FAMILY VACATIONS IN WEST VIRGINIA WITH CHILREN-WHAT TO DO IN WEST VIRGINIA (WV) WITH KIDS

FUN THINGS TO DO ON VACATION WITH KIDS - WEST VIRGINIA

Ideas for Family Summer Vacations in West Virginia - Here are just a few ideas for spending the summertime in West Virginia with your family.

FUN & ENTERTAINMENT VACATIONS - NORTHERN WYOMING (For example - Thermopolis, Wyoming - Buffalo, WY - Cody, WY)

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Dancing Bear Folk Center - Dancing Bear Folk Center is a project of Big Horn Basin Foundation (BHBF), a nonprofit education foundation formed in 1994.

Location: Old West Wax Museum 119 S. 6th Street P.O. Box 71 Thermopolis, Wyoming 82443 Tel: 307-864-9396

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Wyoming Dinosaur Center - The Wyoming Dinosaur Center has 12,000 square feet of exhibition area. Fossils and life-forms from earliest geologic time periods are displayed in a time-perspective. There are over 200 displays throughout the museum. The central hall houses 20 full-size mounted skeletons, including 10 dinosaurs.

Location: 110 Carter Ranch Road P.O. Box 868 Thermopolis, WY 82443 Tel: (307) 864-2997 or 1-800-455-DINO

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Old West Wax Museum - A historic wax museum focusing on the American West frontier and folk history and culture. It includes early Native American life, early explorers & mountain men, cowboys, outlaws and others set in appropriate scenes, many with painted dioramas. Most figures and scenes were done by nationally known wildlife sculpture/artist Kenneth Bunn. The latest diorama -- an Indian village and mountain man scene -- was painted by Barry Lee, Torrington. If you want to know the folk tales and stories about these historic figures, there's interpretive materials, maps, memorabilia and early newspaper etchings & stories that set the scene. There's even a history of wax museums -- and a real-life gallows. What do visitors say about it? Kids call it "Spooky!" "Neat!" and "Cool!". Adults find the stories and tales "fascinating" and "different than the usual fare".

Location: 119 S. 6th Street P.O. Box 71 Thermopolis, Wyoming 82443 Tel: 307-864-9396

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Washakie Museum - THE MUSEUM exists to provide visitors the opportunity to relate to the living environment of the early settlers from thousands of years ago in our Colby Site display of the earliest mammoth kill site in North America to settlers of the west one hundred years ago in our Time Traveler's Room with covered wagon, sheep wagon, sod house, and beautiful display of western tack, including the first full term governor's saddle.

Location: 1115 Obie Sue Worland, Wyoming 82401 Tel: (307) 347-4784 or (307) 347-4102

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Bradford Brinton Memorial Museum - The museum is housed in a fully furnished ranch house. Its exhibits include Western art, Native American art, contemporary art of Wyoming, Native American artifacts, antique furniture, rare documents, books and art by well-known Western artists.

Location: 239 Brinton Road - PO Box 460 Big Horn, WY 82833 Tel: (307)-672-3173

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Powder River Symphony - Marking its 18th year in the 2004 - 2005 concert season, the Powder River Symphony Orchestra is widely recognized as having achieved a preeminent place among local orchestras. Acclaimed for its imaginative interpretations of masterworks and uncompromising pursuit of artistic excellence. The Orchestra's reputation has been further enhanced by numerous performances during the year

Location: PO Box 3964 Gillette, WY, 82717-3964 Tel: 307-660-0919

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Hot Springs County Museum and Cultural Center - The building at 700 Broadway is constructed and opens for business as the Ford Garage. Over the years it goes through incarnations as a Coca Cola bottling plant (early 1930s to mid 1960s), a bowling alley (in the lower floor of the Coca Cola building), and the Technical College of the Rockies (mid 1960s to 1976), before it finally becomes the home of the Hot Springs County Museum.

