By Marcia Frost
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When I think about the wild west, wheelchair accessible isn’t what comes to mind. Cheyenne, Wyoming, changed that opinion. It was a fun and informative trip with my brother, Mark. As hesitant as I was at first, I quickly saw a city with plenty to offer and accessibility nearly everywhere we went.
About Cheyenne
Cheyenne is the capital of Wyoming, in the western third of the United States. It’s a mixture of flatland and mountains, offering everything from prairies in Thunder Basin to skiing in Jackson Hole. You can see a little of all of it in Cheyenne.
What Cheyenne has that will be hard to find matched anywhere else in the state is two of the biggest rodeos and a long history, from Native Americans to becoming the first territory to recognize a woman’s right to vote. This was the start of the suffrage movement across the entire country.
Cowboys and Rodeos
When I look around Cheyenne, it appears there are as many horses as there are people. The horses are in front and center at the rodeos and those are plentiful in the area.
I went to the final rodeo at Hell on Wheels. It’s actually a series which takes place on six Friday nights each summer. It is a gathering of community with a large amount of wheelchair accessible seating. As friendly as everyone is to each other, it’s still a competition, a qualifier for the American Contender Tournament. It is serious fun and there is even a Rodeo Queen crowned each season. Before the rodeo, they had a Western Chuckwagon Dinner, with brisket, potatoes, and cobbler with ice cream.
Frontier Days is more than just a rodeo, it’s the World’s Largest Outdoor Rodeo and Western Celebration and it is also wheelchair accessible. It takes place at the end of July each year in Cheyenne. This festival attracts around 250,000 a year from around the world. In addition to the rodeo events, top country music acts perform on what they call “Frontier Nights.” I didn’t make it to this extravaganza, but I did go to the Frontier Days Old West Museum, where there were tributes to many of the cowboys (and cowgirls), and original stagecoaches displayed.
Go Back in History
The best place to start is by taking a Historic Trolley ride around Cheyenne. It goes throughout the city, giving you a good look at all it has to offer. They have a lift in the trolley that was big enough for my 388 lb. power chair.
After you get off the Historic Trolley, take a walk through the Cheyenne Depot Museum just a block away. You can learn about the Union Pacific Railroad and look around the Visitor’s Center in this historic building.
The Wyoming State Museum is just a short car ride from there. This is all about the entire state, its people, and its vast National Parks. They include some of the country’s finest, such as Yellowstone, Devil’s Tower, and Grand Teton.
You can explore Wyoming’s history, as well as its present day. in the State Capitol. I have never been to a State Capitol before. It’s not unusual because they are rarely available to the public the way this one is. This building is open to everyone when it is not in legislative session. It has no admission charge, and you can check out the artistic architecture as well as history. (Note that the ramped entrance is to the side of the building.)
One of my favorite spots in Wyoming was the Terry Bison Ranch. We were able to feed the Bison from the wheelchair accessible train. They also have a selection of other animals here, including horses you can ride and alpacas on the self-guided tour. You can even stay there overnight. One of their cabins is ADA accessible, as is the store and restaurant.
Our last stop ranked among my favorites. I highly recommend a visit to Terry Bison Ranch. The bison are a good show, but there are also many other animals here. The place is wheelchair accessible. They even have ADA cabins for rent and the trolley train had a ramp that came down for me to ride up and park in so I could enjoy the tour.
Food & Drink
It’s not all about beef and bison burgers in Cheyenne, though those were delicious. Cheyenne is filled with many types of restaurants. With a lot of “down home” cooking, the breakfasts were especially good. Try the huge cinnamon rolls at Luxury Diner, or the big omelets at Down Home Diner. The Paramount, an old theatre turned into a bar and coffee house, is a must visit. Have some of the house made Chai while you are there.
As for that burger, Pour Decision is a local favorite. I enjoyed the burger, and all of their sandwiches and burgers came with a free scoop of ice cream! Paris West was an unexpected French bistro in downtown Cheyenne. My brother had a grilled salmon filet salad, and I went for the flaky chicken pot pie, filled with vegetables and potatoes. Don’t leave without trying the warm cinnamon sugar beignets.
We took a drive about a half hour away and did a tasting at Pine Bluff Distillery. I am a fan of their Ryed Bourbon and Almond Vodka. A few blocks away in downtown Pine Bluff, it was a bacon-covered fillet at the restaurant Curries.
Getting and Staying There
Cheyenne does have a small airport, but we flew into Denver so we could pick up a Mobility Works van with a ramp. The ride was about an hour and a half from there.
We stayed at the EverHome hotel. Our room was huge, with a fully equipped kitchen, two beds, and a couch with a pullout. It was quite easy to get around the room with all the space. The bathroom was also exceptionally large, with a shower chair for me to use. One feature I really loved was the light that went automatically on when I entered the bathroom.
Don’t forget your cowboy boots!
