Cody - Pitstops for Kids

Old Trail Town Cody Wyoming

August 14, 2013 By Amy Hagstrom

Cody, Wyoming is bursting with family-friendly historical sites. Not to be overlooked is Old Trail Town Cody Wyoming. While this Cody attraction won’t take families as long to tour as the Buffalo Bill Center of the West, it makes for a worthy hour of exploration.

Each of the 26 historic buildings in Trail Town are authentic dwellings from the 1850s-1910s, brought to Cody from all corners of Wyoming, Utah, and Montana, among other states. As a collection, they’re impressive enough, but each interior has been reconstructed to replicate life during the respective era. There’s a blacksmith shop, saloon, homesteading cabins, fur-trading cabins, and barns. Visitors can even walk into the Hole in the Wall cabin of Butch Cassidy and Sundance Kid fame, and see bullet holes in the door of the saloon.

Of particular interest to us at Trail Town was the graveyard, which includes the grave of Jeremiah Johnson and other Western mountain men and women. A small museum houses letters written home from ranchers, fur trappers, and settlers, and Native American artifacts from the region. The whole property will take families approximately 1-2 hours to tour, depending on age of kids and interest level.

Date last visited:

June 2103

Distance from the interstate:

Right off Highway 20

Admission rates:

$8 per person for adults, lower for kids

Hours of operation:

8 am to 7 pm, May 15 to September 30.

Directions:

Trail Town is located on the west end of Cody on Highway 20 near the Cody Stampede rodeo grounds.

Cody Wyoming restaurants: where to eat on Sheridan Street with kids

August 12, 2013 By Amy Hagstrom

Visitors to Cody, Wyoming will quickly see that this authentic cowboy town has a lot to offer in rich history, touristy shopping, and outdoor recreation. It also has a lot of saloons and bars, but family-friendly restaurants in Cody do exist in ready supply! Below, our top five picks for where to eat in Cody Wyoming for breakfast, lunch, and dinner:

Adriano’s Italian: For a nice dinner out, Adriano’s offers both delicious Italian fare and Western charm…a combination you may not have known could exist! Rodeo memorabilia, photos, and trophies line the walls of this cozy restaurant, and while the wait staff was overworked the night of our visit, the manager was friendly and attentive. Of special note: the garlic bread is to die for. Find Adriano’s at 1244 Sheridan Ave.

Peter’s: If you’re looking for a mid-day meal or sweet snack, Peter’s does not disappoint with counter-service burgers, hot dogs, and fries and a wide-variety of ice cream treats. There are tables for in-restaurant dining, or you can take your snack to go and eat while strolling the streets of Cody. Peter’s does offer breakfast as well. Find Peter’s at 1219 Sheridan Ave.

Irma Hotel patio dining: The Irma Hotel on Sheridan Ave is the scene of the nightly gunfight skit (every night at 6:30). It’s also an historic building, first built as a hotel by Buffalo Bill Cody for his daughter Irma. The dining room inside is a bit spendy and stuffy (and adjacent to a fairly loud bar), but outside on the shaded patio, a casual menu offers burgers, sandwiches, and salads. Come for the show and stay for the meal. Find Irma’s at 1292 Sheridan Ave.

Rocky Mountain MoJoe: Located closer to the west end of town, MoJoe’s serves the best coffee drinks in town, plus killer breakfasts that include saysage-stuffed pancakes, cinnamon-encrusted french toast, and egg sandwiches. They’re open for all meals, and have both indoor and outdoor casual seating. Find MoJoe’s at 1001 Sheridan Ave.

Granny’s: If you want to eat where the locals eat, head to Granny’s. Located on the east end of downtown across from the Buffalo Bill Village, Granny’s serves homestyle breakfast entrees like biscuits and gravy, egg scrambles, and sweet rolls the size of your kid’s head. On weekend mornings it gets quite crowded, but the wait staff is fast and friendly, and tables turn over quickly. Granny’s is located at 1550 Sheridan Ave.

What to do in Cody Wyoming with kids: a night out at the Cody Nite Rodeo

August 5, 2013 By Amy Hagstrom

They don’t call Cody, Wyoming the Rodeo Capital of the World for nothing. Every night in Cody from June 1 through August 31, the Cody Nite Rodeo is held at Stampede Park. That’s right…every single night! This Western town is rodeo crazy, and after a night under the lights in the park with the backdrop of rocky bluffs overlooking the Shoshone River, you’ll understand why.

