Things to do in Cody
And where to stay, the best time to visit, what a day costs, and the traps to skip.
Best time to visit Cody
• a note or something on ✦ an occasion worth the trip
Spring shoulder, Center uncrowded and lodging cheapest, many ranches and roads still closed.
Peak full Cody, nightly rodeo, all roads open, warmest weather and highest prices.
Locals favourite early fall with golden light and elk rut, then closures build through October.
Quiet serious winter for skiing, ice climbing and snowmobiling, with many closures and cold.
What's on
- Plains Indian Museum Powwow typically June
Competitive dancing, regalia and Native food and art vendors at the Center.
- Cody Stampede Rodeo & Parades July 1-4
PRCA level Stampede rodeo with parades on July 3 and 4.
- Park County Fair late July / early August
Local week of livestock, rodeo and fair food.
- Rendezvous Royale & the Buffalo Bill Art Show & Sale typically the third full week in September
Collectors, artists, auctions and parties transform the town.
- Cody Ice Festival typically February
Ice climbing festival on the South Fork frozen waterfalls.
- Cody Christmas Stroll & Parade of Lights late November / early December
Town Christmas stroll and parade of lights in the quiet season.
Best things to do in Cody
Buffalo Bill Center of the West
Five museums in one, with Plains Indian and Western art collections that justify hours and a return visit.
Cody Nite Rodeo
Nightly summer rodeo since 1938 with bull riding, broncs and barrel racing under a mountain sunset.
Old Trail Town
Authentic frontier cabins and a saloon moved here, showing how small and hard frontier life really was.
Heart Mountain Interpretive Center
Sobering museum at the incarceration site, told through the words and objects of those held there.
Buffalo Bill Dam & Visitor Center
Free walk across a 325 foot dam crest with vertiginous views down Shoshone Canyon and the reservoir.
Irma Hotel
Buffalo Bill 1902 hotel with a spectacular cherrywood bar gifted by Queen Victoria, worth stepping inside.
Cody Dug Up Gun Museum
Over 1000 relic firearms recovered from battlefields, rusted and storied, with an owner who guides you.
Cody Firearms Experience
Supervised indoor chance to shoot replica and historic firearms, a strong rainy day option in Cody.
Where to stay in Cody
Downtown / Sheridan Avenue core
first trip, all-round base
Walk to the Center, restaurants, galleries and the Cody Theatre, with real evening life on foot.
Buffalo Bill Village / West Yellowstone Avenue
families and rodeo-first trips
Larger pools, easier parking and rodeo shuttles, with a head start to Yellowstone each morning.
North Fork / Wapiti Valley corridor
scenery, ranches and a Yellowstone head start
Wake to cliffs and river and ride before breakfast, giving up town dinner choice and easy night drives.
East Cody / Sheridan Avenue east + airport side
cheapest chains and dawn Yellowstone departures
Lower rates, free parking and chain predictability on a highway strip seen through a windshield.
Best restaurants in Cody
Trailhead Bar | Grill | Wood-Fired Pizza
Locals first dinner pick, wood fired pizza, bison lasagna and steaks in a calm low lit bistro room.
Sitti's Table
Lebanese inspired cafe and bakery with zaatar rolls, fatayer and pastries rated highest for food in Cody.
Proud Cut Saloon
Cowboy saloon for big steaks, burgers and Rocky Mountain oysters in a loud friendly room.
Irma Hotel Restaurant
Prime rib and salad bar in Buffalo Bills 1902 dining room, essential once per trip for building and bar.
8th Street at the Ivy
Hotel restaurant well above the norm, hand cut ribeye, ahi tuna and a well regarded Old Fashioned.
Wyoming's Rib & Chop House
Classic steakhouse ritual downtown with hand cut ribeye, strip and tomahawk for the table.
Our Place Café
No frills fast diner for big breakfasts and lunch plates at prices that feel a decade old.
Granny's Restaurant
Early breakfast family staple for pancakes, omelettes, chicken fried steak and pie at cheap prices.
Outdoor things to do in Cody
Yellowstone National Park
East side day for Yellowstone Lake, Hayden Valley wildlife and the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone.