Location: 700 Broadway,Thermopolis,WY, 82443, Tel: (307)864-5183

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Jim Gatchell Museum of the Old West - Our museum is dedicated to following the late Jim Gatchell's vision of preserving the history of Johnson County, Wyoming, with emphasis on its Frontier Era, through the collection and conservation of related art, archives and artifacts. In the interest of educating museum visitors, the staff will continue to develop projects including interpretive exhibits, publications and programs which focus on the Powder River Country of Johnson County

Location: 100 Fort Street - P. O. Box 596, Buffalo, WY 82834 Tel: (307) 684-9331

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Rockpile Museum - This fine little museum is located in Gillette, the "capital" of the Coal Belt in Wyoming and a major stopping point on the Burlington Northern Railroad. In keeping with its location, the museum features exhibits on early railroading and open pit coal mining (the largest open pit coal mine in America can be found just north of Gillette). There are also excellent collections of early printing equipment, saddles, household items and clothing from pioneer days, guns going back to the Great Sioux War, and numerous Indian artifacts and arrowheads. Don't miss the magnificent 1890's horse-drawn hearse and the Burlington caboose

Location: 900 W. Second St.Gillette, WY 82716 Tel: (307) 682-5723

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Cowboy Carousel & Amusement Park - The frame is a 1925 Spillman Carousel manufactured 8t North Tonawanda, New York. It ran for 63 years on Gillian's Fun Deck in Ocean City , New Jersey. The horses that are now on the machine are fiberglass reproductions of original wood carvings by Buffalo wood carver Bill Jennings. The lead horse on the carousel is painted to represent Steamboat, the famous Wyoming bucking horse. Steamboat bucked at Cheyenne Frontier Days from 1903 to 1914 and was ridden twice in his career. The Indian pony is Little Soldier, a pony ridden by a Crow scout at the Battle of the Little Big Horn. The Indian symbols painted on the pony represent various Indian signs to assist the horse in battle.

Location: 655 Hart Street - Buffalo, Wyoming 82834 Tel: (307) 684-2531

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Trail End State Historic Site - From its authentically furnished rooms to its finely manicured lawns,the Trail End State Historic Site in Sheridan displays an elegantly different aspect of Wyoming's colorful history.Built in the Flemish Revival style, the 13,748 square foot mansion known as Trail End provides an intriguing glimpse into life during the period 1913 to 1933. Exhibits and displays throughout the home -- utilizing primarily original artifacts -- provide information on daily life, entertainment, interior design and changing technology as well as early twentieth century ranching on the Northern Plains.

Location: 400 Clarendon Avenue / Sheridan, Wyoming 82801 Tel: 307-674-4589

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Old Faithful - Devil's Tower National MonumentCountry region of Yellowstone National Park.

Location: Center Loop Road, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming 82190 Tel: 307-547-2750

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Lone Star Geyser - Lone Star Geyser is one of several backcountry geysers found in Yellowstone National Park. Backcountry geysers reside just a bit off the beaten path and one must hike to them to enjoy their splendor. Not only are the backcountry geysers exceptional in their geothermal features, but also in their more pristine environment. Most visitors to Yellowstone National Park are doing a whirl wind tour following the main stream of traffic and not exploring the park, beyond the pavement. So for those of you who are looking for an experience in Yellowstone that is more authentic, leave the pavement and try exploring the backcountry geysers.

Location: Center Loop Road, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming 82190 Tel: 307-344-7381

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Canyon Village - Perhaps the most picturesque area of the Yellowstone region is the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone. The canyon is approximately 10,000 years old, 20 miles long, 1000 ft deep, and 2500 ft wide. Predominately made of Rhyolite, the canyon appears painted with deeps reds oranges and coppers. With the Yellowstone river, upper falls, and lower falls, it is not surprising that canyon is used by many artist as their inspiration.

Location: Yellowstone National Park Information Office PO Box 168 Mammoth, WY 82190-0168 Tel: 307-344-7381

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West Thumb - Members of the 1870 Washburn party noted that Yellowstone Lake was shaped like "a human hand with the fingers extended and spread apart as much as possible," with the large west bay representing the thumb. In 1878, however, the Hayden Survey used the name "West Arm" for the bay; "West Bay" was also used. Norris' maps of 1880 and 1881 used "West Bay or Thumb." During the 1930s, park personnel attempted to change the name back to "West Arm," but West Thumb remains the accepted name.

