Yes! The Southeast Wyoming Welcome Center is Worth a Stop
I don’t know about you, but when I think of a state’s welcome center, I think of a typical rest stop. Just a place to run in for a few minutes to go to the bathroom, grab a few touristy pamphlets and take a picture with the “Welcome to Such and Such State” sign.
So when I read several reviews about the Southeast Wyoming Welcome Center being worth the stop, I was more than skeptical. But let me tell you – they were right. This Welcome Center is so much more than just a quick pit stop. It’s a mini-museum of Wyoming, and we thoroughly enjoyed our visit.
We learned so many interesting things about the state of Wyoming, and it really helped set the stage for the rest of our day in Cheyenne.
“The cowboy stereotype endures in the personification of rugged individualism, love of the land, self-sufficiency, and a can-do attitude. Wyoming is where the American spirit was forged…”
The people of Wyoming have embraced the cowboy legend and a respect for personal freedom. In 2010 they were the first state to promote a state code called “the Code of the West.”
The Code of the West
Live each day with courage.
Take pride in your work.
Always finish what you start.
Do what has to be done.
Be tough, but fair.
When you make a promise, keep it.
Ride for the brand.
Talk less and say more.
Remember that some things aren’t for sale.
Know where to draw the line.
In the 1800s Native American foot passages became fur trade routes, which then turned into wagon trails and later railways, and highways. All major wagon trails crossed through Wyoming because the high plateaus made the most accessible routes, and the plentiful rivers provided drinking water. Few settlers chose to stay in Wyoming due to the dry climate and short growing season, and instead continued on to the West coast.
Wyoming was a lawless territory for a period of time and outlaws were known to rob stagecoaches and banks, and hold up trains. Famous outlaws from the area include Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. Butch Cassidy would avoid capture by hiding horses along his getaway route to switch them out for tired horses along the way, leaving his pursuers behind.
From 1860 to 1910, the Wyoming terrain proved to be perfect for outlaws to hide in places such as Outlaw Cave and Hole in the Wall Pass. There were lots of prison breaks, with one-fourth of the prisoners at the Wyoming Territorial Prison escaping during the first two years.
Our kids loved getting to pretend to escape from the jail cell through the hole in the wall. There was a slide on the other side of the wall.
The first women in our country to vote were from Wyoming. Wyoming also had the first women to serve as jurors, court bailiff, justice of the peace and governor.
One of the first official rodeos, originally called round-ups, was held in Cheyenne in 1872. Rodeo is now the official sport of Wyoming. The biggest rodeo in the world is Cheyenne Frontier Days and attracts hundreds of thousands of spectators.
Other popular sports for both locals and tourists include rock climbing, hiking, biking, fishing and camping. Don’t forget the plethora of winter activities – snowmobiling, snowboarding, skiing, snowshoeing, ice-climbing, dogsledding, and snow tubing.
Popular wildlife includes bighorn sheep, coyotes, deer, elk, jackrabbits, moose and pronghorn. While wildlife can be seen from the highways, they are more plentiful when you venture off the beaten path.
Wyoming also has at least 60 mammoth sites, most of which are located in the North Platte Valley.
Wyoming has one of the country’s oldest wind energy research sites. Wyoming averages 300 days of sun each year, and they are putting it to good use by utilizing commercial solar power. The Welcome Center itself utilizes solar energy to produce about 24% of the building’s electricity. There are wall monitors where you can view real-time readings.
Today Wyoming is an important energy producer and has successful coal mines, and also produces oil, gas and uranium.
If you’re heading to Cheyenne or Denver via I-25, you should definitely take the time to take Exit 4 and stop at the Southeast Wyoming Welcome Center.
For another look at our visit to the Southeast Wyoming Welcome Center you can check out our YouTube video below. You can read about Day 1 of our trip and our visit to Red Rocks Park and Amphitheater and Casa Bonita, and Day 2 of our trip to Colorado Springs and our stops at the Garden of the Gods, the Manitou Cliff Dwellings Museum, the Manitou Springs Penny Arcade, the Colorado Springs Pioneers Museum, and Magic Town. You can also go back and read about Day 3 and the Western Museum of Mining and Industry, the Money Museum, the Colorado State Capitol, and the Molly Brown House Museum. This trip is the first trip of our “50 States Before Graduation Challenge.”
35 Comments
Pam
I love this! I’d stop at every welcome center I came across if they were like this.
Sara W
Same here! I wonder if there are other welcome centers out there that are like this one.
Stacey Billingsley
I love cool state Welcome Centers, and this one looks cool. I’ve only been to Wyoming once, and we came from a different direction. If I go again, I would definitely make this a stop!
Sara W
I’d love to find some other welcome centers like this.
Missy
I like visiting states’ welcome center because they give tips of places to see.
Sara W
Same here.
Eva Keller
This looks like a great stop! I’ve been wanting to make it up there for awhile now as part of a larger road trip. I hope I get to do it in the next year or so.
Sara W
It’s definitely a great place to stop and learn about Wyoming.
Leeanne
What a fun place to visit. I loved learning about Buck Cassidy and his hidden horses. I kids would also love breaking out of jail. You would have thought they would have reinforced the walls of the jail sooner if the prisoner kept breaking out. Too funny.
Sara W
Breaking out of jail kept my kids entertained for a long time.
Lisa Manderino
Fun, I will have to see if we are passing through Cheyenne on our road trip, If so we will stop in!
Sara W
It was really neat. We’d never seen a welcome center like this before.
Erin
WOW! What a nice welcome center!! This one is definitely worth the stop!!
Sara W
We thought it was definitely unique, and very well done.
Jennifer
Great idea for a welcome center. It’s a worthwhile have a history area in others.
Sara W
They did an amazing job with this one.
Shirley
I love your photos, they make me want to visit the Southeast Wyoming Welcome Center.
Sara W
Thank you. It was a neat place to stop.
kmf
That is a great way to brand your state and educate visitors. Would be cool if all visitor centers/rest stops adopted this model.
Sara W
I totally agree. Stopping there made me want to visit all the parts of Wyoming since they were all highlighted. We didn’t have time to visit them all on this trip, but hopefully next time we can explore some more.
heather J jandrue
It looks like a great place to visit. I would love to head out that way and take in the sites. Someday.
Sara W
There’s so much to see and do in the area.
Cindy
Wow that’s an impressive rest stop! It’s definitely worth a visit.
Sara W
We were very impressed with it.
Jennifer Van Haitsma
This looks interesting! I don’t recall ever having been to Wyoming, but I can imagine it has lots of interesting history.
Sara W
I don’t remember learning much about Wyoming when I was in school, so I found everything so interesting.
Sana sareer
Very entertaining read. it’s always a great idea to take kids to places like this where they can learn and have fun too
Sara W
I completely agree. Kids learn and retain so much more when they are interested and engaged in learning.
Grace
This looks like a fun place to visit as a family. I like the fact that it’s both educational and entertaining.
Sara W
Yes – the best of both worlds.
Danielle
Definitely a really cool center. Hubby has been dying to go back to Colorado, this would be a fun pit stop he loves westerns and all that.
Sara W
You should definitely check it out, it’s a great stop/mini-museum.
Mamie
I enjoy teaching our kids history through travel.
Sara W
It’s such a great way for them to learn.
Bryan
This was a great little place, stopped here in July. The Columbian mammoth cast is very impressive. Outside the building, they have a fossilized Dawn Redwood, from northeast Wyoming.