The Buffalo Bill Center of the West, an affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution, is dedicated to telling the story of the American West. It’s one of the finest museums in the country and sits on the west end of Sheridan Avenue in Cody, Wyoming.
The Wyoming State Capitol building was constructed between 1886 and 1890, before Wyoming was even a state. It’s located just north of downtown Cheyenne and open to visitors during working hours from Monday through Friday. Tours are free and self-guided, but guided tours can be provided upon request in advance.
The cowboy city of Laramie was founded in 1868 and named after French fur trader Jacques La Ramée, who disappeared in the area in 1821. It has a nice historic downtown, a Wild West prison, and a university. We stopped for a few hours on our way to Cheyenne.
After we left Rocky Mountain National Park, we made a quick stop in the university city of Fort Collins, Colorado, on our way to Laramie, Wyoming.
Civic Center Park is at the heart of Denver. It’s a large public park containing 25,000 ft² of flower beds. It also has monuments, a Greek amphitheater, a war memorial, and other statues.
If you like to combine beer with your American history, the city of Golden, Colorado, can deliver. It boasts a great brewery and was once the capital of Colorado. This small city not too far from Denver and Boulder makes for a very enjoyable day trip.
River North is a neighborhood on the Near North Side of Chicago. It’s bound by the Chicago River to the south and west, Chicago Avenue to the north, and the Magnificent Mile to the east.
East of Michigan Avenue is Grant Park, nicknamed “Chicago’s Front Yard”. It’s a large park with smaller sections that have been developed into other popular parks.
Michigan Avenue is one of the great streets in America. It runs through the heart of Chicago and once bordered Lake Michigan.