Beartooth Highway
Chief Joseph and Beartooth loop over 10947 feet with switchbacks, alpine lakes and snowbanks in July.
McCullough Peaks Wild Horse Herd Management Area
Accessible wild mustang herd in badlands east of Cody, best at dawn or late afternoon with binoculars.
Wyoming River Trips
Long running family rafting on Shoshone Class II to III water, a classic half day paired with the rodeo.
North Fork Anglers
Local fly shop and guides for cutthroat and rainbow trout on the North Fork, South Fork and Clarks Fork.
Buffalo Bill Reservoir
Big windy reservoir for boating, paddling and shoreline fishing framed by Rattlesnake and Cedar mountains.
Bill Cody Ranch
Wrangler led trail rides from the North Fork into Shoshone National Forest mountain scenery.
Shoshone National Forest
First national forest hiking from Beck Lake to Absaroka routes, with bear spray as standard equipment.
Best hotels in Cody
Chamberlin Inn
Codys top rated boutique inn, a restored 1904 property with garden courtyard a block off Sheridan.
Crossed Sabres Ranch
All inclusive dude ranch stay with twice daily rides tailored to experience and a perfect review record.
7D Ranch
Storied Sunlight Basin guest ranch with all inclusive riding, food and setting at Codys top price scale.
The Cody
Large upscale suites with indoor pool, the splurge pick for families wanting space over boutique charm.
Irma Hotel
Historic 1902 stay for location and the bar, with variable rooms that trade polish for character.
Best Western Premier Ivy Inn & Suites
Consistently top rated chain property, a safe comfortable default with the 8th Street restaurant attached.
Cody Cowboy Village
Individual log cabin suites with porches around a pool, well rated for families and groups.
Buffalo Bill Cabin Village
Original village cabins in the west end resort cluster, a family reunion workhorse near the Center.
Is Cody expensive? What a day costs
| Budget | $140 a person |
|---|---|
| Classic | $260 a person |
| Splurge | $480 a person |
A day of food, drink, sights and getting around, before the room
What to book ahead
- Cody Nite Rodeo: a few days ahead
- Dan Miller's Cowboy Music Revue: weeks ahead
- Yellowstone National Park: months ahead
- McCullough Peaks Wild Horse Herd Management Area: a few days ahead
- Wyoming River Trips: a few days ahead
- Bill Cody Ranch: a few days ahead
- Olive Glenn Golf & Country Club: a few days ahead
- Yellowstone Off Road Adventures: a few days ahead
- Book lodging 4 to 6 months ahead for June to September, longer for Stampede week.
- Book guided Yellowstone tours and wildlife guides when you book the hotel.
- Buy Stampede rodeo tickets online as soon as dates are set.
- Book ranch stays and the Chamberlin Inn 6 to 12 months ahead for prime weeks.
Is Cody safe?
- Keep 100 yards from bears and wolves and 25 yards from other wildlife.
- Carry bear spray for hiking and fishing and know how to use it.
- Get off summits and water by early afternoon during summer lightning.
- Do not wade in Yellowstone thermal areas and stay on boardwalks.
Cody travel tips: tourist traps to skip
- Using Cody as a daily base for all of Yellowstone for a week.
- Paying for premium rodeo seating on a regular Nite Rodeo night.
- Trying to see the Buffalo Bill Center of the West in 90 minutes.
- Buying huckleberry products at airport and park gift shop prices.
- Driving the Beartooth Highway as a shortcut or on a flight deadline.
Getting around Cody: public transport and more
- You need a car for Cody and Yellowstone, with no reliable rideshare fallback.
- Downtown is walkable, everything else is a short drive with free parking.
- Check NPS and WYDOT road status each morning and fuel up in Cody before scenic loops.
- Download offline maps because cell coverage dies in canyons and in Yellowstone.
Who Cody suits
| Solo travellers | Good |
|---|---|
| Groups of friends | Good |
| Couples | Good |
| Bachelor parties | OK |
| Families | Great |
| Bachelorette parties | OK |
Make Cody your trip
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