Anyone trying to lasso the spirit of the old Wild West should head to Cody, Wyoming. Founded in the 1890s by pony express rider, army scout and flamboyant Wild West showman William Frederick Cody (a.k.a Buffalo Bill—a name he earned shooting a staggering number of bison), Cody remains western to the core.
The town sits in the scenic wonder of northwest Wyoming and packs in all of a cowboy’s natural paraphernalia: wide-open spaces, canyons, rivers and mountains.
With a frontier reputation and population of 10,000, Cody might seem to be just the hop-along point to Yellowstone National Park (which it is). But don’t be bamboozled. Cody is anything but a one horse town. Visitors who linger a while find much action and a cowboy brand of fun that’s hard to buck.
So what should visitors do in Cody and nearby Buffalo Bill country?
BUNK AT BUFFALO BILL’S IRMA HOTEL and rustle up dinner in the dining room.
Built by Buffalo Bill in 1902 and named for his daughter, Irma, the hotel sits in the center of town and serves as the focal point of Cody activity.
The property is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and retains all the charm of a bygone era. Although old-fashioned in ambiance and decor, both standard and famed historic rooms sport such updates as modern bathrooms, air-conditioning, T.V.s, and Wi-Fi.
Be sure to watch the free staged gunfight often featuring Wyatt Earp, Doc Holliday, and Calamity Jane that takes place in the street outside of the hotel each evening of summer and then belly up to the dining room buffet for some of the best prime rib in cowboy country.
RIDE THE CODY TROLLEY for a 60-minute tour that covers the whole kit and caboodle of Cody’s old and new attractions.
MOSEY THROUGH OLD TRAIL TOWN AND MUSEUM OF THE OLD WEST to see a collection of historic buildings, furnishing and artifacts from the early fur-trading time to the end of the 19th century. The collection includes a cabin used by Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, a saloon frequented by Cassidy’s Hole-in-the-Wall Gang and the grave of mountain man John “Jeremiah Liver-Eating” Johnston.
WRANGLE A SEAT AT DAN MILLER’S COWBOY MUSIC REVUE and watch Dan Miller and other top-notch performers delight the audience with an array of songs, jokes, poetry and stories.
ROPE TICKETS TO THE CODY NITE RODEO to understand why bull and bronc riding, barrel racing, bull fighting and clowning around keeps Cody’s rodeo the longest running nightly rodeo in the country.
STEER YOUR WAY TO THE BUFFALO BILL CENTER OF THE WEST, a beautifully contemporary facility incorporating five museums (Buffalo Bill Museum, Cody Firearms Museum, Draper Natural History Museum, Whitney Western Art Museum and the Plains Indian Museum) as well as a restaurant, coffee bar and research library. Plan on spending hours—if not days.
SHOOT OVER TO THE CODY DUG UP GUN MUSEUM where displays feature “dug up” and “found” guns, weapons and artifacts from many time periods including America’s War of Independence, the Civil War, and World War I and II.
HEAD OUT YONDER to tour the BUFFALO BILL DAM AND VISITOR CENTER, considered the tallest concrete dam in the world back in 1910 when it was constructed.
and the HEART MOUNTAIN WWII INTERPRETIVE CENTER, a relocation camp where 14,000 Japanese Americans were interned during World War II.
WHEN YOU GET A HANKERING FOR GRUB, click HERE for local foodie Ruffin Prevost’s list of the best Cody Restaurants.
And WET YOUR WHISTLE at bars throughout the city. Our favorite Cody cocktail comes from 8th Street at the Ivy. It’s perfect for dudes who can’t decide between a mojito or margarita. Mixing the two creates a drink better than the sum of it’s parts. Yippie-yi-yo-ka-yay fabulous!
TEQUILA MOJITO MARGARITA
Yield: 1 fabulous drink.
5 mint leaves
Ice
2 ounces Suerte Reposado tequila
Sweet and sour mix to taste (recipe follows)
Splash orange juice
3 thin slices jalapeño
Thin wedge of lime, for garnish
Put mint leaves the bottom of a old Fashioned glass and muddle lightly with a wooden spoon. Fill glass with ice. Add tequila, sweet and sour mix, orange juice and jalapeño. Stir gently. Put lime wedge on rim of glass.
SWEET AND SOUR MIX
Yield: About 2-3/4 cup.
