Cheyenne, Wyoming, isn’t really on the way to Denver from Northeastern Ohio, whether you choose the northern I-80 route or the southern I-70 route. However, it really isn’t that far out of the way. Dennis had spent a lot of time in Cheyenne and Laramie working, and he wanted to show me a few of his favorite places in historic Cheyenne, the capital of Wyoming.
Our Journey
Dennis and I took Interstate 80 from Northeastern Ohio, stopping at the Herbert Hoover National Historic Site in West Branch, Iowa, and the Hastings Museum (a.k.a. the Kool-Aid Museum) in Hastings, Nebraska. We were on our way to visit our daughter and her family in Denver, hoping to arrive before our newest grandson did. I hoped baby Oz would make his appearance on Memorial Day before Dennis flew home, but Oz decided to wait another week.
We knew we might have to go straight to Denver if Meg was in labor. However, we optimistically made a reservation at an Airbnb (our first–more about that later) near the capitol in historic Cheyenne.
Touring Historic Cheyenne
There are so many things to see and do. Here are nine ideas for exploring this magical city of the frontier.
1. Visit the Laramie County Library
We were a little early for our Airbnb arrival time, so we stopped off at one of Dennis’s former job sites: the Laramie County Library. I know, I know… the library is not usually the first place people think to visit while on vacation, but when your husband is a library mover, this is what you do. Plus, we’d been in the car a long time.
As far as libraries go, this was a reading teacher’s dream. When I first walked into the three-story building, my eyes were draw to stroller-type shopping carts–FOR BOOKS! There were even double strollers! You could choose one of these or one of the many baskets located near the shelves. Inside its 103,000 plus square feet, he Laramie County Library houses study rooms, a teen/young adult section with BEAN BAG chairs, and even a cafe! In addition, there’s free internet and a great view of the capitol building.
2. Hunt for the Big Boots
Outside the library are some great statues and a huge, eight foot tall boot, one of nineteen decorated boots through historic Cheyenne. Local artists painted each boot with cultural or historic scenes representing either Cheyenne or the state of Wyoming. There’s even a cell phone audio tour of the big boots. The one outside the library features three readers amidst a variety of well-known titles, including The Very Hungry Caterpillar, Romeo and Juliet, and Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone.
We saw several other big boots while we were in historic Cheyenne, including several near the Cheyenne Depot Museum and Gift Shop. They were wonderful spots to take photos!
3. Take a Photo of the Wyoming Capitol
The Wyoming Capitol is one that you can just drive up to and visit. The capitol is one of only a ten U.S. state capitols that have gold-plated domes. I knew the West Virginia capitol dome was gold, but I couldn’t have told you any of the others.
4. Tour Beautiful Buildings
There were several historic buildings to admire. I’d love to stay at the Nagle Warren Mansion someday or visit the Atlas Theater.
5. Check Out the Statues
There were several statues at the both historic Cheyenne depot plaza and the library, depicting various aspects of frontier life. We enjoyed walking around and looking at them.
6. Visit the Cheyenne Depot Museum
The Union-Pacific Depot was one of the places I really wanted to visit. However, when we arrived, the depot was closed for the day. While it’s open from 9-5 Monday through Saturday, the depot closes at 3 p.m. on Saturday. We just missed it!
7. Go for a Free Horse-Drawn Carriage Ride
Who doesn’t love free stuff? Tourists can board free horse-drawn carriage rides at the corner of the Historic Depot Plaza, across from The Wrangler. The narrated tour operates from 11-5 daily June through August (less frequently in May and September). It was fun to learn about the draft horses and the history of Cheyenne. Donations and tips are accepted, so be sure to bring some cash!
8. Shop Until You Drop
Okay, not literally, but there are some great places to shop in Cheyenne, especially if you like western wear and decor. These items are hard to find back home in Ohio, so we had fun window shopping.
The Wrangler
If you want to dress like a local, The Wrangler is the best place to find a wide selection of western wear. We had fun looking at hats, boots, belts, shirts, jackets, and more. Located at 1518 Capitol Avenue, the three-story red-painted brick building with its distinctive white trim dates from 1892 and is a Cheyenne landmark. With 13,000 square feet of merchandise, there’s something for everyone! I could have done a lot of damage in here, but Dennis kept me in check.
Wyoming Home
Across from The Wrangler at 216 West Lincolnway, visitors will find the Wyoming Home store. If you love western decor, this shop is for you! From luxurious furs to supple leather furniture, Wyoming Home has it all. Whether for the living room, kitchen, or bedroom, this store has unique furniture and artwork galore. They even have jewelry and gift items.
