If you’re heading to Yellowstone this fall, schedule time to explore Cody, Wyoming, a frontier town founded in 1896 by the legendary showman, Buffalo Bill. You can easily fill two days in authentically Wild West Cody. Go full pioneer and hike the trails of Shoshone National Forest, listen for bugling elk as the temperatures cool and toast the harvest season with a stroll down the Sippin’ Trail. Cowboy hat and boots are optional, but why not go all in?
Why Cody’s Worth the Detour:
- Yellowstone’s East Entrance is about an hour’s drive from Cody along the Buffalo Bill Scenic Byway; the trip has a free audio tour with information about the region’s history, people, wildlife and natural wonders.
- Five world-class museums comprise the Buffalo Bill Center of the West and admission is valid for two days, so you can take your time exploring.
- Outdoor adventures include ATV excursions to see a Wild West ghost town.
SheBuysTravel Tip: Known as the “Rodeo Capital of the World,” Cody hosts a nightly summer rodeo, featuring experts in roping, bull riding and barrel racing, that ends on August 31. There are Labor Day weekend rodeos in nearby Meeteetse and Powell.
Visiting Cody in Fall
Consider giving Cody at least two days before heading into Yellowstone. The town that Buffalo Bill built is an authentic Western destination, not someone’s kitschy representation of the Old West. Autumn brings cooler days, thinning crowds, restless wildlife and a packed calendar of festivals and special events.
Fall Things to Do in Cody 2026
- Meeteetse Labor Day Celebration: One of Wyoming’s longest-running community festivals, with a parade, rodeo, craft fair and car show. Sept. 5–7.
- Powell Homesteader Days Festival: A celebration of the region’s homesteading and farming history at the Powell Homesteader Museum, with a vintage truck and tractor show, antique machinery demos, food and music. Sept. 11–12.
- Rendezvous Royale: Cody’s premier annual art event, featuring the Buffalo Bill Art Show & Sale, painting classes, studio tours and workshops. Sept. 14–19.
- Yellowstone Film Festival: Hosted by Big Horn Cinemas, celebrating independent filmmakers from Wyoming, Montana and Idaho, with a Classic Western Series as a festival highlight. Oct. 9–11.
- The Haunt: A CodyArts fundraiser at Olive Glenn Golf Course combining Halloween fun with a costume contest, food, drinks and dancing. Oct. 31.
SheBuysTravel Tip: The weather’s generally comfortable in Cody during the fall, but be prepared for temperature drops, especially at night and at higher elevations. Layers are your best friend.
Fun Things to Do in Cody
Explore the Great Outdoors
Take advantage of cooler days and go hiking in the Shoshone National Forest, 2.5 million acres of federally protected land stretching from Cody to Yellowstone.
Be on the lookout for regional wildlife that is particularly active in fall. Local bears begin gathering food for their seasonal hibernation. And listen for the love call of male elk. They make a bugling sound to attract females. You might get lucky and see one fella surrounded by a group of interested ladies.
Cody’s a dream destination to try fly fishing, where abundant trout swim in local rivers and streams. North Fork Anglers provides guided experiences seven days a week.
SheBuysTravel Tip: Always maintain a significant distance from wildlife. Your safety depends on it.
Get Spooked in Kirwin
Love a good ghost town? Then a trip to Kirwin belongs on your Cody itinerary. Day-long adventures begin in Meeteetse (pronounced “may tay tay say”), a tiny town (population just over 300) that’s home to a NY Times-profiled artisanal chocolatier.
Rent a vehicle from Kirwin Ghost Town Adventures and follow the one-way-in, one-way-out trail to the abandoned mining town. Along the way, you’ll pass the site where aviator Amelia Earhart planned to construct a cabin before she mysteriously disappeared.
Where to Ghosthunt (If You Dare)
- Irma Hotel: Room 35 is tied to Irma Cody Garlow, Buffalo Bill’s daughter, who died there in 1918. Guests report water turning on by itself, moved belongings and a half-apparition of a cavalry soldier. Staff have also reported phantom diners who vanish before they can be served.
- J.H. Vogel Building (now the Cowboy Palace): Once split between a furniture store and a mortuary separated by only a curtain, the building has had multiple owners report sightings of a small boy in old-fashioned clothing wandering the aisles.
