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Buffalo Bill Center of the West

720 Sheridan Ave · Cody, WY

Why you should go…

The Buffalo Bill Center of the West is a complex of five museums and a research library in Cody, Wyoming, founded in 1917 to preserve the legacy of William F. Buffalo Bill Cody. The complex houses the Buffalo Bill Museum, Plains Indian Museum, Whitney Western Art Museum, Draper Natural History Museum and Cody Firearms Museum across more than 300,000 square feet of exhibit space. It has been a Smithsonian Affiliate since 2008 and a single ticket allows entry to all five museums over two days.

  • #western history
  • #art museum
  • #native american culture
  • #firearms
  • #natural history

Good to know

General museums guidance

Habits that pay off across this whole category, not rules for this one venue. Always check the official site for the specifics.

  • Check the special exhibition separately

    Touring shows usually carry their own ticket and their own opening hours, listed apart from general admission.

  • Look for the free window

    Many museums run community days, member evenings, or discounted late openings. It is worth a look before you pay full price.

  • Travel light through the door

    Large bags and backpacks often have to go to a coat check, and lines for it move slowly at opening.

  • Weekday mornings beat weekend afternoons

    School groups clear out by early afternoon midweek, while weekends stay busy from late morning on.

What's around here?

The closest stops to Buffalo Bill Center of the West, ordered by straight-line distance. A few more like it, plus some different kinds of fun so you can build a full day.

  • Tours
    Local Gem

    Cody Trolley Tours

    $25–$50

    A narrated hour-long trolley tour covering 22 miles of Cody, Wyoming's Wild West history and landmarks.

    0.4 mi awaySwitch it up: Tours

  • Tours
    Outdoor Adventure

    Yellowstone Safari Company

    $50+

    Family-owned guided wildlife safaris into Yellowstone National Park departing from Cody, Wyoming.

    0.8 mi awaySwitch it up: Tours

  • Sightseeing
    Outdoor Adventure

    Park County, Wyoming

    Free

    Wyoming's Yellowstone Country: Cody, Powell, Meeteetse, and the valley leading into Yellowstone National Park.

    0.9 mi awaySwitch it up: Sightseeing

  • Museums
    History Buff

    Historic Cody Mural and Museum

    Free

    A free Cody rotunda museum built around a 36-foot mural depicting early Latter-day Saint pioneer history in the Big Horn Basin.

    1.0 mi awayMore like this

  • Museums
    History Buff

    Old Trail Town

    Under $25

    Outdoor Old West museum in Cody, Wyoming featuring about 30 relocated frontier buildings dating to the 1880s and 1890s.

    1.6 mi awayMore like this

  • Museums
    History Buff

    Heart Mountain Interpretive Center

    Under $25

    A museum on the site of a WWII Japanese American incarceration camp between Cody and Powell, Wyoming.

    22 mi awayMore like this