Tourists are great, bringing money into our state. Still, they can make our favorite attractions feel a bit crowded. If you’re looking to get out of the house and don’t want to have to elbow your way through hordes of camera-wielding, cargo shorts-wearing tourists, check out the attractions below!
1. The smallest town in the United States - Buford, Wyoming
Buford, Wyoming is one of the few incorporated towns with just a single person. While there obviously isn’t going to be much to see, if you’re in the area, a trip down to (one of) the country’s smallest towns is worth it for the novelty factor alone.
2. Greater Green River Intergalactic Spaceport - Green River, Wyoming
In 1994 the city council of Green River designated a small field as "The Greater Green River Intergalactic Spaceport" for inhabitants of Jupiter who were displaced due to a meteor shower. Since Jupiter isn’t populated, no refugees appeared.
Pictured above is Flickr contributor Brian Manning enjoying the Spaceport.
3. A town built on an abandoned airfield - Bar Nunn, Wyoming
Originally the site of the Natrona County’s Wardwell Airfield, Barr Nunn is one of the most unique towns in the country. The key attraction is the Hangar, a restaurant and bar built from a repurposed airline hanger.
4. The Vore Buffalo Jump - Beulah, Wyoming
The Vore Buffalo Jump is a natural sink hole that was used by Native Americans to efficiently kill buffalo. They’d cause a stampede and then lead the unfortunate bison off of the cliff face. The site is a hotspot for archaeologists and is estimated to contain the bones of 20,000 buffalo.
5. The Fossil Butte National Monument - Kemmerer, Wyoming
The Fossil Butte National Monument is located on what used to be Fossil Lake, a great lake that was present in Wyoming thousands of years ago. The site is incredibly rich in fossils, many of which are displayed in the location’s visitor center.
6. Reliance Tipple: A preserved mining town - Reliance, Wyoming (near Rock Springs)
Reliance Tipple is a location in Wyoming used to sort coal. Tipples were used to sort coal on an industrial scale before gasoline. The Reliance Tipple is actually one of the few examples of a Tipple still standing, making it a uniquely Wyoming attraction.
Pictured above, an example of a tipple.
7. Try panning for your own gold - South Pass, Wyoming
South Pass city was established in the 1850s, during the heyday of the Oregon Trail. In 1866 gold was discovered in the area, though unfortunately the deposits present weren’t enough to support the town for more than a decade. The town actually went from having a population of 2,000 to a population of 100 in a period of less than 15 years.
While the town did fall into disrepair for the time, by the end of the 20th century attempts to renovate the area and preserve its historic structures began. As of today the city has been designated as a state historical site and is home to more than 30 buildings that were originally built in the 1860s.
8. Mormon Row - Moose, Wyoming
During the 1890s, leaders of the Mormon faith were experiencing a boom in population that their current communities couldn’t support. To compensate for this, they sent followers away from the original community to settle lands elsewhere. This was intended to provide the Mormon faith with a variety of communities that could support their ballooning population.
This attraction is about as remote as it gets, and is designated by a distinctive pink stucco house and a single interpretive sign. While it may not be well known to the average tourist, the picturesque landscape has actually been well documented by a variety of professional photographers.
9. The big boot tour - Cheyenne, Wyoming
If you’ve ever been to Cheyenne, odds are you’ve seen one of the nine big boots scattered across the town. Aside from being a well-loved piece of the city’s decoration, the boots are also intended to showcase the talent of local artists.
Even better, the city of Cheyenne has made a tour of all of the boots available online.
10. Zombiefest - Cheyenne, Wyoming
Zombiefest is a Wyoming festival intended to celebrate all things zombie. In addition to having both local and out of state bands perform, the festival also features a zombie prom. The zombie prom is exactly what it sounds like, a prom where everyone is dressed up like a zombie.
What’d you think of these Wyoming attractions? If you have any you’d like to add, tell us about it in the comments section below!
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