- Cowboy Bar in Meeteetse: Continuously operated since 1893 in a town with a genuine outlaw history, this saloon has regulars reporting full glasses sliding off the bar and landing upright without spilling a drop, along with unexplained footsteps and banging in an empty room.
Tour the Buffalo Bill Center of the West
The Buffalo Bill Center of the West is, without a doubt, a must-do activity in Cody. You’ll need several hours to explore the complex, and your admission is valid for two days, so spread out your visit if you have the time. Be sure to check the Center’s events calendar to see what’s scheduled during your visit.
Five Smithsonian-affiliated museums make up the Center:
- Draper Natural History Museum: Explores the ecology of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem through immersive, sense-engaging exhibits. Go outside, too. There are cabins, sculptures and a playground to explore.
- Buffalo Bill Museum: Tells the story of Buffalo Bill Cody alongside figures like Annie Oakley and Sitting Bull, anchored by a scale model of his Wild West show.
- Plains Indian Museum: Chronicles the region’s Native American tribes; its statues are deliberately left uncolored, since tribes varied widely in skin tone and hair color.
- Whitney Western Art Museum: Features Western art from Native and non-Native artists, including a recreated studio of illustrator Frederic Remington.
- Cody Firearms Museum: More than 4,000 firearms dating to the 1400s. “Guns are a huge part of Western American culture,” says SheBuysTravel Editor-in-Chief Cindy Richards, “and this museum displays more than 4,000 of them.”
SheBuysTravel Tip: The special exhibit “Arms of the Revolution: America at 250,” featuring firearms carried on Revolutionary War battlegrounds, is on display at the Firearms Museum through Fall 2027.
Follow the Cody Sippin’ Trail
If you’ve worked up a powerful thirst exploring Cody, quench it at one of the many bars and restaurants in town participating in the Sippin’ Trail Drink Pass promotion. Download a free app and check in to earn points you redeem for prizes, including stickers, T-shirts and pint glasses.
Sippin’ Trail locations include:
- Cody Craft Brewing – Owned and operated by husband and wife team Jen and Brian Walker, Cody Craft Brewing offers a wide range of on-premises-brewed bevvies, including a special America’s 250th Pale Ale.
- Pat’s Brew House – Once a traditional Irish pub, Pat O’Hara’s is infused with new energy thanks to passionate female owners experimenting with the food and brews. Menu favorites like the Irish eggrolls remain as new items debut. The chicken tacos are fire.
- Millstone Pizza Company – Bar bites and brews, arcade games and entertainment including trivia are what you’ll find in Millstone’s large Cody location.
Shop Sheridan Avenue
I was expecting cookie-cutter souvenir gift shops in Cody. So I was pleasantly surprised by the wide range of stores and galleries in town. I could have lost myself for hours in Legends Bookstore.
Watch the artisans crafting custom drool-worthy boots, belts and saddles in Mercury Leather Works. Or find your cowboy hat or shirt at The Cowboy Palace. That’s where I scored my must-have souvenir – a pair of turquoise toddler cowboy boots.
SheBuysTravel Tip: Wondering why Sheridan Avenue is super wide? Founder Buffalo Bill Cody had the town’s architect lay out the streets so they’d be easy to turn around the wagons of his famous Wild West show.
Have a Cocktail at the Chamberlin Inn
The Chamberlin Inn is a must-see when visiting Cody.
This historic boutique hotel dates back to 1900 and has been lovingly restored. Peek into unoccupied guest rooms, which are all decorated with different period-appropriate furnishings. Be prepared to explain to the kids what the old-time telephone is.
Ernest Hemingway was one of the Chamberlin’s most famous guests. His signature in the guest book is on display in the lobby; his suite’s Room #18.
Spirits is the Inn’s bar and lounge and a great place for a nightcap. Choose the gin-based Death in the Afternoon to channel Hemingway, then head to the courtyard, conservatory or second-floor sunroom to sip away the evening.
Listen to a Free Audio Guide
A new audio guide to accompany your drive on the Chief Joseph Scenic Byway has launched from the free app Travelstorys, a Wyoming-based, woman-owned company.
Once you launch the app, lively narrated segments broadcast as you approach areas of interest, like Heart Mountain, providing context to your journey. The GPS-based guide works without cell service or wifi, both of which are unreliable throughout the Yellowstone area.