Location: Yellowstone National Park Information Office PO Box 168 Mammoth, WY 82190-0168 Tel: 307-344-7381

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Jackson Lake Dam - Jackson Lake Dam is located in Grand Teton National Park, between Signal Mountain Lodge and Jackson Lake Junction.Vistitors can park near the dam to walk across it and down to Snake River which continues to wind trough the park.

Location: Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming

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Jenny Lake - Jenny Lake, formed by melting glaciers about 60,000 years ago, is a beautiful blue mountain lake set in the heart of Grand Teton National Park, at the base of Teewinot Mountain. On the west side, the lake touches the Teton Mountain Range. The lake is about 260 feet deep at the deepest point.

Location: Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming Tel: 307-739-3343

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The Buffalo Bill Historical Center - The Buffalo Bill Historical Center is widely regarded as America's finest Western museum. We are located in northwestern Wyoming, on the doorstep of Yellowstone National Park's East Gate. Featuring five internationally acclaimed museums and a research library. Founded in 1917 as the Buffalo Bill Memorial Association, the Buffalo Bill Historical Center consists of:Whitney Gallery of Western Art, Buffalo Bill Museum, Plains Indian Museum,Cody Firearms Museum,Draper Museum of Natural History,Harold McCracken Research Library

Location: 720 Sheridan Ave, Cody, Wyoming Tel: 307-587-4771

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King's Saddlery and Museum - Collection of saddles; also Western memorabilia, Native American artifacts, old photographs, carriages. (Monday-Saturday; closed holidays)

Location: Jean King, Curator184 North Main Sheridan WY 82801 Tel: (307) 672-2702 , (800) 443-8919

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Mint Bar - The Mint Bar, still in business at 151 N. Main St., was established in 1907. The practice of riding horses into saloons was noted, with perhaps some sense of disapprobation, by Theodore Roosevelt in his book Ranch Life and the Hunting Trail. Roosevelt observed that cowboys "when drunk on the villainous whiskey" would "cut mad antics" such as riding their horses into the saloons. Indeed, the custom continues. A website devoted to the Town of Ten Sleep notes, with apparent pride, that photographs have been taken of cowboys and their horses in the town's two saloons. One of Webmaster's son's fraternity brothers allegedly modernized the practice by driving his pickup truck into a saloon

Location: 151 North Main Street, Sheridan, WY 82801 Tel: (307) 674-9696

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Devil's Tower National Monument - The nearly vertical monolith known as Devils Tower rises 1,267 feet above the meandering Belle Fourche River. Once hidden below the earth's surface, erosion has stripped away the softer rock layers revealing Devils Tower

Location: P.O. Box 10 Devils Tower, WY 82714-0010 Tel: (307) 467-5283

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Connor Battlefield State Historic Site - In the summer of 1865, General Patrick E. Connor led a column of troops from Fort Laramie into the Powder River Country of northern Wyoming. The Powder River Expedition's mission was to make war on the Indians and punish them, so that they would be forced to keep the peace. On August 28th, with the column located on Prairie Dog Creek, Pawnee Scouts arrived with information of an Arapahoe village encamped on the Tongue River. Following a night march with 250 soldiers and 80 Pawnee Scouts, Connor's force attacked Black Bear's Arapahoe village while the Indians were in the act of packing to move. The soldiers overran the camp and pushed the Indians 10 miles up Wolf Creek. The Indians fought a desperate rear guard action, protecting their families and eventually forcing the soldiers to withdraw. During this action, other soldiers burned the camp and its supplies, making it a funeral pyre for their dead. Indian casualties included 64 warriors and several hundred ponies.

Location: c/o Ft. Kearny State Historic Site PO Box 520 Story, WY 82842 Tel: (307) 684-7629

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Buffalo Bill Dam Visitor Center - The Buffalo Bill Dam Visitor Center (BBDVC) is located 6 miles west of Cody on the way to Yellowstone National Park, at the Buffalo Bill Dam (just through the tunnels).Opened in May 1993 as a combination Visitor Center and Wyoming Highway Rest Area, the Visitor Center is operated by the Buffalo Bill Dam Visitor Center, Inc., a non-profit corporation formed to provide 50% financing for construction of the facility and operation of it thereafter. Actual running of the Center is performed in conformance with a Memorandum of Understanding between BBDVC, Inc., the US Bureau of Reclamation, the US Bureau of Land Management, and the US Forest Service