9. Try Out the Restaurants and Bars
After our carriage ride and window shopping, we were ready for a bite to eat. Since we were already parked at the depot, we decided to try out the Accomplice Beer Company, located within the historic Cheyenne depot building.
The Accomplice Beer Company
Established in 2016, the Accomplice Beer Company is a newer restaurant and brewery in Cheyenne. I’d love to tell you how wonderful the beer was, but neither of us tried it. However, we did have dinner there, and the food was delicious!
Dennis ordered the French fry poutine as an appetizer. It was much different than the traditional Canadian poutine that we’re used to eating. However, the bold flavors of pork gravy, cheese curds, and jalapeno and banana peppers were intriguing. We finished it all.
For dinner, I had an order of sliders (sans buns) with a side of kale salad. The kale salad with cranberries, almonds, and feta cheese was perfectly dressed with a champagne vinaigrette. The sliders with their secret sauce and American cheese were deliciously juicy. Dennis ordered the sliders, as well, but had a side of fries instead of the kale salad.
My Conclusions about Historic Cheyenne
Cheyenne was a great stop to spend the late afternoon and early evening. Luckily, we’ll be visiting Meg and Joe and the boys in Denver from time to time, and Cheyenne is only an hour and half north on Interstate 25. We barely scratched the surface of what Cheyenne has to offer, so we’ll definitely be back to visit again soon.
What a lovely place to visit! I want to go overseas next time, but I will need to save more before going.
Thanks for sharing
Cheyanne looks beautiful! My boyfriend and I love traveling together, especially to other cities in the U.S because it’s easier than international travel. We’ll have to add this to our list!
the place looks so very exciting! I would love to travel there and explore it. Your photo work is nice too – all the photos are so vivid and filled with joy. I can totally see how you like it!
Love how rich it is in history, those boots look amazing.
Cheyenne looks like a truly magical city. I love places like these which have the age old charm. Reminded me of Portugal.
I would be the nerd that has to go find all of the boots and take pictures of them. Lol. What a fun place to visit! I’ve been to Wyoming once when I was a kid, and it has always been a place that I want to go back and see again as an adult. Thank you for showing me some great sites to add to my travel list!
I have been to Cheyenne a handful of times but had never known that there were 19 of those huge boots around! That is so awesome! I love that Wyoming still has that classic feel of the old west.
Thanks for the tips! We have family in Casper, WY, and lived there for a couple of years. We drive through Cheyenne every time. I’m sure the kids would love a little break in the long drive to check some of these out sometime. They would especially love the horse-drawn carriage ride!
O wow this looks like an awesome place to visit! I was hooked at shop till you drop! And the food looks amazing!
So quaint & beautiful. However the seller for me are those boots
We spent a night in Cheyenne while on a road trip. Didn’t realize there was so much to see.
Such a great place to visit. The builidngs and boots gives it so much life.
The study rooms look so cool and those bean bags look so comfy and inviting! I really liked the artistic work on all the big boots! And just look at that horse….such good balance!
Such a cute town with an amazing library!
I love the big boots those are pretty cool, they did that down here but with cows, LOL I am not sure why since we are the peach state??? LOL but I think it had something to do with a Chick-fil-a fundraiser.
We have penguins here in Youngstown. They’re all over the university (mascot).
What an incredible place! I love the boots.
Cheyenne looks beautiful town just as like in postcards. Those boots are huge and Statues, boots looks attractive place for capturing pics. It would have been great fun to ride horse carriage. Adding Cheyenne, Wyoming to my travel bucket list. Thanks for sharing.
This seems like fun. Those are really big boots. The food looks good. I really love the mansion and I think riding on a carriage won’t be a bad idea.
My favorite activity in Cheyenne would be finding and admiring the artwork on all the big boots. I’d love to explore the history of that nice and interesting town.
Oh wow, I love a good historic town! I’ve never been to the area but Cheyenne seems lovely and full of good stories.
We nearly always stop in at libraries in different towns when we go on road trips – they are great to get a flavour of a place. Cheyenne looks fascinating – those boots are great!
What an interesting town! As a teacher, I think I’d love the library as well. I’m from the Northeast, so it’s really interesting to learn about other parts of the county! Glad you had fun. Thanks! Melissa Damiani | Gratitude Grace Glamour
Looks like a great trip. That library looks amazing – they’ve become more comfortable places nowadays, haven’t they. Love those boots and the horse and carriage ride. I think I might have spent a day in the Wrangler store.
Cheyenne really looks a lovely place to visit.
What a great place to visit. I love the quaint old charm of Cheyenne. It looks like something out of a postcard for an old western town. That area of the country is one that I have not gotten to visit yet. The whole Wyoming-Dakotas area.We but all be down for the horse drawn carriage ride for sure. Yet another place to put on my list of places to visit.