Despite Wyoming being in the top 10 states by area size, it’s the least populated of all 50 states. That means that there isn’t as much stuff to do compared to many other states and as a result we only spent 2.5 weeks there in late September/early October.
Despite that, we managed to fit in quite a bit of stuff during our time there, from National Parks to a National Monument to museums to a meadery and much more. Here’s all our favorite and not-so-favorite things from Wyoming.
Favorite Accommodation We Stayed At
Stephen – I enjoyed our stay at the Homewood Suites Jackson, especially seeing as it was in such a great location for exploring downtown. However, I’m going to give this award to the Fairfield Inn Gillette as it was a much better value hotel (it cost just under $100 per night) and had a fun water park.
Shae – Oohhh, it’s a tough one to pick! I think I’m going to go with the Jackson hotel for its great location and proximity to the National Parks.
Favorite Meal
Stephen – We didn’t eat out a huge amount in Wyoming as we had kitchens in two of our three hotels. Although I enjoyed our meal at Palate in Jackson, I particularly liked my burger at Ranch & Roost in Gillette. Honorable mention to Big Lost Meadery for some delicious meads too.
Shae – Oh, hands down Palate in Jackson. My starter and entrée were banging!! I’d go back there in an instant!
Most Disappointing Meal
Stephen – I didn’t have a disappointing meal in Wyoming, but our experience at Wyoming Whiskey wasn’t great. The whiskey was very good, but the service was poor.
Shae – Eh, Ranch and Roost in Gillette didn’t really do it for me.
Favorite Free Activity
Stephen – Visiting Mama Mimi – one of Thomas Dambo’s trolls – in Jackson.
Shae – My favorite free activity was seeing the Oregon Trail locations in and near Fort Laramie.
Favorite Paid Activity
Stephen – This is a really tough one. Although it’s not my favorite National Park, Yellowstone was a very interesting place to visit as it’s unlike most other National Parks. The National Museum of Wildlife Art was excellent despite the fact that I’m not normally into art galleries. It was great to finally visit Devils Tower National Monument as I’d been curious about that for years and the Frontier Auto Museum in Gillette was awesome too.
Sorry, I can’t decide, so I’ll give 25% of this one to each of those four attractions as they were each great in their own way.
Shae – Oooh, another tough choice. I think you have to say “Yellowstone” but honestly? I LOVED the Frontier Auto Museum in Gillette so I’m gonna give it an honorable mention.
Favorite Pet-Friendly Activity
Stephen – The Frontier Auto Museum as it was the only truly pet-friendly activity of the four I listed in my previous answer, although props to Yellowstone National Park for allowing dogs to be close enough to Old Faithful for you to be able to watch it erupt if you’re traveling with pups.
Shae – Definitely the Frontier Auto Museum and Big Lost Meadery since those aren’t necessarily places that you’d expect to be so dog-friendly.
Least Favorite Activity
Stephen – I don’t think there was anything in Wyoming that I didn’t enjoy, although for it being an outdoorsy state, it was disappointing how many places weren’t dog-friendly.
Shae – I think my least favorite was Devils Tower. I know Stephen wanted to see it and loved it, but it was just eh for me.
Favorite Hike
Stephen – We didn’t do any proper hiking in Wyoming, so the closest would be some of the short trails to overlooks in Yellowstone National Park.
Shae – While it wasn’t a “proper hike”, I did a fair bit of walking on my day at Fort Laramie and the surrounding areas so I’d count it.
Favorite Quirky Thing We Did
Stephen – Seeing Mama Mimi.
Shae – I count it as quirky: seeing the original Oregon Trail wagon ruts. It’s not something you can just see anywhere and is solid Americana imo.
Favorite Memory
Stephen – Getting to watch Shae’s dad being blown away by some of the stuff he got to see with us in Yellowstone, especially all the bison.
Shae – Spending the day with my dad on the Jackson Hole Aerial Tramway. Even though it was concerning because of his health issues and the elevation, it was still a really nice day together – just him and me. An honorable mention goes out to driving through the smoke of a wildfire (it was open and safe to do so) on our way to Jackson, but it got incredibly creepy and dark while we passed through it and it sticks out to me.
Funniest Moment
Stephen – Watching the server at Big Lost Meadery trying to get Truffles to sit for a treat.
Shae – I don’t have a stand out memory, but I know we laughed a lot with my dad; we usually do as he’s good fun.
Thing We Most Regretted
Stephen – Not having a little more time to spend in Wyoming.
Shae – Not going into Yellowstone more than once to get more photos and see more cool things there, like having time and energy to hike down into the canyon.
Something We Missed And Want To See
Stephen – We heard that Cody and Sheridan both had fun things to do, but we didn’t end up having a chance to fit in stays in either of those cities.
Shae – Definitely missing out on Cody, WY.
Our Biggest Surprise
Stephen – That I wasn’t as blown away by Yellowstone as I thought I would be. It was definitely worth visiting thanks to features like Old Faithful and other hot springs and geysers, but it wasn’t quite as scenic as I’d been expecting.
Shae – Yeah, I’d agree with Stephen. I was surprised at how much I enjoyed Grand Tetons National Park compared to Yellowstone. The mountains were just beautiful – and I’m more of a beach girl than a mountain girl – and I couldn’t get enough of them.
My Wyoming Drinking Game Would Be…
Stephen – Take a drink every time you see something cowboy-related.
Shae – Take a drink every time you have someone mention the Yellowstone TV show.
Summary Of Wyoming In 10 Words Or Less
Stephen – Worth visiting, but more expensive than it should be.
Shae – Cool state – I’d go back and see more of it.
Wyoming Cities We Visited In Order From Favorite To Least Favorite
Stephen – Jackson, Gillette, Cheyenne
Shae – Gillette, Jackson, Cheyenne
I’m so glad that you found Mama Mimi! Great photo.
Thanks!