8 Cutest Small Towns In Wyoming To Visit In 2024
Deriving its name from the Native American word mecheweamiing, meaning "at the big plains,” there are many exciting features to admire in the big plains of Wyoming. Specifically in the Equality State, you can cherish the eight cutest small towns to visit in 2024. Beyond the hot attractions of the Yellowstone National Park are humble retreats like Jackson, Thermopolis, and more. In historic locations such as Sundance and Dubois, you can learn all about some of the greatest outlaws that American history romanticizes. And in the least populous state in the US, you need not feel any competition in exploring the big plains of Wyoming. So come and see the cutest small towns in Wyoming to visit in 2024.
Jackson
Only two hours away from the critically acclaimed Yellowstone National Park, the town of Jackson is a wintry wonderland in Wyoming’s Jackson Hole Valley. With three ski areas to rival the Alps of Europe, you can engage in the snow and slopes of Jackson’s many mountains. The first resort is the Jackson Hole Mountain Resort, where the longest continuous vertical rise of any ski area in the US leads you to the summit of Rendezvous Mountain. The Snow King Mountain Resort, on the other hand, will be hosting the World Championship Snowmobile Hill Climb from March 21 to 24. Finally, in Teton Village, you can venture through the Targhee Mountains and Tetons from the Grand Targhee Resort. When entering Jackson, take pictures of several arches made of shed antlers at the National Elk Refuge & Greater Yellowstone Visitor Center. Gawk at the mesmerizing art pieces of Andy Warhol and Georgia O’Keeffe at the National Museum of Wildlife Art. And finally, warm yourself in the cool breeze of Jackson in Inn On the Creek, Hitching Post Lodge, or Huff House Inns and Cabins.
Thermopolis
Thermopolis is certainly one of the hottest destinations for you to visit in Wyoming, and not merely because its Greek etymology means “hot city.” In the lush town in the southernmost point of Bigbhorn Basin and along Bighorn River, you can soak in the rejuvenating waters of the Hot Spring State Park, a far more affordable and smaller alternative than Yellowstone. Aside from modern tourist attractions, Thermopolis is replete with history, noticeably found in the 283 Native American rock drawings in the Legend Rock Petroglyph Site that are all over 10,000 years old. Cherish the majestic of the thunderous bison herds at the Wind River Canyon and Boysen State Park, or marvel at the skeletal remnants of the ancient dinosaurs at the Wyoming Dinosaur Center. And if you are in want of accommodations, you can always find a place to rest at El Rancho or Hot Springs Hotel and Spa.
Buffalo
Approximately 35 miles from Sheridan, the fantastic town of Buffalo is riddled with historic locales. Over 15,000 artifacts from the Old West can be perused at the Jim Gatchell Museum. Meanwhile, the Museum of the Occidental Hotel is where Owen Wister’s famous cowboy icon, The Virginian, "got his man here." At Fort Phil Kearney, study all about the infamous Fetterman Fight. And at the enigmatic "Hole in the Wall," you can learn all about the previous hideout of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, in addition to the rest of the Wild Bunch. With its idyllic location at the foothills of the Bighorn Mountains, Buffalo is filled with ferocious landscapes at the Bighorn National Park. And at amazing mountain summits such as Cloud Peak or Mather Peak East, you can gaze out at an unchanged and untamed Wild West landscape. Freedom of exploration awaits in the wild town of Buffalo.
Sheridan
Almost precisely midway between Yellowstone National Park and Mount Rushmore in South Dakota, Sheridan has been hailed as the jewel of Wyoming, and for good reason. There are over ten sites in and around town listed in the National Register of Historic Places. For example, the Blacktooth Brewing Company remains Wyoming’s prime purveyor of craft ales for you to sample and savor. Medicine Mountain backgrounds the town with its inviting trails and treks, such as the Red Grade Trails, which meander through the Bighorn National Forest and Cloud Peak Wilderness. Outdoor adventurers might also be interested in delving into the Tongue River Canyon. In May, you can attend the annual Eaton's Horse Drive, when hundreds of cowboys trot and gallop through Sheridan’s streets. For those of you who wish to spend a longer time in Sheridan, look to the Ramada Plaza, the Budget Inn Express, or Wyo Inn for your daily needs.
