MEDIA CONTACTS

Jim Walter Director of Sales and Marketing VISIT CHEYENNE [email protected] Direct Line: 307-772-7250 800-426-5009

TURNER VISIT CHEYENNE [email protected] FACT SHEET 303-333-1402

ABOUT CHEYENNE

Cheyenne, ’s capital city, embodies the spirit of the Old West. It is considered the nation’s rodeo and railroad capital and is home to numerous museums; historic hotels and mansions; a collection of historic steam engines; western-themed attractions and shopping; resorts and ranches; and a thriving art community with plenty of adventure nearby.

LOCATION LODGING

Located 90 miles north of Cheyenne offers a variety International Airport, Cheyenne is in of hotels, motels, and southeast corner of Wyoming near campgrounds to meet every Medicine Bow National Forest. The city taste and pocketbook. Top is home to more than 63,000 people. lodging options include:

• THE HISTORIC PLAINS HOTEL - A charming 1911 National Historic Landmark Hotel located in the heart of Downtown Cheyenne where tourists enjoy the alluring Western edge. The Plains has played host to notable HISTORY guests of the past and is designed with Western High Style décor. On July 4, 1867, the first tents were pitched on the site now known as • LITTLE AMERICA HOTEL & Cheyenne. The site was chosen RESORT - In the midst of the by General Grenville Dodge who vast Wyoming prairie, Little was plotting the course of the America Cheyenne is an 80- Transcontinental Railroad, which acre oasis of luxury service, reached Cheyenne in late 1867. surrounded by beautifully Dodge’s associates named it groomed grounds, a nine- Cheyenne after the Great Plains hole executive golf course Native American tribe. By 1869, and a heated, outdoor Cheyenne had grown into a thriving swimming pool. western town and one of the richest cities in the world. It was also home • ADDITIONAL OPTIONS to a wide varaiety of characters Cheyenne is home to a including soldiers from Fort D.A. variety of hotel options Russell, cowboys, cattle barons and including major and railroad workers. This unique mix regional chains, mom and paired with a red-light district and pop roadside motels and the territorial capital gave Cheyenne plenty of campground its nickname of Hell on Wheels. options for an RV or tent. WESTERN EXPERIENCES

Cheyenne’s slogan, “Cheyenne - Live the Legend,” speaks to its rich history seeping with Western culture. Travelers find that there are still plenty of cowboys in the West at the world-renowned and other regularly held rodeo events around the city. Additionally, there are expansive ranches and numerous historic sites that provide a sense of what the Old West was really like. Top western experiences in Cheyenne include:

• TERRY BISON RANCH – Located on nearly 30,000 acres • THE WRANGLER – 13,000 square feet of ranch wear and of rolling countryside spotted with more than 2,300 bison, Western clothing. The sky-lit hat room has a selection of Terry Bison Ranch features horseback rides, ATVs, train nearly 500 hats and is home to retail since 1892. tours, fishing, camping and more. • BIG BOY STEAM ENGINES – Cheyenne is home to two Big • THE CHEYENNE DEPOT MUSEUM – This historic museum Boy Locomotives. The newly restored Big Boy No. 4014, tells the story of the Cheyenne’s beginnings during the and Big Boy No. 4004 which is displayed in Holliday Park. construction of the transcontinental railroad. • CHEYENNE FRONTIER DAYS OLD WEST MUSEUM – • NELSON MUSEUM OF THE WEST – Home to numerous Featuring one of the largest collections of horse drawn exhibits full of pieces that encompass Western history, carriages in the nation, the Old West Museum tells including cowboy and Native American relics. the story of the west and specifically the story of the Cheyenne Frontier Days Rodeo.

FOOD & BEVERAGE ARTS & CULTURE

Cheyenne has a wide variety of restaurants, ranging from Asian cuisine Visitors looking for Western-themed art to buffalo burgers. The town is also home to several craft beverage and a variety of cultural activities will producers creating a variety of libations. A few top restaurants and not be disappointed when they arrive breweries include: in Cheyenne. The city offers numerous galleries and museums to view beautiful • THE METROPOLITAN – Located downtown featuring New American and historic Western art, as well as Cuisine with a chef driven menu. Innovative twists on traditional dishes. theaters and concert venues to see live performances. • BUNKHOUSE BAR & GRILL – A fun place with great food featuring a laid-back atmosphere and the best steak in the West. • QUEBEC 01 MISSILE ALERT FACILITY – A fascinating piece of Cold War history, • WYOMING’S RIB AND CHOP HOUSE – Steaks and seafood in a this site is significant as the only casual yet refined environment in downtown Cheyenne. Try their accessible Peacekeeper Missile Alert bison steak or enjoy dry aged rib eyes and perfectly cooked steaks. Facility left in the world and preserves and interprets Cold War history.

Craft Beverages: • HISTORIC GOVERNOR’S MANSION – From 1905 to 1976, the mansion was • FREEDOM’S EDGE TAP HOUSE BREWING CO. – Cheyenne’s first brewery the residence of 19 Wyoming first families. Governors, First Ladies, their • DANIELMARK’S BREWERY – Calling a historic carriage house home children and pets lived and entertained making fresh beer daily. in the home over the course of 71 years.

