Buffalo Wyoming

Experience the Wild West

Much of Buffalo’s claim to fame is tied to its Wild West roots. Discover the town’s rough-and-tumble history, starting at the centrally located Jim Gatchell Memorial Museum. One of the most popular attractions in town, this award-winning museum is filled with artifacts including guns, medicine bags and clothing from the town’s most lawless era. The museum is housed in the old Johnson County Library building, a former Carnegie Library that was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1976.

For a more hands-on experience, make your way south of Buffalo, where you’ll find the TA Ranch. In continuous operation since 1882 and once the site of a shootout over an attempted cattle theft, this working cattle ranch is now all about the visitor experience. Take a guided horseback ride along Crazy Woman Creek, savor a meal made with locally sourced ingredients in the TA Cookhouse and participate in the culture-focused Buffalo Heritage Days festival, held every September. Come sunset, spend the night in your choice of period-decorated rooms.

Your time immersed in Buffalo’s Wild West history comes with a range of accommodation options from modern to authentic. The Historic Occidental Hotel and Saloon opened in 1880, quickly becoming a favorite of Buffalo Bill Cody, Teddy Roosevelt and Calamity Jane, among others. Today, you can grab a drink in the hotel’s bullet hole-riddled saloon before you curl up for the night in one of the cozy, antiques-filled guest rooms.

Explore Amazing Natural Surroundings

During your time in Buffalo, be sure to explore many of the same stunning landscapes that caught the eye of long-ago cowboys. In the Bighorn Mountains, take a drive along the Cloud Peak Scenic Byway, which passes through Bighorn National Forest and over Powder River Pass, offering views of vast ranchland, limestone outcroppings and rugged mountain peaks. Drive down into Tensleep Canyon before returning to Buffalo, or go fly fishing in the Bighorn River, cross country skiing at Pole Creek or hiking on some of the 1,900 kilometers of trails.

Crazy Woman Canyon – with its craggy cliff faces, flowing creeks and pullouts offering stunning mountain views – is one of the most famous spots in the Bighorn Mountains. Stop often along the 21-kilometer-long dirt road to admire photogenic vistas, savoring your time in this narrow, picturesque canyon.

Hang Out Where the Locals Do

There’s always something happening in Buffalo, though summers are more jam-packed than other times of year. On Tuesdays in June and July, watch an authentic rodeo with the Johnson County Cowgirls, with competitions in barrel racing, goat tying and steer stopping. On Wednesdays during the summer, check out the downtown farmers market, where you can sample delicious local fare.

On Thursday nights year-round, discover lively entertainment at the popular Bluegrass Jam at the Saloon at the Historic Occidental Hotel. On Fridays, head to the nearby town of Kaycee for the Kaycee Night Rodeo, showcasing the best of Wyoming cowboy culture. Saturday in the Square, a free summer concert series in Crazy Woman Square featuring fantastic musicians with regional followings, is the place to be on weekends.