It joins other Cody content including tours of downtown Cody, Hemingway in Wyoming and the Buffalo Bill Scenic Byway.
Tour Heart Mountain World War II Interpretive Center
This museum tells the troubling story of Japanese families who were rounded up and sent to 10 different internment camps after the bombing of Pearl Harbor. This sad spot was home to 14,000 Japanese – half of them children and two-thirds of them American citizens — during World War II.
Wyoming agreed to allow a camp to be built at Heart Mountain –- it was the fourth largest of the 10 camps — on the condition that once the war ended, the Japanese would not be allowed to stay in Wyoming.
This disturbing chapter in our nation’s history is handled with sensitivity at the museum. However, it’s definitely an experience for older children who can better appreciate what it must have been like to be taken from their homes with only one suitcase and crammed into a communal living space.
SheBuysTravel Tip: Download the Heart Mountain AR app and point your phone at the QR codes to see a virtual reality representation of what life would have looked like in the camps.
Fire Away at the Cody Firearms Experience
This is the place to go to fire 70 varieties of guns, from a Civil War-era Gatling gun to a Glock just like you see in the movies.
Kids ages 8 and up can shoot here, but pregnant women can’t. That’s because “the fetus can’t wear hearing protectors,” as one shop worker told SheBuysTravel Editor-in-Chief Cindy Richards.
Richards, who is not a gun enthusiast, was reluctant to shoot but ended up having a – pardon the pun – blast. She shot an 1873 single-action Colt pistol and an 1861 Springfield flintlock rifle that jammed her shoulder. It made her feel really sorry for the Civil War soldiers who had to use it in the heat of battle.
But the definite highlight for Richards was getting a turn cranking the 1862 replica Gatling gun. There’s no kick, just a crank that shoots two rounds per clockwise rotation on 6 and 12. What a hoot! No surprise it’s a popular choice among the 70 gun options. The place goes through 1,000 rounds a day in the Gatling gun alone.
SheBuysTravel Tip: If you’re hard of hearing, ask for electronic ear protectors. It can be really hard to hear the instructions with regular hearing protectors. After all, they’re designed to mute sound!
Check Out The Irma Hotel
Bill Cody built this hotel to be the most luxurious hotel in the Rocky Mountains, with rooms that rented for the steep sum of $3 per night. Named for his youngest daughter, it’s still an operating hotel, complete with ghost stories and haunted rooms. It sits on Sheridan Avenue and is the centerpiece of downtown Cody.
But the way most visitors experience The Irma is via the nightly buffet dinner that features perfectly cooked and sliced-to-order prime rib. For the kids, there are mashed potatoes and chicken drumsticks.
And don’t miss the bread pudding for dessert. Adults should try the whiskey sauce. It’s strong. Be prepared. For kids, you might want to stick with the vanilla sauce.
Pay special attention to the gorgeous carved wood bar. It was a gift to Buffalo Bill from Victoria, the Queen of England, a huge fan of the Western showman.
SheBuysTravel Tip: The walls of The Irma’s restaurant are filled with mounted heads of buffalo and other animals. Plan ahead if you’re traveling with someone who would be offended by the taxidermy.
Explore Buffalo Bill State Park
The Buffalo Bill Reservoir is the centerpiece of this park. The huge lake created by the dam is filled with ice-cold water and is a beacon for boating, fishing, canoeing, kayaking and swimming. The 3,000 acres of parkland are dotted with biking and hiking trails.
In addition, there are two camping areas. Lake Shore Bay Campground has 37 sites, an active day-use area and a boat ramp. North Fork Campground has 62 campsites, a playground and shower facility with flush toilets. Check dates for fall season camping availability.
And it’s all surrounded by the stunning views of the Absaroka Range, especially Rattlesnake Mountain and Sheep Mountain.
SheBuysTravel Tip: If you want to fish, non-residents over the age of 14 need a license.
Go Biking
There’s a trail for every type of cyclist in and around Cody. Families looking for an easy loop can find one at Homesteader Park. Those seeking backcountry biking can explore Shoshone National Forest. And Beck Lake Bike Path has over 10 miles of mountain biking trails for a wide range of skill levels.
SheBuysTravel Tip: Trailforks offers interactive trail maps based on your biking preference for locations in Cody, the Outlaw Trails, Beck Lake and Slick Rock.