Location: 1002 Sheridan Ave., Room 109 Cody, WY

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Buffalo Bill Museum - The Buffalo Bill Museum examines both the personal and public lives of W.F. "Buffalo Bill" Cody (1846-1917) and seeks to tell his story in the context of the history and myth of the American West. It is highly regarded as a research center focusing on the life and times of "Buffalo Bill." The collections of the Buffalo Bill Museum interpret the history of the American cowboy, dude ranching, Western conservation, frontier entrepreneurship and, perhaps most importantly, the source of our concepts about the West. The museum records how Buffalo Bill, in an age without television or motion pictures, became the world's foremost communicator about the American West.

Location: 720 Sheridan Avenue Cody, WY 82414

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Buffalo Bill Historical Center - The Buffalo Bill Historical Center is widely regarded as America's finest western museum. Located in Cody, the Center features a library and four internationally acclaimed museums under one roof.

Location: 720 Sheridan Ave Cody, WY 82414 Tel:307-587-4771

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Old West Miniature Village and Museum - Old West Miniature Village is the only indoor exhibit of its kind to depict the historical events of Wyoming and Montana from the 1600's - 1800's. Thousands of miniature figures are intricately placed within 66 scenes in one large expanse which covers over 7,000 sq. ft. Images include the Oregon Trail, Custer's Last Stand, and Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show. See tiny buffalo driven over the edge of a cliff, mountain men fighting and throwing tomahawks at a rendezvous, Sioux warriors attacking a trading post, Chief Joseph in flight from the U.S. Army, Native Americans communicating with smoke signals, and more!. Owner Jerry Fick has dedicated much of his life to the project.

Location: 142 W. Yellowstone Avenue Cody, WY

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FUN & ENTERTAINMENT VACATIONS - WESTERN WYOMING (For example - Jackson, WY - Dubois, WY - Moose, WY)

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The National Bighorn Sheep Interpretive Center - The National Bighorn Sheep Interpretive Association is dedicated to educating the public about the biology and habitat needs of the Rocky Mountain Bighorn Sheep and to encouraging the active stewardship of wildlife and wildlands.

Location: 907 West Ramshorn, P O Box 1435, Dubois, Wyoming 82513 Tel: (307) 455-3429 , (888) 209-2795

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Jackson Hole Playhouse - Situated at 145 West Deloney, in the heart of Jackson's original town site, one block west of todays town square, the Jackson Hole Playhouse is the oldest framed building in Jackson.Built in 1916 by Pap Deloney, it served as a blacksmith and buggy shop. As times changed rapidly at the beginning of the century, so did the building. It became the towns first car dealership, it's first bowling alley, a billiard hall, an electric shop, a western union outpost, and a house of ill-repu...Well, that's just a rumor. In any event it was a building with plenty of character by the time it became Jackson Hole's first live theatre in the 1950's and the social event of people far and near.

Location: 145 W.Delony,One Block West of Town Square Wyoming Tel: 307.733.6994

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National Museum of Wildlife Art - With collections of nearly 2,300 works of art, the museum strives to enrich and inspire public appreciation of fine art and man's relationship with nature by focusing its exhibitions and programs on wildlife. Sited on a butte in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, the museum overlooks the 20,000-acre National Elk Refuge and is on access to the great Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Parks.

Location: 2820 Rungius Road, Jackson Hole, Wyoming 83001 Tel: 307-733-5771

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The Pink Garter Mainstage Theatre - The Off Square Theatre Company is generously funded by many individual contributors, the Community Foundation of Jackson Hole, the Dragicevich Foundation, the Jackson Hole Fine Arts Guild, pARTners, the Cultural Council of Jackson Hole, and is supported in part by a grant from the Wyoming Arts Council, through funding from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Wyoming State Legislature.

