Buffalo Bill Center of the West

William F. Cody was a scout, a bison hunter, and above all a showman whose Wild West show toured America and Europe and shaped how the whole world pictured the frontier. When he died in 1917, the people who had followed him formed a memorial association, and ten years later they opened a small museum in a log cabin to hold his rifles, saddles, show posters, and personal effects. The Buffalo Bill Museum today is the redesigned heart of the complex, telling the story of both the real man and the larger-than-life character he built.

Because Cody was a bridge between the actual frontier and its legend, the museum does something unusual: it lets you see the difference. You look at the genuine gear of a working scout in one case and the theatrical costumes of a global entertainer in the next, and you begin to understand how the myth of the West was manufactured even as the real West was still being settled.

The Plains Indians Museum is the quiet standout for many visitors, a deep and respectful collection of Arapaho, Lakota, Crow, Cheyenne, Blackfeet, and Pawnee art and regalia, most of it from the decades around 1900. Its first curator was George Horse-Capture, a member of the A'aninin tribe, and the museum hosts an annual powwow each June, so it is a living cultural space rather than a case of relics.

Next door, the Whitney Western Art Museum hangs the classics of Western painting, Frederic Remington, Albert Bierstadt, Thomas Moran, alongside contemporary artists working the same country today. And the Draper Natural History Museum turns from art to the land itself, walking you down from a mountaintop to the plains of the Greater Yellowstone ecosystem, with grizzlies, wolves, and elk and a live raptor experience that draws children straight in.

The Cody Firearms Museum, completely rebuilt in 2019, is often called the most comprehensive firearms museum in the United States. It holds roughly seven thousand guns, more than four thousand of them on display, plus some twenty thousand related artifacts, tracing the technology from sixteenth-century hand cannons to the present day.

Its backbone is remarkable: the entire factory collection of the Winchester Repeating Arms Company, moved here from Connecticut in 1976. That is the reference collection of one of America's most famous gunmakers, kept whole. Even visitors with no interest in firearms tend to find it fascinating as a history of manufacturing, design, and the tools that armed the frontier the rest of the Center describes.

The Center of the West sits right on Sheridan Avenue in downtown Cody, an easy walk from the town's shops and cafes, about an hour east of Yellowstone's East Entrance up the North Fork of the Shoshone. Because the admission is good for two days, the smart plan is to give it an afternoon, sleep in Cody, and return the next morning fresh for the museums you did not reach.

Behind the galleries is the McCracken Research Library, with tens of thousands of books, hundreds of manuscript collections, and more than a million historic photographs, open to researchers digging into Cody, the Plains tribes, ranching, Yellowstone, or Winchester. Between the five museums and the library, this is the rare stop where a family, an art lover, a naturalist, and a history buff can each spend a full day happy, then meet up for the drive into Yellowstone.

The closest Boutel™ stays, so you can turn this stop into an overnight. Each is a place we chose through independent editorial review, never a paid placement.

The Buffalo Bill Center of the West, in the town of Cody in northwestern Wyoming, is a world-class complex of five museums under one roof, widely regarded as one of the finest museums of the American West. Named for the legendary showman Buffalo Bill Cody, who helped found the town, the center comprises the Buffalo Bill Museum, the Plains Indian Museum, the Cody Firearms Museum, the Whitney Western Art Museum, and the Draper Natural History Museum. Together they offer a comprehensive and fascinating exploration of the history, art, culture, firearms, and natural environment of the American West. With its five outstanding museums, the Buffalo Bill Center of the West offers a rich and immersive cultural experience in Cody, Wyoming.

The Buffalo Bill Center of the West comprises five distinct museums: the Buffalo Bill Museum, exploring the life and legend of the famous showman William Cody; the Plains Indian Museum, showcasing the art, history, and cultures of the Plains Native American tribes; the Cody Firearms Museum, with one of the finest collections of American firearms in the world; the Whitney Western Art Museum, featuring masterworks of Western art; and the Draper Natural History Museum, exploring the natural environment and ecology of the Yellowstone region. Together these five museums offer a comprehensive look at the American West, making the center a rich and multifaceted destination.

Because the Buffalo Bill Center of the West comprises five extensive museums, it is a large complex that can easily fill most of a day, and many visitors find that several hours or even a full day is needed to explore all the museums thoroughly. Conveniently, admission is typically good for two consecutive days, letting you spread out your visit. If your time is limited, you can focus on the museums that most interest you. Allowing ample time, and taking advantage of the two-day admission, helps you fully enjoy the wealth of exhibits at the Buffalo Bill Center of the West.

As a large indoor museum complex, it is enjoyable year-round and a great option in any weather, making it a perfect choice on a rainy or cold day or a break from outdoor activities, though it is busiest in summer, when Cody sees the most visitors as a Yellowstone gateway. Weekdays and mornings tend to be less crowded. Checking current hours before you go is wise, as they can vary seasonally. Allowing ample time for the five museums, the indoor center is a reliable and enriching stop year-round at the Buffalo Bill Center of the West in Cody, Wyoming.

The Buffalo Bill Center of the West is in the town of Cody in northwestern Wyoming, a gateway to Yellowstone National Park to the west, near the Old Trail Town historic buildings, the scenic Wapiti Valley and Chief Joseph Scenic Highway, and within reach of the Shoshone National Forest. That makes the Buffalo Bill Center of the West a premier cultural stop to combine with Old Trail Town, the Wapiti Valley, Yellowstone National Park, and the other attractions of the Cody area on a visit to Wyoming.