The Nite Rodeo is two hours of non-stop rodeo action, from bronco riding to barrel racing to roping to bull riding, and it draws rodeo athletes from all over the West. The emcee and rodeo clown keep everyone entertained between events, and the popcorn, soda, beer, and candy flow freely (which is not to say they’re free!).

We loved that while the Nite Rodeo grandstands were filled with tourists, locals certainly made their presence known: it was easy to see that this was as much their summer tradition as it was our vacation stop. Local cowboys rode in events, local kids sat astride the bull pen fence, and local families were in attendance. We’ve been to several ‘resort town’ rodeos, and it was easy to see that the Cody Nite Rodeo is the real deal. It’s low on frills, big on true American fun.

If you go, you’ll want to get tickets ahead of time (see below) to avoid waiting in line at the ticket booths, and we recommend crossing to the opposite side of the arena from the entrance to sit in the Buzzard’s Roost section. This side is equally shaded, but overlooks the bull pens, giving kids a better view. There’s a food concession on each side, as well as restrooms.

We ate hot dogs, corn dogs, and popcorn for dinner at the rodeo (no points for a healthy meal!) and they also serve standbys such as nachos, candy, and soda. Get there by 7:30 for the best seats, and by 8 pm if you don’t care about your view. Programs sells for $7, and they’re nice but not essential to follow what’s going on.

Be sure to have kids 12 and under participate in the Calf Scramble. This event allows kids to go down to the arena floor to chase a pair of calves around, attempting to pull a ribbon from their tails. Prizes are given and all kids have fun. (Toby won this event at his first rodeo in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, but we weren’t as lucky this time around.)

Hours of operation:

: Every night, the rodeo starts at 8 pm and ends at 10 pm. Bring sweatshirts as it gets chilly once the sun dips below the bluffs!

Admission:

Tickets are $18 for adults (13 and up) and $8 for kids. Age six and under free. Tickets can be bought on-site, or bought ahead of time at a number of Cody locations, including the Buffalo Bill Village. Tickets are good for any show June 1 through August 31.

Directions:

The Nite Rodeo is located at Cody Stampede Park. It’s located at the west of town overlooking the Shoshone River at 519 W. Yellowstone Avenue.

Buffalo Bill Village Resort, Cody Wyoming

August 2, 2013 By Amy Hagstrom

For families wanting a slice of Americana, Cody Wyoming is the place. Where to stay to carry out the theme of bygone days and Western charm? The Buffalo Bill Village Resort. Located in the heart of town on Sheridan Avenue, the Buffalo Bill Village is just that: a combination of motel rooms and cabins complete with a restaurant, saloon, and a Western boardwalk housing a friendly gift shop and the historic hotel building which serves as the front desk.

From the Village, families can easily access all of Cody’s downtown area on foot, for fun souvenir shopping, dining, and museum visits. The Buffalo Bill Center of the West is just a short mile away, and the Cody Nite Rodeo is less than two.

Families have their choice between Buffalo Bill cabins, or rooms at either the on-site Holiday Inn or Comfort Inn. While the latter two include a continental breakfast, it’s far more fun to stay in a cabin. After all, you’re in pioneer-country, right? Don’t expect a remote location, however: Buffalo Bill Village cabins are located directly behind the Comfort Inn and are spaced closely together. That said, we had quiet evenings and no problems from neighbors. The outside of the cabins sport replica log siding, and the interior is exactly what you’d expect (and hope for!) from a Western town roadside lodging option: whimsical rodeo-patterned bedspreads and curtains, wood paneling, and basic amenities.

Cabins include air conditioning, double beds, TVs, and internet connection (though it was painfully slow during my visit). We had a two-room cabin with one bathroom (shower and tub). Unfortunately, there are no mini-fridges in the rooms. However, guests are invited to a nightly reception in the historic hotel building from 5-8 pm, which includes fresh fruit, soft drinks, and other snacks. Cabin guests also have use of the motel heated outdoor pool.

Dining:

On-site dining includes QT’s Restaurant, which is open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. But there are many more options within walking distance. Along Sheridan (Cody’s ‘Main Street’) visitors will find Mexican cantinas, Italian restaurants, and authentic saloons. Cody’s Irma Hotel includes a family-friendly porch menu of sandwiches and burgers (get there before 6 pm to view the nightly free Western shoot-out show in the street). A good breakfast can be found at both Granny’s (across the street from the village) and MoJoe’s (on Sheridan on the west end of town).