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup water
2/3 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
2/3 cup fresh squeezed lime juice
Put sugar and water in a small saucepan and set over medium heat. Cook until all sugar dissolves, stirring constantly. Raise heat and, without stirring, bring mixture to a boil. Remove syrup from heat and set aside to cool.
When cool mix syrup with juices. Put mix in a covered container and refridgerate.
Take a step inside LC’s and you will find an old fashioned barbecue joint, where the smoker sits right behind the small counter and every order is called out to be made on the spot. Their hickory smoked meats and sweet sauce have Kansas City locals lining up on a daily basis. The secret to LC’s is to know what you want before you step to the counter. My recommendation is the brisket, ribs or burnt ends with either fries or beans to go on the side.
Arthur Bryant’s is, perhaps, the city’s most historic, iconic and well-respected barbecue restaurant. Holding true to traditional Kansas City smoking methods of oak and hickory wood, Arthur Bryant’s is not only a popular spot for locals, but for celebrities, presidents and politicians. If you are going to walk through their historic doors, make sure to grab a slab of ribs or brisket sandwich with a side of beans, cole slaw or fries. Make sure to try some of their Original sauce to bring on a little extra flavorful history.
Don’t let the loud “Hi, May I Help You” greeting as you walk in the door startle you as you look for which savory and traditional Kansas City oak and hickory smoked meats to try on their menu. Gates and Son’s is another historic, iconic and well-respected barbecue must-try in Kansas City. The atmosphere can be loud and classy at the same time, and the menu will give you many options. If you have a hard time choosing, you can’t wrong with one of their platters which serves out ribs, brisket and turkey slathered in their Classic barbecue sauce.
Set off the beaten path, Woodyard is a true hidden gem in Kansas City! It’s not just the down to earth atmosphere that will make you want to hang out on their patio, watch the Pit Master work his magic and enjoy a Boulevard brew, but their delicious meats smoked over pecan wood will make you want to hang out for just a little bit longer. If you get there early enough, order Woodyard’s chicken wings. You can never go wrong with their baby back ribs, Frankenwurst (smoked sausage), or Carolina sandwich. Sides are an absolute must at Woodyard! Their cheesy corn, potato salad and coleslaw are made in house and are my top picks.
Zarda Bar-B-Q
award-winning 
Get to SLAP’s early if you are wanting to try their nationally recognized barbecue. Coming in second place (only because of a coin toss) on the show Barbecue Pitmasters, this restaurant will make you want to keep going back for their ribs and cheesy potatoes.
Doesn’t matter when you show up for lunch, even minutes after the doors open at 11 a.m. you’re apt to find long lines.
After ordering one tries to find a table—or maybe even just a spare chair at a shared table and waits while staff, in a backroom kitchen, constructs sandwiches. Wrapped in butcher paper, tuck into plastic bags, the sandwiches find their way to you by way of playful servers. 
Most tours start in the visitor’s center where a guide offers each person a dram, shows a short film on the distilling process and talks a bit about whisky making and labels. 
I trace my love of houseboating to the 1958 film Houseboat. In the film Cary Grant lives on a houseboat with his motherless kids and Sophia Loren, a symphony-conductor’s runaway daughter masquerading as a housekeeper. So romantic. So fun. Made me (and every woman and man in 1958 America) want to trade lifestyle—and spouse—for the houseboat experience.
America’s favorite guru of luscious Italy, Elizabeth Minchilli, is at it again. April 7 marks the debut of her seventh book, EATING ROME.
aughters, and two homes: one, a rooftop apartment in Rome, and the other, a country cottage complete with olive groves and roses in Umbria. There is probably no one more qualified to write a book on Roman food and subtitle it “Living the Good Life in the Eternal City” than Elizabeth. 
These classes are determined by a handful of factors, primarily the size of the cabins, on-board amenities such as decor, deck space, and number of crew members. Ratings are affected by the number of guests; for example, an eight-passenger boat can earn a higher rating than a 22-passenger boat. All barges at all ratings are available for chartered groups. 
Despite the fact that D.H. wrote about Mabel and Mabel wrote about D. H. and others wrote about both personalities, no one knows the reasons for the painted windows. Speculation suggests that the renowned writer, who broke sexual barriers and was even labeled a pornographer by some, could not bare (in truest sense of the word) using the bathroom without curtains to protect him from bystanders (of course the bathroom overlooked wilderness; so the eyes were only those of lizards and the like).
Mabel died in1962. Her home was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1991.