• ACCOMPLICE BEER COMPANY – Located in the Depot, they feature • LIVE ARTS – The arts scene is a pour your own beer system exploding in Cheyenne. The Cheyenne Symphony Orchestra, Reformation • BLACK TOOTH BREWING – Cheyenne’s hottest and newest brewery. Dance Company, Ballet Wyoming, the Anchoring the West Edge of downtown featuring a pilot system with Cheyenne Little Theater Players and great beer options. several live music venues offer many chances to experience the arts. • CHRONICLES DISTILLERY – In the historic Asher Building downtown. A fan favorite is the Berry and Barb, which is whiskey infused with • CHEYENNE ART WALK - The 2nd strawberry and rhubarb. Tuesday of every month in downtown Cheyenne. A great way to see creative • PINE BLUFFS DISTILLING – Offering a soil to spirits experience. Grain people in creative spaces. Easily is malted on site and distilled into vodka and whiskey. walkable, bikeable to drivable. FAMILY OUTDOOR SIGNATURE ACTIVITIES ADVENTURES ANNUAL EVENTS

Home to a myriad of interactive Outdoor adventure is waiting just • RESTAURANT WEEK (April) activities and experiences, the 30 minutes west of Cheyenne. Three Seven days celebrating the city affords the opportunity for an scenic and distinct areas—the Pole culinary scene in Laramie County unforgettable family vacation that Mountain and Vedauwoo areas within and Cheyenne. Restaurants offer is both fun and educational. Family- Medicine Bow National Forest, and special menus and special pricing. friendly activities include: —provide a rich playground for both the casual nature lover and the avid outdoor enthusiast. • DEPOT DAYS (May) – Depot Days • CHEYENNE STREET RAILWAY takes place at the Cheyenne Depot TROLLEY TOUR - For a fully with exhibits and tours of the narrated historic tour of Cheyenne, • CURT GOWDY STATE PARK historic Union Pacific roundhouse jump on board the Cheyenne Curt Gowdy State Park lies among and WASATCH RR Contractors. The Street Railway Trolley. The trolley the picturesque foothills of the Sherman Hill Model Railroad Show is operates from May through the end Laramie Mountains. The area at the Frontier Park Exhibition Hall. of September. Haunted Cheyenne features granite towers, rocky soils tours are offered in October and timbered slopes. Two small and Christmas Lights tours in reservoirs form the heart of Curt • WYOMING BREWERS FESTIVAL December. Gowdy State Park. Fishing, paddle (June) – Serving up two days of boarding and boating are popular great beer, good music and tasty activities on the water. The park food. More than 75 brews, 30+ • CHEYENNE BOTANIC GARDENS also features more than 30 miles regional and national brewers Open year-round with the newly of EPIC rated single track mountain offering specialty beers. 2020 is completed Grand Conservatory, the biking and hiking trails. the 25th anniversary. Cheyenne Botanic Gardens are an oasis on the high plains featuring nine acres of different landscapes, • VEDAUWOO RECREATION AREA • CHEYENNE FRONTIER DAYS gardens and plant collections. Visit the ancient rock formations at (July) – Cheyenne Frontier Days Vedauwoo Recreation Area, which takes place the last full week of allows for beautiful sightseeing, July. The world’s largest outdoor • PAUL SMITH CHILDREN’S VILLAGE rock climbing, bouldering, hiking, rodeo and celebration of western Showcases and interprets camping and mountain biking. culture includes ten days of rodeos, sustainable systems for food parades, pancake breakfasts, the production and preparation, U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds, and water quality, energy production, • POLE MOUNTAIN – Prior to 1959, this the hottest concert acts. 2021 will habitation, and cultural fulfillment. 55,000-acre area was administered be the 125th edition of the rodeo. It is open year-round and is free to by the War Department for military the public. training. It is now home to single track hiking, running. fat biking and • COWBOY CHRISTMAS TOWN- mountain biking trails, along with USA (December) – Experience the • CHEYENNE BIG BOOTS TOUR Nordic skiing and snow shoeing in holidays the cowboy way. With The eight-foot tall cowboy boots the winter. events like skijouring, NPX, the have been carefully painted by Santa Saloon, Outdoor Winter Fest local artists to show Wyoming’s and so much more! and Cheyenne’s history. Attempt • AMES MONUMENT – This monument a scavenger hunt and find all 23 is a 60-foot high granite pyramid of the giant boots via the location located in southeastern Albany • NEW YEAR’S EVE BALL DROP maps available at The Depot in Country, Wyoming. It is dedicated (December) – A fully lit ball is the visitor’s center. Check out the to Oakes and Oliver Ames, two suspended 75 feet in the air and newest boot celebrating the 150th Massachusetts brothers who drops at midnight. While waiting anniversary of women’s suffrage in were influential in constructing for the New Year, people gather Wyoming dedicated in 2019. the transcontinental railroad. The in the Depot Plaza to enjoy music. monument was placed at the highest Then, when the ball drops, the point on the railroad serving as a plaza fills with sounds of Auld Lang reminder of that great enterprise. Syne and fireworks.

One Depot Square (800) 426-5009 121 W. 15th Street – Suite 202 Cheyenne, WY 82001

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