Location: 50 W. Broadway half a block off the Town SquareP.O. Box 2920 / Jackson, WY 83001 Tel: 307.733.3021

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Museum of the Mountain Man - The Museum presents a visual and interpretative experience into the romantic era of the Mountain man and provides a comprehensive overview of the Western Fur Trade's historical significance. Situated in the heart of the country that was once the hub of the Rocky Mountain Rendezvous system (six of the rendezvous of the early 1800s were held in the Green River Valley near present day Pinedale, Wyoming), the Museum stands as a monument to the men and the commerce that opened the West

Location: Sublette County Historical Society Inc PO Box 909 700 E Hennick Pinedale, WY 82941 Tel: 307-367-4101

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Grand Teton National Park - Located in northwestern Wyoming, Grand Teton National Park protects stunning mountain scenery and a diverse array of wildlife. The central feature of the park is the Teton Range — an active, fault-block, 40-mile-long mountain front. The range includes eight peaks over 12,000 feet (3,658 m), including the Grand Teton at 13,770 feet (4,198 m). Seven morainal lakes run along the base of the range, and more than 100 alpine lakes can be found in the backcountry

Location: PO Drawer 170 Moose, WY 83012-0170 Tel: (307) 739-3300

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John D Rockefeller Jr Memorial Parkway - Located at the heart of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, the Rockefeller Parkway connects Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Parks. The late conservationist and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller, Jr. made significant contributions to several national parks including Grand Teton, Acadia, Great Smoky Mountains, and Virgin Islands

Location: PO Drawer 170 Moose, WY 83012 Tel: 307-739-3300

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Grand Targhee Ski Resort - Grand Targhee offers summer fun and terrific activities in the same proportions as our superb winter recreation.Located in the Caribou-Targhee National Forest, Grand Targhee is the main gateway to Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Parks.Surrounded by fields of wildflowers, the resort features panoramic vistas spanning three states, with incredible views of the Grand Teton which rises to almost 14,000 feet.Guests can enjoy a variety of outdoor activities including horse back riding, mountain biking, hiking, swimming, and more.

Location: PO Box SKI Alta WY 83422 Tel: 307-353-2300

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Colter Bay Visitor Center and Indian Arts Museum - Colter Bay Visitor Center & Indian Arts Museum is located 25 miles north of Moose, adjacent to Jackson Lake. The visitor center is open from mid-May to early September. For more information and hours, phone 307-739-3594.

Location: Grand Teton National Park PO Drawer 170 Moose, WY 83012-0170 Tel: 307-739-3300

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FUN & ENTERTAINMENT VACATIONS - CENTRAL WYOMING (For example - Casper, WY - Rawlins, WY)

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Werner Wildlife Museum - Located just a short walk from Casper College's campus, the museum is a valuable and interesting resource available to all! The Museum provides quality education experiences for students and the general public. Thousands of people from all 50 states and 35 foreign countries have toured the museum since its first full year in 1971.

Location: Casper College 125 College Drive Casper, WY 82601 Tel: (307) 268-2110, 1-800-442-2963

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Grand Encampment Museum - The Museum features the Doc Culleton Interpretive Center and a collection of more than a dozen original buildings representing timbering, mining, and agricultural history of the Encampment valley.

Location: 807 Barnett Avenue, Encampment. Tel: (307) 327-5308

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Tate Geological Museum - The Tate Geological Museum was founded in 1980 through a gift from Marion and Inez Tate. Located on the Casper College campus, the museum is a great resource to the community of Casper. Many local schools and other groups come to the museum to add to their students learning experience. One of a small number of geology and paleontology museums in Wyoming, the Tate houses a collection of over 3000 fossil and mineral specimens. Museum staff are always on hand to answer questions, help identify items visitors bring in, and make your visit to the museum an enjoyable experience. The Tate is certainly a great addition to anyone's list of 'must see sites' when traveling through Wyoming. We hope to see you soon

Location: Tate Geological Museum Casper College 125 College Drive Casper, Wyoming, 82601 Tel: 307-268-2447, 307-268-2890

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Mormon Handcart Visitor's Center - Experience a handcart journey much like the one pioneers endured over 150 years ago. Visit the Mormon Handcart Visitors' Center and view exhibits recording the tragic circumstances of two particular handcart companies. Leaving late in the summer, they risked bad weather, exposure, and death in order to unite with the main body of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Location: 47600 W. Hwy. 220 Alcova, Wyoming 82620 Tel: 1-307-328-2953

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Fort Caspar Museum & Historical Site - The first permanent occupation in the Casper area were trading posts and commercial businesses. These included the Mormon Ferry operation and people like Louis Guinard and John Baptiste Richard.The United States Army first established a presence in the area in 1855, erecting Fort Clay near Richard's Trading Post. The final military occupation, in 1862, was at the Guinard Trading Post and called Platte Bridge Station. The name was changed to Fort Caspar in 1865.