Room rates:

Call directly for cabin rates, as many ‘hot deals’ abound in the summer months: 307-587-5544

Directions:

The village is located at 1701 Sheridan. Just follow Hwy 20 into town from Yellowstone National Park to the west.

Disclaimer: We experienced the Buffalo Bill Village Resort as guests of Blair Hotels and Wyoming Office of Tourism, for the purpose of review.

Exploring Cody Wyoming’s Buffalo Bill Center of the West

July 31, 2013 By Amy Hagstrom

Plan at least the majority of a day to take in Cody, Wyoming‘s Buffalo Bill Center of the West. Dubbed the ‘Smithsonian of the West’, this sprawling center in the heart of Cody is really five museums in one, plus outdoor exhibits and interactive displays.

Start in the Buffalo Bill Museum, which offers a complete overview of the life of William ‘Buffalo Bill’ Cody, from boyhood to late life. There’s much more to this American icon than just his famous Wild West show: we learned about his earlier days as a scout for the U.S. army, plus his home life and inspiration for his show. Throughout the Buffalo Bill Museum (and elsewhere in the complex), interactive exhibits encourage kids to put themselves into history, try their hand at skills needed for scouting and wilderness survival, and try out saddles, lassos, and the like. There’s even a Buffalo Bill board game circa the 1950’s ready to be played. Allow at least an hour for this museum, if not more.

Next, head to the Plains Indian Museum, where life on the American plains before and after Euro-American migration (aka Manifest Destiny) changed the shape of Native American culture is displayed in dramatic, panoramas and displays. The museum’s high ceilings and excellent lighting and sets paint a perfect backdrop to learning about these distinct tribes. Families will need 1-2 hours to see it all!

By this time, kids (and adults) will likely need lunch: the center’s cafeteria is reasonably priced with a salad bar and make-you-own-sandwich station. It also serves burgers and hot items. There’s plenty of seating indoors and outside in the beautiful grounds garden, and if you don’t need a whole meal, there’s a nice coffee bar, too. Throughout the day, keep an eye on the scheduled presentations displayed on the reader board at the entrance hub of the center, and plan you route through the museums by it: we were glad not to miss the birds of prey show hosted by the natural history museum!

After lunch, head to the Draper Natural History Museum for displays on animals and plant life in the Greater Yellowstone area. Again, the dioramas and exhibits here are stunning, dramatic, and very well done. Interactive opportunities for learning abound here once again as well: in particular, our kids loved the ‘field station’ where they could chart geothermal activity and wildlife migration from a bank of computers and quiz stations set up throughout the museum to test their knowledge of the outdoors. This museum is multi-story (as is the Plains Indians one) so once again, allow several hours. Younger kids may not last as long, but school-aged kids would be remiss to skip anything!

Older kids and anyone who loves guns and Western history associated with firearms will want to check out the Cody Firearms Museum. We thought this museum would be smaller than the others, but it’s nearly as large! Even if you’re not a gun fan, a tour through the replica pioneer-era hardware store is worth the visit. I found the gun displays from the 1500s-1800s most interesting, though my teen loved the WWII collection.

Finally, if you’re not spent, the Photography Gallery (hosted by National Geographic) is stunning, and the Whitney Western Art Museum is well worth a tour. At the back of the art museum is a counter banked by windows overlooking the landscape where kids are encouraged to draw their own Western art.

Outside, families should check out Buffalo Bill’s boyhood home, brought to Cody from Kansas, and the Joseph Henry Sharp cabin. Outdoor shows such as the birds of prey presentation are held on the center outdoor grounds as well. At the entrance to the center is also a replica chuck wagon with cook: definitely stop to sample his fare. We ate sourdough biscuits and baked beans authentically cooked over a fire in cast-iron pots, and both were delicious.

Date last visited:

June 2013

Distance from the interstate:

Directly on Highway 20.

Hours of operation:

8 am to 6 pm daily May 1-September 15. Off-season hours are 10 am to 5 pm daily.

Admission:

Expect to pay $25 for adults and under $15 for youth. Kids five and under free. Considering the vast amount of museum space, we found this pricing to be a deal…provided you stay most of the day.

Directions:

The Center of the West is located at 720 Sheridan Ave in Cody. Sheridan Avenue is Cody’s ‘Main Street’, so you can’t miss it coming through town from either direction.