Wyoming factories to visit and tour

Wyoming has factories to visit and tour. Below, first are the active, working factories. The next section has historical operations which often have demonstrations or renactments. These incluse both large and small operations, from several person chocolate factories and cheesemakers to large manufacturers making paper towels, wood products, beverage cans and bottles, are open to the public with real tours, exhibitions and fun education.

In some cases, such as a manufacturing process that is no longer in use, the only way to see it and learn about it is a museum or living history center. So, we also provide information about engineering facilities and museums, dinosaur digs, even government facilities, like NASA, astronomy oberservatories and more that are open to the public on certain days and times. And if there is some place that is just plain fun to visit, we add that, too!

These are perfect for homeschooling, for STEM and for fun! Kids love visiting these places! They're learning and getting an education without even realizing it. And most of these are either free or under $10! What's better then fun, entertaining, good for children and families, educational and free?

Here are some of the top factory tours in Wyoming and contact information and tips about visiting them.

Factories, Engineering, Museums and other fun demonstrations and exhibits to visit in Wyoming

Wyoming

1. Cody, Wyoming - A great old west town, with nightly authentic rodeos in the summer,
   the Buffalo Bill Museum of the west, nightly staged shootouts,
   a 100 year old dam with a tour and much more. Cody is SO much better than Jackson Hole!
   
   
2. Thermopolis, WY - Super fun town... in the middle of nowhere. The main attraction is the natural hot springs with a free public bath house and 2 private springs with water slides. But there also dig dinosaur fossils there with an excellent museum and a trip to the excavation site. Plus a herd of bison, a beautiful river and hot springs.
   
   
3. National Museum of Military Vehicles - Fremont County, Wyoming. So cool! If you have sons, they will love it! Tanks, armour3ed vehicles, howitzers and guns to see up close. So much history! The National Museum of Military Vehicles is a military history museum in Dubois, Wyoming. Established in 2020, the 140,000-square-foot museum was founded by Dan and Cynthia Starks and built between May 2017 and August 2020. More than 475 military vehicles are stored at the museum along with other artifacts.

Wyoming Historical Forts and Sites, Famous buildings, Active Federal facilities to tour, Geology: like fossils and volcanic areas

1. Oregon Trail Wagon Wheel Ruts and Register Cliff State Historic Site -
   See the Oregon trail ruts and pioneer graffiti best in southeast Wyoming, near Guernsey, WY. Also crosses several states, ID,KS,MO,NE,OR,WA,WY. You can imagine yourself an emigrant headed for Oregon: would promises of lush farmlands and a new beginning lure you to leave home and walk for weeks? More than 2,000 miles of trail ruts and traces can still be seen along the Oregon National Historic Trail in six states and serve as reminders of the sacrifices, struggles, and triumphs of early American settlers. Nearby is Scotts Bluff National Monument is located in western Nebraska, landmark for the Pony Express, Oregon, California and Mormon Pioneer national historic trails.
2. California National Historic Trail - c
   rosses CA,CO,ID,KS,MO,NE,NV,OR,UT,WY. You can follow in the footsteps of over 250,000 emigrants who traveled to the gold fields and rich farmlands of California during the 1840s and 1850s: the greatest mass migration in American history. The California National Historic Trail is over 5,000 miles long and covers portions of 10 states. Step into history along more than 1,000 miles of ruts and traces from travelers and their overland wagons.
3. Fort Laramie -
   Southeast Wyoming, WY. Originally established as a private fur trading fort in 1834, Fort Laramie evolved into the largest and best known military post on the Northern Plains before its abandonment in 1890. This “grand old post” witnessed the entire sweeping saga of America’s western expansion and Indian resistance to encroachment on their territories.
4. Fossil Butte -
   Kemmerer, WY. Some of the world's best preserved fossils are found in the flat-topped ridges of southwestern Wyoming's cold sagebrush desert. Fossilized fishes, insects, plants, reptiles, birds, and mammals are exceptional for their abundance, variety, and detail of preservation. Most remarkable is the story they tell of ancient life in a subtropical landscape.
5. Mormon Pioneer Trail -
   Covers several States IL,IA,NE,UT,WY. The 1,300-mile route was traveled by Mormons who fled Nauvoo, Illinois, to the Great Salt Lake Valley in 1846-1847.
6. Pony Express Trail -
   It is hard to believe that young men once rode horses to carry mail from Missouri to California in the unprecedented time of only 10 days. This relay system along the Pony Express National Historic Trail in eight states was the most direct and practical means of east-west communications before the telegraph.

Wyoming State historic sites and parks

These are state-run parks, museums and historic sites that present the history of some manufacturing process, industry, or living settlement

• Bear River State Park
• Boysen State Park
• Buffalo Bill State Park
• Curt Gowdy State Park
• Edness K. Wilkins State Park
• Glendo State Park
• Guernsey State Park
• Hawk Springs State Recreation Area
• Hot Springs State Park
• Keyhole State Park
• Medicine Lodge Archaeological Site
• Seminoe State Park
• Sinks Canyon State Park

Historic sites

• Ames Monument State Historic Site
• Camp Douglas Officers' Club State Historic Site
• Connor Battlefield State Historic Site
• Fort Bridger State Historic Site
• Fort Fetterman State Historic Site
• Fort Fred Steele State Historic Site
• Fort Phil Kearny State Historic Site
• Granger Stage Station State Historic Site
• Historic Governors' Mansion State Historic Site
• Independence Rock State Historic Site
• Legend Rock State Petroglyph Site
• Names Hill State Historic Site
• Oregon Trail Ruts State Historic Site
• Piedmont Charcoal Kilns State Historic Site
• Point of Rocks Stage Station State Historic Site
• Quebec 01 Missile Alert Facility
• Register Cliff State Historic Site
• South Pass City State Historic Site
• Trail End State Historic Site
• Wyoming Pioneer Memorial Museum
• Wyoming Territorial Prison State Historical Site
• Fort Bonneville State Historic Site
• Fort Supply State Historic Site
• Fort Reno State Historic Site
• LX Bar Ranch State Historic Site (No public access)
• Platte River Crossing State Historic Site (No public access)
• Wyoming Trails Program

Wyoming Seasons, bugs, topography and climate

Located in the Rockies and at the edge of the plains, Wyoming has both landscapes. In the summer, it tends to be semi-arid, hot during day and cool at night. Winters can be brutally cold. Many roads are closed or impassible in the winter. Bugs are thankfully few!

Camping tips

If you're not from the Rockies, you may not realize that even in the middle of July, the air gets cool at night when you are a mile high, like in Yellowstone and the Tetons, and much of western Wyoming. It will dip to the 50's or 60's most summer nights. Summers tend to be dry with occasional popup evening thunderstorms.

Yellowstone... well camping or lodging in Yellowstone is a topic unto itself. We have a whole page of tips, ticks and info specific to Yellowstone here. And for the Tetons, see this page.

In Cody, WY, an excellent campground is Ponderosa campground, and reservations are not needed for tent camping there!

There are both state parks and private campgrounds.