Location: Fort Caspar Museum & Historic Site 4001 Fort Caspar Road Casper, Wyoming 82604 Tel: (307) 235-8462

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Casper Planetarium - The planetarium offers public showings throughout the year, providing audiences with a unique multi-media encounter with space and astronomy-related subjects. Programs range from the latest frontiers of astronomical research to astronomy's earliest roots. The planetarium features are some 'hands on' science displays in the lobby.

Location: 904, North Popular Street,Casper WY 82609

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Wyoming Symphony Orchestra - The mission of the Wyoming Symphony Orchestra is to enrich the cultural lives of adults, expand the musical horizons of children and provide an outlet for the creative talents of musicians living in Wyoming by performing classical and 'pops' music for an expanding audience.

Location: Wyoming Symphony Orchestra 111 West 2nd Street, Suite #103 Casper, WY 82601 Tel: (307) 266-1478

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Nicolaysen Art Museum - The Nicolaysen Art Museum and Discovery Center is a full service institution that offers programs and services to the city of Casper and to the state of Wyoming The Museum has been in existence since 1967. It has grown from a gallery in a house, started by Mary Durham and her friends, to a 25,000 square foot major cultural institution. It serves a diverse audience and is a primary center for contemporary living artists in the Rocky mountain Region. In addition to art exhibitions, education is a primary focus of this institution. Some of its primary programs are listed and illustrated here.

Location: 400 E. Collins Dr.Casper, WY 82601 Tel: 307.235.5247

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National Historic Trails Interpretive Center - Casper sits on numerous historic trails, including the Oregon, California, Mormon, Pioneer, and Pony Express trails, all prime westerly routes of the mid-19th century. To commemorate the region§s rich trail legacy, the Bureau of Land Management opened the National Historic Trails Interpretive Center in 2002, with exhibits covering everything from packing for a cross-country journey in a covered wagon to negotiating such a wagon across a raging river.

Location: 1501 North Poplar Street, Casper, WY 82601 Tel: (307) 261-7700

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Nicolaysen Art Museum & Discovery Center - The Nicolaysen Art Museum and Discovery Center is a full service institution that offers programs and services to the city of Casper and to the state of Wyoming The Museum has been in existence since 1967. It has grown from a gallery in a house, started by Mary Durham and her friends, to a 25,000 square foot major cultural institution. It serves a diverse audience and is a primary center for contemporary living artists in the Rocky mountain Region. In addition to art exhibitions, education is a primary focus of this institution. Some of its primary programs are listed and illustrated here.

Location: 400 East Collins Drive, Casper, WY 82601-2815 Tel: 307-235-5247,

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Fort Caspar Museum and Historic Site - The first permanent occupation in the Casper area were trading posts and commercial businesses. These included the Mormon Ferry operation and people like Louis Guinard and John Baptiste Richard.The United States Army first established a presence in the area in 1855, erecting Fort Clay near Richard's Trading Post. The final military occupation, in 1862, was at the Guinard Trading Post and called Platte Bridge Station. The name was changed to Fort Caspar in 1865.Fort Caspar Museum & Historic Site sits at a crossroads of the western migration. It is located on the Oregon, California, Mormon Pioneer and Pony Express Trails and the transcontinental telegraph line. The Bridger and Bozeman Trails are located nearby.

Location: 4001 Fort Caspar Road Casper, Wyoming 82604 Tel: (307) 235-8462

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Wyoming Frontier Prison - The prison closed in 1982 and opened for visitors in 1987. Advertised as "There's a place behind bars for you," prison tours are staffed by enthusiastic youngsters who happily allow all to sit inside the gas chamber where five lawbreakers were executed. They'll strap you in, and even shut the door if you so desire. Three times a week, night tours are offered in pitch darkness. When one guide tells of prison suicides, another tosses a dummy off the second floor into the middle of the shocked group. Ex-inmates often take the tour and bore others with their nostalgic stories.