Seasonal Activities You’ll Want to Return to Try
Many of Cody’s top things to do, including the nightly rodeo, end operations on August 31. Others stay open until early October. It’s best to check with the individual attractions and vendors about seasonal operating days and hours.
Whoop it Up at the Cody Nite Rodeo
The Cody Nite Rodeo claims to be the only rodeo in the country with regular nightly performances all summer long. One of the biggest events happens over the Fourth of July. The Cody Stampede starts on July 1 and culminates in a huge July 4th celebration. The locals say the July 4th celebration is so big that it takes four days to pack it all in.
SheBuysTravel Tip: If you plan to go to the rodeo with kids under 12, dress them in jeans and closed-toe shoes. They will be invited onto the field to chase a young steer to capture a ribbon attached to its tail. The little girls in their cute skirts and sandals were wading gingerly (and unhappily) through the dirt, mud and horse poop.
Go Horseback Riding
Cody’s surrounding area is gorgeous, especially the Shoshone National Forest. A lovely way to take in the spectacular views is to go horseback riding. I’ve done several trail rides in the past, but never one that included water crossings. Feeling my horse test his footing on each step across a swiftly flowing creek was an unforgettable moment.
Daily trail rides, including all-day cookouts and pony rides, are available at the Bill Cody Ranch in East Yellowstone.
Raft the Shoshone River
The 100-mile-long Shoshone River is a popular rafting spot. The stretch of the river that passes through Cody has rapids that range from Class 1 – Class III+, depending on water conditions. These conditions are determined not only by rainfall but also by releases from the Buffalo Bill Dam.
Wyoming River Trips is an outfitter with its own access point located a short shuttle ride from its base camp in Cody. This makes it super quick to get geared up and on the water. I hadn’t rafted since I capsized on a cruise excursion in Belize several years ago, so I was nervous. However, our raft guide’s confidence put me at ease, even when we needed to pull over and wait out a surprise lightning storm.
Trip lengths range from 1-hour to full-day excursions with lunch. Private excursions and packrafting trips are options too.
Foot-Stompin’ Fun at the Cody Cattle Company
This is a family-friendly, pre-rodeo dining/entertainment option. A hearty buffet with cowboy favorites like mac and cheese, baked beans, brisket and cornbread is open from 5-7pm. Ryan Martin and the Triple C Cowboys take the stage at 6:30, performing a set that includes traditional cowboy favorites, ‘50s doo-wop and rock classics with a country twist.
The Cody Cattle Company show wraps up in time for you to scoot on over to the rodeo. Ticket options include dinner and a show, show only and a combo dinner, show and rodeo package.
It’s impossible not to hoot, holler and sing along. And don’t bother asking for just one of the decadent chocolate brownies for dessert. You’ll be served two and wish you’d taken a third. They’re that good.
Shows end on September 25, 2026.
Dine Pioneer-Style
If you’re in Cody on a weekday, you’re in luck, if you’ve made an advance reservation for a Dutch-oven dinner hosted by 2 Mules Chuckwagon. Husband and wife team Rich and Deb Herman welcome you to the Pow Wow field next to the Buffalo Bill Center of the West for an intimate, outdoor dining experience, Mondays-Fridays, all summer long.
Rich’s “kitchen” is an authentic Old West chuck wagon, pots and pans are cast iron skillets and Dutch ovens and the cooking’s done over an open flame. Wine, beer and soft beverages are served by Deb. They’re gracious, loquacious hosts and the meal – steak, beans, coleslaw, sourdough biscuits and berry cobbler – was delish.
SheBuysTravel Tip: Group size is limited to 26 for the dinners. However, if you are traveling with a larger party, contact the Hermans who may be able to arrange for extra help to accommodate more folks.
Ride the Cody Trolley
A trolley tour is a fun and easy way to get your bearings in a new town and find attractions and restaurants you want to revisit and explore in depth. Usually, the informative commentary is interspersed with corny, groan-worthy jokes.
The Cody Trolley tour features an old-fashioned trolley with narrow seats, big windows and a tour leader and driver who trade silly banter. It’s just an hour long, so it’s doable for families with fidgety littles. Tours depart at 11 am and 3 pm from the porch of the Irma Hotel. Additional tours may be added during the summer; reservations are highly recommended for this very popular attraction.
Trolley tours end for the season in early October.
