4 Best Sights in Cody, Sheridan, and Northern Wyoming, Wyoming

Evidence of the area's old-world ties can be found at the Sheridan Inn, just a few blocks from downtown near the old railroad depot. Modeled after a hunting lodge in Scotland, the 1893 building sports 69 gables in a show of architectural splendor not often seen around these parts. On the National Register of Historic Places, the inn once lured the likes of Herbert Hoover, Will Rogers, and Ernest Hemingway, and Buffalo Bill auditioned performers here for his Wild West Show. The Inn underwent a $4.8 million restoration from 2006 to 2009, employing "green" technologies, and an additional $2.8 million was spent in 2010 to refurbish the 22 guest rooms. The original Buffalo Bill Bar, an oak-and-mahogany monstrosity on the main floor, is purported to be a gift sent from England by Queen Victoria.

Although local cowboy legend Don King died in 2007, his sons still operate King's Saddlery and King's Ropes, where they've been hand-tooling saddles since the 1940s. They also make high-quality equipment for area ranchers and professional rodeo performers. King's has crafted gear for many celebrities, including Queen Elizabeth II. Unless you're in the market for an expensive saddle, what makes this a worthy stop (and a real treat) is found across a small alley directly behind the store, where a small museum is chock-full of Western memorabilia, ranging from more than 400 vintage firearms and handcrafted spurs to historical photographs, wildlife mounts, and arguably the largest collection of Western saddles anywhere.

A Flemish Revival mansion built in 1913 for John B. Kendrick, cattleman and one of Wyoming's first governors and senators, is now the Trail End State Historic Site. The furnishings and exhibits in the home are designed to depict early-20th-century ranching on the Plains. Highlights include elegant hand-carved woodwork and a third-floor ballroom.

Built in 1923 as a vaudeville theater called the Lotus, the WYO Theater was closed and nearly demolished in the early 1980s. A strong show of support from the community saved the building, and now the refurbished art deco structure hosts everything from orchestras and ballets to lectures and Broadway revivals, especially in the summer.