Location: Wyoming Frontier Prison, Rawlins, Wyoming

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Sinks Canyon State Park - Sinks Canyon State park is located 6 miles south of Lander on Highway 131. What are the Sinks and the Rise? Sinks Canyon is so named because the Middle Fork of the Popo Agie, a rushing mountain river, flows out of the Wind River Mountains and through the Canyon. Halfway down the canyon the river abruptly turns into a large limestone cavern, and the crashing water "sinks" into fissures and cracks at the back of the cave. The river is underground for 1/4 mile until it emerges down canyon in a large calm pool called "The Rise" and then continues its course into the valley below. Where the water goes while it is underground is unknown. The sinks narrow to small, unexplorable log and rock jammed fissures.

Location: 3079 Sinks Canyon Road, Lander, Wyoming 82520 Tel: 307-332-3077

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FUN & ENTERTAINMENT VACATIONS - EASTERN WYOMING (For example - StreetBeulah, WY)

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The Vore Buffalo Jump - One of the world's premier archeological sites is located at the edge of the northern Black Hills in Wyoming. For over three hundred years, Plains Indian groups stampeded bison over the rim and into a deep natural 'sink hole' at the site which is now called the Vore Buffalo Jump.

Location: 333 Main StreetBeulah, WY 82712

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FUN & ENTERTAINMENT VACATIONS - SOUTHERN WYOMING (For example - Cheyenne, WY - Laramie, WY)

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Sweetwater County Historical Museum - Discover the rich cultural heritage of southwestern Wyoming at the Sweetwater County Historical Museum. Established in 1967 to preserve the history of Sweetwater County, the museum contains permanent and temporary exhibits, a large historical photograph collection, and local history research material.

Location: 3 East Flaming Gorge Way Green River, Wyoming 82935 Tel: (307) 872-6435, (307) 352-6715

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Old West Museum - Pioneer life in the American West comes alive at the Cheyenne Frontier Days Old West Museum. A premier cultural and historical center in Southeast Wyoming, the Cheyenne Frontier Days Old West Museum offers year-round programming, exhibits and activities that celebrate the pioneer spirit of the American West and the thrilling history of the world's largest outdoor rodeo and western celebration, Cheyenne Frontier Days.Marvel at one of the nation's largest collection of historic horse-drawn carriages and wagons, experience the region's most celebrated western art exhibitions, and trace the history of Cheyenne Frontier Days from one man's dream into The Daddy of 'em All ®.

Location: 4610 Carey Avenue P.O. Box 2720 Cheyenne, Wyoming 82003 Tel: (307) 778-7290

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Warren ICBM & Heritage Museum - Welcome to the F.E. Warren AFB Intercontinental Ballistic Missile and Heritage Museum web site. The museum is located at F.E. Warren AFB, just west of Cheyenne Wyoming. The Museum is in historic Building 210, which was the Army commander’s headquarters at the turn of the century. You will find exhibits in the first floor rooms, as well as the museum annex building 211, depicting the history of missiles and that of the 90th Space Wing. On the second floor of Bldg. 210 are rooms that create a look back into the life of the men and women stationed at the post/base. National Park Service excavated an archeology site in 1991-1992, and the base has a Archeology Interpretive Center near Crow creek.

Location: 7405 Marne Loop, Bldg. 210 F.E. Warren AFB, Wy 82005 Tel: 307-773-2980

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Laramie Plains Museum - The museum is located in a historic Victorian mansion with furnishings from the era. The Laramie history is relayed through a tour guide.

Location: 603 E. Ivinson Ave. Laramie WY 82070 Tel: 307-742-4448

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American Heritage Center - The American Heritage Center (AHC) is UW’s archives, rare books, and manuscripts repository. Most universities have special collections. Few have special collections as extensive and significant as the American Heritage Center. More importantly, few universities have special collections as welcoming and accessible to undergraduate and graduate students. Not a dusty attic or an exclusive sanctuary, the AHC is a welcoming, lively, place where both experts and novices engage with the original sources of history.