Sundance
Dance beneath the sun as you revel in your visit to the sunny town of Sundance. It was here the Sundance Kid, one of the titular protagonists of the classic film Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, got his moniker by performing the Sun Dance ceremony practiced by the local Native American groups in the area. Both the performance and the historic figure also inspired the Utah/United States Film Festival to be renamed into the Sundance Film Festival that every cinephile admires.
You can admire the Sundance Kid’s likeness at the Crook County Museum & 1875 Gallery. For more photo-worthy moments, you can travel about 28 miles toward America’s First National Monument, the Devil’s Tower. Adjacent to the tower is the Bearlodge District of the Black Hills National Forest, a habitat for many of Wyoming’s diverse wildlife. To learn more about Sundance’s history, take the Sip ‘n Walk Historical Tour for both the refreshments and the history lessons. For lodgings, the Bear Mountain Resort and Bear Lodge Motel are among the many fine establishments where you can feel safe and sound in Sundance.
Lovell
In the big plains of Wyoming, ride alongside wild mustangs in the town of Lovell. You can find these majestic and spirited quadrupeds at the Pryor Mountain Wild Mustang Center, in the Bighorn National Forest, and in Bighorn Lake. Close by, the Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area entreats you with sights of the ingenious Yellowtail Dam. Lovell also preserves the past, and the Heart Mountain Interpretive Center contains several World War II Japanese-American confinement sites. There is also the Medicine Wheel National Historic Landmark, a Native American arrangement of ancient stones in the Bighorn National Forest. Lastly, you can puzzle over well-preserved dinosaur footprints at the Red Gulch Dinosaur Tracksite. Regarding accommodations, you can find all you need at the Cattlemen Motel, the Western Motel, or Horseshoe Bend Motel.
Dubois
Dubois is an adorable town of unparalleled beauty. Visitors can admire Wyoming’s most magnificent animal, the bighorn sheep, at the National Bighorn Sheep Interpretive Center. At the Dubois Museum, you can review Dubois’ ties to pioneering. The Shoshone National Forest, the first national forest that President Theodore Roosevelt labeled, contains many Shoshone artifacts. Dubois is surrounded by 3 953 miles of open trails and treks that many horses continue to roam freely, and you can also gallop across at your leisure. Every Friday from June 14 to August 23, watch or participate in Dubois’ annual Wild West-style rodeos. Since Dubois is only an hour and 40 minutes from Jackson, you can also explore Yellowstone National Park and the Grand Teton National Park at your convenience. Should the night call you to rest, prepare yourself for the next day at the Chinook Winds Lodge.
Laramie
Laramie is home to the University of Wyoming, an epicenter for education and culture. The town also happens to be 7,200 feet in the plateaus of the Snowy Range Mountains. With an impressive height and at the height of academic excellence, Laramie will enchant you with historic trivia from the Wyoming Territorial Prison State Historic Site. This prison once held Butch Cassidy. The Historic Laramie Union Pacific Train Depot highlights Laramie’s role in the railroad business, while Fort Sanders evinces Laramie’s military value in protecting the Overland Trail.
As the home of the Arapaho and Cheyenne peoples since the 1600s, you can find artifacts and articles about these great cultures along the Overland or Cherokee Trail, which reaches from Oklahoma to California. Furthermore, you can traverse Laramie’s own version of Jurassic Park at the University of Wyoming’s Geological Museum. If you want more adventures, brave the Medicine Bow-Routt National Forest. If you need to sleep, book a room at the Old Corral Hotel & Steakhouse or Mountain View Historic Hotel.
With Wyoming being the Equality State, everyone can equally experience the joys and novelties the cutest small towns in the region have to provide. In a mustang-filled land once roamed by legendary outlaws such the Wild Bunch—noticeably the great Butch Cassidy and the exhilarating Sundance Kid—you can travel just as freely in the Equality State. Most of all, you can take photos of iconic landmarks such as Devil’s Tower, Yellowstone, and the Overland Trail. Open your schedule this 2024 by visiting some of the cutest towns on the big plains of Wyoming.
