Cody, Wyoming

By | May 24, 2022

Guide to Cody: how to get there and where to stay, what to see and where to go in the evening. Highlights of Cody: fresh reviews and photos, places to see, branded entertainment and shopping.

According to toppharmacyschools, Cody is located in northwestern Wyoming, near the eastern border of Yellowstone National Park. Unlike its neighbor, the more glamorous Jackson, Cody is a decidedly cowboy town. It is famous for its rodeo and, of course, its proximity to stunning forests and mountains. Plus, Cody is firmly connected with the name of the famous Buffalo Bill, which, of course, is one of the main lures for tourists.

A bit of history

The city was founded in 1895 by William “Buffalo Bill” Cody, who first came here in the 1870s. and was impressed by the beautiful scenery, rich soil, hunting opportunities, and proximity to Yellowstone. Returning 20 years later, on the crest of success (including financial) from his shows “Buffalo Bill’s Wild West” Cody founded the settlement. Streets were named after several of his associations, and in 1902 Cody opened the city’s first Irma Hotel, naming it after his daughter. A few kilometers from the city, Cody opened the TE ranch, where he hosted his rich and famous guests from America and Europe.

The famous abstract artist Jackson Pollock was born in Cody.

How to get to Cody

The closest airport to Cody is Yellowstone. You can fly there from Salt Lake City and Denver. It’s a bit long to get to Cody by car: the major cities are quite far away. But the road can be very scenic if you are moving, for example, from the east along the Big Horn highway from Sheridan or through Buffalo; from the northwest through the Big Horn Mountains (open only during the summer months); from the north, from Red Lodge in Montana, on US 212, which is one of the top 20 highways in the country; or from the east, through Jackson and the national park, along the Buffalo Bill highway.

Attractions and Attractions Cody

Cody is imbued with themes of pioneers, cowboys and other heroes of the history of the Wild West. The main source of prosperity for the city, where there is practically no industry, is tourism. It is full of restaurants, hotels, shops and souvenir shops. Cheerfully painted tourist trailers drive around the city: a tour with two guides takes an hour.

Cody’s main cultural attraction is downtown Buffalo Bill West. This is a large and modern institution, which is located near the city center and combines as many as five museums. First, the Draper Museum of Natural History, opened in 2002. There are several exhibits here that showcase the natural wealth of the state and the Yellowstone Park region. The Plains Indian Museum, opened in 1979, offers visitors a collection of Native American art created between 1880 and 1930. There are artifacts here that belonged to the Arapaho, Crow, Cheyenne, Comanche, Sioux and others. The Firearms Museum has one of the most comprehensive collections of American weapons in the world. There are also European samples dating back to the 17th century. The Whitney Western Art Museum exhibits paintings and sculptures by Western American artists dating back to the early 1900s. and ending with our days. The last is the Buffalo Bill Museum, where you can learn about the life of William Cody, the famous character of the Wild West of the late 19th century, after whom the city was named.

Cody is located at an altitude of about 1500 m above sea level, and the main part of the city, as it were, occupies three tiers. The Shoshone River cuts the city with a deep canyon, through which several bridges have been built.

Another famous “wild western” city attraction is the Old Trail Town. This is a kind of open-air museum, which contains several historic houses, wagons of the first settlers and other original artifacts dating back to 1879-1901. Here you can see the real huts of the Crow Indian and the famous robbers Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid; the premises of the school and the grocery store – more than 25 buildings in total. Also in the Old Trail collected hundreds of horse-drawn carts and a huge number of household items. There is also a cemetery here, where several local and folk heroes are buried: in particular, the Liver Eater Johnson is a trapper, hunter, scout, marshal and veteran of the Civil War. The city is located on the Yellowstone Highway.

The second such reconstruction was created nearby, in the miniature village of Tecumseh, on the site of a former postal station. There are thousands of miniature figurines related to the history of Wyoming and Montana on display, from the 1600s to the 1600s. and ending at the end of the 19th century. In the village museum, you can see thousands of artifacts related to the Indians and the conquerors of the Wild West, including old weapons.

5 things to do in Kodi:

  1. Set off to wander through the wild, through forests and mountains.
  2. Visit one of the ranches surrounding the city to ride horses and look at the modern life of the ranchers.
  3. Check out the Cassie Dinner Club, one of the oldest in Wyoming. The club was opened in the 1920s. and is still furnished almost as in those days.
  4. Watch a cowboy musical revue at the historic Cody Theatre, directly across from the Irma Hotel. The musical show runs from May to September, in the evenings.
  5. Sneak into the Irma Hotel to see the dining room: the huge, ornately carved cherrywood French table still stands here, given to Buffalo Bill by Queen Victoria.

Speaking of the latter, the Cody Museum of Unearthed Weapons, located on 12th Street, must also be mentioned. Here visitors are shown hundreds of antique guns and pistols from different periods of history – the Revolutionary War, the Gold Rush, the Civil War, the Indian Wars, World War I, the Roaring 20s and World War II. This new museum opened in 2009 and is open from May to September.

A trip to the Cody Dam is also popular among tourists. The dam is located not so far from the city, on the road to Yellowstone National Park. The dam was built thanks to William Cody’s friendship with President Roosevelt; its construction was completed in 1910, and at that time the dam became the highest in the world. From the top there is a beautiful view of the gorge and the river, and if you have free time, you can look into the museum and listen to an audio tour.

Kodi Events

Cody has been called the “rodeo capital of the world”. The Cody Night Rodeo takes place here every evening from June 1 to August 31. In addition, since 1919, the rodeo series of the professional cowboy association “Stamped” has been held here – one of the largest in the country. It is usually timed to coincide with the celebration of Independence Day.

Every June, the Buffalo Bill Center Indian Museum organizes a shamanic rally. Dancers come from all over North America to compete for cash prizes.

Neighborhood Cody

The Shawshawn National Forest is located very close to the city, and many travelers like it even more than Yellowstone – there are fewer people here. Here you can enjoy the views, walking along the river, ride horses, see many wild animals, go fishing, spend a day on a picnic or a few days on foot. Especially nice is that the park is clean and well maintained.

Cody, Wyoming