Swagger Through Old Trail Town
This recreation of the Old West of the 1890s was voted “Best Tourist Attraction and Historical Site” by True West Magazine. The buildings sit on the site of the original Cody, the place where Buffalo Bill first laid out the town.
The authentic structures and furnishings were found in remote locations in Wyoming and Montana, carefully disassembled, moved and reassembled at Old Trail Town by Western historian Bob Edgar and his friends.
Among the structures is the cabin used by Old West outlaws Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, a Wyoming saloon frequented by Cassidy’s Hole-in-the-Wall Gang and the log cabin home of Curley, a Crow Indian army scout who helped guide Lt Col. George A. Custer to the battle of the Little Big Horn in 1876.
Channel your inner cowboy/cowgirl and try to rope a wooden calf-like post. Nobody gave this city slicker a chance, but I nailed it on the first try.
Old Trail Town closes for the season on September 30.
Take the Free Tour of the Buffalo Bill Dam and Visitor Center
Visiting the Buffalo Bill Dam is one of the fun, free things to do in Cody with kids. Park and take the free golf cart shuttle (tip the driver) to the dam. Walk out and hold on to the kids as they look straight down the 350 feet of the concrete dam.
After you take a family photo, head inside to the dam museum and watch the movie about the extreme hazards of building the dam so you can walk away feeling grateful that you did not have to build it.
Construction of the dam on the Shoshone River began in 1905. Workers toiled in subzero temperatures and working conditions that were so harsh that it led to the first labor strike in Wyoming history. When the dam was completed in 1910 at a cost of $1.4 million, it was the tallest concrete dam in the world at 325 feet. Another 25 feet was added later.
The Visitor Center closes for the season on September 30.
See the Cody Dug Up Gun Museum
This is just what its name implies: a museum full of guns that have been found or dug up. The proprietor, Hans Kurth, is a carpenter who started the whole thing 40 years ago after finding guns when, for example, he would take down a wall. Now he adds to his fascinating collection when people give or sell him rusted carcasses of guns they find or dig up.
The museum is another of the free things to do in Cody, although Hans does accept donations.
SheBuysTravel Tip: No photos are allowed here. Hans wants people who are curious to come into the museum to see his collection, not be able to see them online.
Closes October – April.
Make a Stop at the Pahaska Tepee
When driving between Cody and Yellowstone’s East Entrance, you can’t help but notice the sign for the Pahaska Tepee, Bill Cody’s original lodge. You still can stay at Pahaska in one of the modern cabins. Or you can just stop in at the Lodgepole Dining Room for a buffalo burger and some Rocky Mountain oysters (chopped, breaded and fried bull testicles) on your way into the park.
Either way, don’t miss a visit to Buffalo Bill’s original 1904 hunting lodge. It’s open for free and is filled with artifacts including a soda machine from the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair.
The gift shop and restaurant close in October and reopen in spring.
Getting to Cody
Fall is a quieter season for family travel to Cody and Yellowstone. Although most visitors to Cody arrive by car, there’s a regional airport with daily service to and from Denver on United Express. The airport’s a 5-minute drive from town. Literally.
SheBuysTravel Tip: Most visitors stay just one night in Cody. They use the town as a launching point for their real destination: the wonders of Yellowstone National Park. But Cody really is worth a visit all on its own. At the very least, carve out time to see the Buffalo Bill Center of the West.
FAQ: Things to Do in Cody, Wyoming
It’s about an hour’s drive along the Buffalo Bill Scenic Byway to reach the park entrance.
Cody, built by “Buffalo” Bill Cody, is an authentic Wild West town near the eastern entrance to Yellowstone. It’s famous for its association with the legendary showman and as the home to the summer Cody Nite Rodeo, a seasonal event that draws thousands of visitors.
There’s appeal to each of the four seasons. Visitors looking for the most things to do with the most reliable weather tend to visit from June to August. Fall brings autumn colors and cooler temperatures, great for outdoor adventures. Winter is Cody’s secret season. Rent a snowmobile and explore landscapes draped in snow. The spring season brings wildflowers and wildlife awakenings.
Read More:
- Rustic Charm in the Wild West: Buffalo Bill Cabins Cody Wyoming Review
- The Complete and Printable Yellowstone Packing List
- Complete Guide to Yellowstone National Park for Families
- Best Places to Stay in Yellowstone for Families