Location: Dept. 3924 1000 E. University Avenue Laramie, WY 82071 Tel: 307.766.4114

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University of Wyoming Art Museum - The University of Wyoming is the state's only provider of baccalaureate and graduate education, research, and outreach services.UW combines major-university benefits and small-school advantages, with more than 180 programs of study, an outstanding faculty, and world-class research facilities all set against the idyllic backdrop of southeastern Wyoming's rugged mountains and high plains.

Location: University of Wyoming 1000 E. University Ave.Laramie, WY 82071 Tel: (307)766-1121

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Wyoming State Museum - The mission of the Wyoming State Museum is to serve as an educational, historical, and cultural institution, whose goal is to collect, preserve, and interpret artifacts that reflect the human and natural history of Wyoming.Founded in 1895, and located in the Barrett Building just south of the State Capitol Building, the Wyoming State Museum is the only museum in the world dedicated to the entire history of Wyoming. The museum also hosts several temporary exhibits throughout the year.

Location: Barrett Building 2301 Central Ave.Cheyenne WY. 82002 Tel: 307-777-7022

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Cheyenne Little Theater - The Historic Atlas Theatre has long been a part of our downtown area. Built in 1887, the building began its existence as a confectionary, or candy store. It has been a vaudeville stage, a movie theatre, and even a discotheque called “The Pink Pony”. Then in the 1970's Cheyenne Little Theatre Players purchased the building to use as a permanent home for The Old Fashioned Melodrama. From that time to this there has been some renovation work done on the auditorium and lobby area and some of the equipment has been slightly upgraded. However, the time has now come to look at a full renovation of this Historically Registered building.

Location: PO Box 20087, Cheyenne WY 82003 Tel: 307.638.6543

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Cheyenne Civic Center - The Mission of the Cheyenne Civic Center is to present the Center as a leader in providing and promoting quality service to presenters of the arts; to assume the responsibility of presenting a dynamic, diverse and affordable season of top name entertainers and events; to insure services by which to educate, challenge and meet the cultural needs of the people of Cheyenne in order to make the arts an active part of everyone's life.

Location: 510 West 20th Street Cheyenne, WY 82001 Tel: (307) 637-6364

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University of Wyoming Geological Museum - The University of Wyoming Geological Museum in Laramie functions to support both public education and scientific research. Wyoming is rich in geologic treasures and the Museum presents to the visitor some glimpse of this geologic diversity. Housing more than 50,000 cataloged fossil, rock, and mineral specimens, it is an important source of information for researchers throughout the world.

Location: UW Geological Museum Dept. 3006 1000 E. University Ave.University of Wyoming Laramie, WY 82071

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Historic Governors' Mansion - Fourteen years after achieving statehood in 1890, the State of Wyoming built its first governor's mansion in 1904. The state purchased a vacant corner lot from the private sector, in an established middle class neighborhood, six blocks from the State Capitol. At that time the mansion was surrounded by beautiful Queen Anne houses, built in the mid-1880's

Location: 300 E. 21st Street Cheyenne, WY 82009 Tel: (307) 777-7878

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Wyoming Territorial Park - The park offers a perfect blend of education and entertainment, inviting visitors to experience first-hand what life was like in 19th-century Wyoming. The park is home to the Wyoming Territorial Prison and the National U.S. Marshal Museum. Visitors can enjoy living history characters, gunfights, jury trials, saloon hall shows, stagecoach rides, shopping and children's activities

Location: 975 Snowy Range Road Laramie, WY 82070 Tel: (307) 745-6161

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Fort Bridger State Historic Site - Fort Bridger State Historic Site sits three miles off Interstate 80, exit #34, approximately 30 miles east of Evanston, Wyoming. The snow capped Uinta Mountains are visible to the south and a channel of the Blacks Fork River flows through the 38-acre site. At 6,675 feet above sea level, the nights are always cool and day time temperatures are rarely uncomfortably hot. In the vicinity are three R.V. campgrounds and two motels. There are several restored historical buildings from the military time period, a reconstruction of the trading post operated by Jim Bridger, and an interpretive archaeological site containing the base of the cobble rock wall built by the Mormons during their occupation of the Fort. All of these locations are signed in Braille. In addition, a museum containing artifacts from the various different historical time periods is housed in the 1888 stone barracks building.

Location: PO Box 35 Ft. Bridger, WY 82933 Tel: (307) 782-3842