"My Home- Cody, Wyoming" Top 5 Page for this destination Cody by KimberlyAnn


Cody Travel Guide: 116 reviews and 296 photos

I am so proud of my hometown. We travel a lot with our camper and when we come home, I always feel that this town is equal to the best, and better than most. We have so much to offer tourists! The best time of the year to visit is spring, summer, and fall. Be aware that summer is when we are most crowded with tourists, but some things we have to offer such as the nightly rodeo are only open during prime tourist season. If you choose the less crowded times of spring and fall, check with Yellowstone if you plan to visit the park to see what the plowing (spring) and fall closure dates are. You cannot drive into the park from our gate (East Gate-50 miles up a beautiful valley) in the wintertime. Cody is also a nice place to live. We are a town of about 9,520 people, and Cody is the county seat of Park County, which contains about 28,205 people. We are about 106 miles south of Billings, Montana. Cody, Wyoming lies at an altitude of 5,095', has an annual average temperature of 46 degrees F, and about 300 days of sunshine a year. We have no state or local personal income tax, no state or local corporate income tax, no state or local inventory tax, and our sales and property taxes are some of the lowest in the country. If you enjoy wide open spaces, and wish to get away from the crowds, then Wyoming is the state for you. We have an average of five people per square mile, with a population of barely 500,000 people in the entire state.

If You Only Have a Day

If you have a day to spend in Cody and see nothing else, be sure to visit the Buffalo Bill Historical Center. In 2008 the BBHC partnered with the Smithsonium Museum in Washington D.C. Under this partnership the BBHC and the Smithsonian will share artifacts and artworks. On Tuesday, October 7, 2008, the Buffalo Bill Historical Center was presented with the National Medal for Museum and Library Service at a White House ceremony. This is the nation's highest honor for museums and libraries. In January, 2012, the Buffalo Bill Historical Center was listed as one of America’s “favorite museums for group travelers” by the National Tour Association, tying for third place. First place went to the Smithsonian Institute in Washington DC, second place went to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, and the Buffalo Bill Historical Center tied with the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City for third place. The BBHC is a premiere museum, and even if you are only a little interested in museums, this is a don't miss. You may even be lucky enough to arrive during one of its special events such as the annual Indian Powwow that is generally scheduled for the third weekend in June, the annual Buffalo Bill Invitational Shootout generally around mid August, the Cowboy Musicians, Twilight Talks, or special exhibits.

While visiting the museum, try not to miss out on seeing our live bird program! I may even be present, as I am a bird handler for the program, one of my favorite things in life! In 2011, this educational and fun program, the Greater Yellowstone Raptor Experience was begun. The program features live birds of prey, plus a turkey vulture. If you visit the museum, be sure to look for us, as we not only offer programs, but can also often be seen with the birds in the garden, or within the museum itself. Ask us questions, and attend one of our programs. This is one of the highlights that you will long remember. If you wish to find out more about this program visit my travelogue, The Greater Yellowstone Raptor Experience. You may also enjoy my short video, Isham the Red-tailed Hawk’s Photo Shoot, which includes the hawk, and Melissa Hill, the assistant curator in charge of our Greater Yellowstone Rapter Experience educational program.

The Buffalo Bill Historical Center's Draper Museum of Natural History has begun the DraperNHMuseum's Channel on Youtube. You can visit this channel at
http://www.youtube.com/user/DraperNHMuseum

Cody has a lot of shops dealing in Indian and Western items. These are a few of the Indian items I have purchased in Cody.

View this link for live web cams of Cody, that reload every 3 seconds:

http://www.codywy.org/webcam.htm

Pros and Cons
  • Pros:A small western tourist town that feels and is more real than touristy; with low crime, friendly people; and a beautiful, clean environment.
  • Cons:This is fine with me, however a tourist needs to know that the East Gate of Yellowstone National Park is closed to wheeled traffic in the winter.
  • In a nutshell:Cody is a small town snuggled up against the mountains, with lots to do and see. The locals are friendly and helpful and will try to make your stay an enjoyable one.
  • Intro Updated Jan 4, 2012
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  • glabah's Profile Photo
    glabah Apr 6, 2011 at 10:44 PM Report Abuse

    What? If you don't get hypothermia, then what is the point of getting in the water?: http://members.virtualtourist.com/m/p/m/483d15/

  • Greggor58's Profile Photo
    Greggor58 Oct 24, 2010 at 2:58 PM Report Abuse

    Your home town is surrounded by some pretty and natural,rugged country and loaded with lots of interesting and historical things to see and do.I enjoyed getting to know Cody a little! As a child I couldn't EVER get my hands on enough Louis L'Amour books.

  • Nemorino's Profile Photo
    Nemorino Aug 28, 2010 at 1:09 PM Report Abuse

    Detailed & informative tips on your home town! The 5 museums of the Buffalo Bill Historical Center all sound really impressive. Thanks for including the 1903-1908 stage coach stop and especially the insightful tip on the WWII Relocation Camp.

  • Dester's Profile Photo
    Dester Mar 10, 2010 at 4:24 PM Report Abuse

    So many great tips! I found some new places to visit and really enjoyed going back to some. You're a heckuva tip-writer!

  • BruceDunning's Profile Photo
    BruceDunning Aug 2, 2009 at 3:21 PM Report Abuse

    The great wild west and its sons of history. Great comments.

  • balhannah's Profile Photo
    balhannah Aug 21, 2008 at 3:14 AM Report Abuse

    Hi! Saw your profile and just thought I would say hullo, and that we visited your town on a Trafalgar National Parks tour. Enjoyed Cody and the National Parks.

  • Islander029 Jul 22, 2008 at 9:26 AM Report Abuse

    I don't believe that there are or ever were Jackalopes, but I do think its a fun thing. I remember some tv show I used to watch as a kid that had a Jackalope on it...do you know where I could get a postcard of that? thanks :)

  • dodynettles Jun 23, 2008 at 11:21 AM Report Abuse

    Kimberly, just wanted to thank you for your page on Cody, My husband is from Cody, and his family still lives there, it is one of the most awesome places I have ever been. Yellowstone is fantastic! I hope to retire there one day.

  • Kaspian's Profile Photo
    Kaspian May 6, 2008 at 1:42 PM Report Abuse

    Wow, great page--I would love to visit your hometown!! LOVE IT!! That Old Trail Town Museum is so cool I think I would faint! ....Yes, I'm a bit of a Wild West fan.

  • RickinDutch's Profile Photo
    RickinDutch Jan 29, 2008 at 9:18 AM Report Abuse

    Nice job on your hometown. Didn't know teachers in WY could retire early and still eat! Must have taught in Alaska for a while? Birthday greetings from Kodiak.

KimberlyAnn Lives Here!

KimberlyAnn

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