bikes, as well as lodging and food. The Ashley National Forest administers the area.

Historians aren't sure how Mormons came to control Fort Bridger trading post. They may have purchased Fort Bridger from Jim Bridger and Louis Vasquez or forced the original owners to leave. As the U.S. Army approached during a conflict known as the Mormon War of 1857, the Mormons deserted the area and burned the original Bridger post. Fort Bridger was rebuilt and then served as a frontier military post until it was abandoned in 1890, and many of the military-era buildings remain. You can attend interpretive programs and living-history demonstrations during the summer, and the museum has exhibits about the fort's history. The largest mountain-man rendezvous in the intermountain West occurs annually at Fort Bridger over Labor Day weekend, attracting hundreds of buckskinners and Native Americans, plus thousands of visitors. The grounds are open daily, and the historic buildings are open in the warmer months.

This small but charming window into the past is housed in a former church and features fossils and displays related to early settlement in the area. See an old still and wine vat, as well as a taxidermied two-headed calf.

You can learn about the stars and watch science presentations that transport you to vast landscapes at the planetarium's full-dome theater. Entertainment shows, where images dance to music above you, are also sometimes offered. Public shows are typically on Tuesday, Friday, and Saturday, as well as certain holidays. Private bookings also available.

The second-largest active sand dune field in the world, these otherworldly mountains and valleys of sand stretch for more than 100 miles. Pay attention to signage: some areas are friendly to off-roading, while others are federally protected and do not allow motorized vehicles. The ADA-accessible Killpecker Sand Dunes Open Play Area Campground is located 32 miles north of Rock Springs and has a vault toilet and fire rings.

Hot mineral waters flow freely through the Saratoga Hobo Hot Springs, and the adjacent cooler swimming pool is heated by the springs. People have been coming here to soak for generations, including Native Americans, who considered the area neutral territory. Hardy folk can do as the Native Americans did and first soak in the hot water, then jump into the adjacent icy waters of the North Platte River. The free pools are open all day, every day. Bathing suits are required.

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.

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.

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.

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.