A Stop in Buffalo, Wyoming

This is part fourteen of a travel series to Yellowstone and the Grand Teton National Parks.  If you'd like to start at the beginning, go HERE!

Once our vacation in Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons came to an end, we began the long journey home stopping at a few towns a long the way.  Last week I wrote about Cody, Wyoming, this week I'm going to share Buffalo Wyoming.  

Buffalo is located about three hours from Cody.  This town really took us by surprise.  It wasn't on our itinerary at all, but we were ready to stretch our legs so we thought we'd check it out.  

The downtown historic treat was so cute!  We also liked how it wasn't super busy like a lot of other touristy towns are. 

We weren't hungry for lunch yet, which was a real bummer as The Busy Bee Cafe had rave reviews, so we spent our time walking up and down the Main Street and doing some shopping.  And yes, we actually shopped here!  Normally when we go sight-seeing shopping we never buy anything. The stores are either too pricey or don't have anything we want.  But the prices in Buffalo were very reasonable and we found a lot of goodies to take home like a cast iron tea kettle and an antique shovel for our wood stove.

The highlight of Buffalo Wyoming's main street is the Occidental Hotel.  Oh, this place is so cool!  It has so much history.  And guess what?  You can go inside and tour the entire downstairs, but you're not allowed upstairs where the rooms are.  It is so beautiful inside, and they have old photos and old newspapers framed on the walls so you can read all about the history of the hotel.

This is the lobby.  Just look at that ceiling!

The hotel was founded in 1880 and was visited by many famous people of the Old West due to its proximity to the Bighorn Mountains and the Bozeman Trail.  Buffalo Bill, Teddy Roosevelt, Calamity Jane, and even Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid spent time at the Occidental Hotel.

As I said earlier, only registered guests were allowed upstairs.  But all their beautiful rooms are available to view on line.  All the rooms and suites are furnished with antiques and decorated in elegant period style.

A dining area.

The bar was the most incredible bar I've ever seen.  Just look at that wood work!

The hotel is registered on the National Historic Register.  The owners took exceptional care to keep all its original beauty in tact including antiques original to the hotel and bullet holes in the walls of the saloon.

There is a lot of taxidermy in the hotel.  My daughter would not like this place because she doesn't like dead animals used as decorations, but hubby found the brown bear too irresistible.

In the gift shop I found this t-shirt.  How fun!

Back outside, we found their town square where they had a new looking covered stage area. 

Buffalo has the coolest murals.  We loved this one with the wild horses!

Lolly's Sugar Shack is the place to get your caffeine and sugar fix in town.  Once again, I fell in love with their tin ceilings.

If you're ever near the area on your way to Yellowstone and need a place to stop and stretch your legs or grab something to eat, stop in Buffalo Wyoming! You won't regret it!

Have A Great Day!  Amy

Linking Up with these Fabulous Blogs HERE!

For more information on our trip out west, please check out these posts:

YELLOWSTONE:

Old Faithful

The Grand Prismatic Spring

Firehole Canyon Drive

Fountain Paint Pot, Lake Hotel and Cabins, and Hayden Valley

The Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone

The Yellowstone Caldera, Tower Fall, Calcite Springs, & the Roosevelt Arch

Mammoth Hot Springs

The Golden Gate of Yellowstone, Mud Volcanos and the Fishing Bridge

Nearby Western Towns Not To Be Missed:

Jackson Hole Wyoming 

Cody, Wyoming

The Grand Tetons:

Mormon Row, Craig Thomas Visitor Center, and Jenny Lake

Mt. Moran, Signal Mountain, Chapel of the Sacred Heart, Jackson Lake Dam, Jackson Lake Lodge, Oxbow Bend, Elk Ranch Flats, and Snake River

The Buffalo Bill Dam