Wildlife and History

The 10th largest and least populous state of the US is largely covered by mountains and rangeland and is, amongst others, known for its agricultural produce like beef.

Beef we saw aplenty, in the form of Bison at the Terry Bison Ranch, where cute little baby Bison strutted their stuff, one as young as 2 hours old. Seeing that Wyoming is cattle country, it comes as no surprise that there is a huge number of steakhouses in the state, where succulent steaks, ribs and other meat dishes are served.

On our visit to the capital Cheyenne, we were treated to a Railway Trolley Tour, which gave us a great overview of the historic buildings of Cheyenne. We had a peek at the Frontier Days Old West Museum and then headed on to the Botanic Gardens where we saw a variety of animals and plants. The city has a lot to offer in terms of sightseeing opportunities and is well worth a visit, aim to spend a few days to take it all in.

For those who like cocktails, mocktails or any other drink, a visit to the Paramount Ballroom is a must. Be prepared to show ID though, there are no alcoholic drinks served in Wyoming to under 21’s and this is strictly enforced.

We enjoyed a fantastic dinner at the Bunkhouse Bar, which has live music and where couples still take to the floor for a dance or two, thoroughly enjoying themselves.

On Mother’s Day, we were treated to a brunch as we’d never seen before at Terry Bison Ranch, what a variety of food and drink! The meal was followed by a Bison Train Tour, which allowed closer contact with and feeding of the animals and produced some lovely shots of baby Bison.

Terry Bison Ranch runs their hugely popular train tours with accessible cars every day of the year except Christmas Day on a standard gauge rail. The train briefly crosses into Colorado during the tour as part of the land is on the other side of the border. The first unit of these train locomotives went into operation in 2004 and currently the Ranch has 6 locomotives and a new enclosed 90-passenger car.

After we departed the Ranch, which also has several other animals on display for guests, varying from alpaca to camels and from chicken to horses of which some had foals, we were shown to the Cheyenne Ice and Events Centre for a spin on the Bumper Cars. The Bumper Cars were a hit with all the group, and we had a great time.

In the afternoon, we were treated to a wine and tea reception at the historic Nagle Warren Mansion which is a luxury B&B in a restored Victorian home dating back to 1888, in historic downtown Cheyenne, one of the few remaining homes from that era when Cheyenne was the richest city of its size in the world. The home is steeped in history and the current owner Jim Osterfoss will be happy to share details of its origins and the family history of the original owners with visitors and guests.

The B&B has 12 en-suite rooms, 6 located in the main house and 6 located in the former Carriage House, which is now attached to the main house, of which one is accessible.

On the third floor of the building, the tower room and snug are available as a sitting room for guests with a lovely view of downtown Cheyenne and on the garden level the property offers a gym as well as the Parlour, the Sitting room, the Dining room and the Library as well as three conference rooms. The grounds include a hot tub room, patio, fountain, and gardens.

The Moorish style tile of the vestibule floor and the original Moroccan chandelier in the entry hall, as well as carved leather ceilings, original stained glass and crystal windows, cherry panelling in the foyer, parquet floors throughout the first floor, two cast brass fireplaces with mirrors to the ceilings, a marble fireplace and impressive oak woodwork in the dining room, library and sitting room are some of the details worthy of particular note. Add to that the bronze medallions set in the front doors and newel posts, elaborate detail on door knobs and hinges, oak galleries over the dining room windows, and two large paintings in the parlour and on entering the property you feel as if you were stepping back in time. This property is warmly recommended for a stay in Cheyenne. The afternoon tea is served on Friday and Saturday afternoon between 2 and 4 pm and booking is essential.