Free & Cheap Things to Do in Cheyenne

Museums & Galleries

Wyoming's free state museum runs from dinosaurs and Ice Age mammals to a Wild West gallery, Native American artifacts, and a hands-on kids' discovery area. Right beside the Capitol, it's an easy all-ages indoor stop and a solid intro to the state's geology and frontier history.

Address: 2301 Central Ave, Cheyenne, WY 82002

Tip: Closed Sundays and state holidays; free parking in the Barrett Building lot.

Parks & Nature

A free year-round garden in Lions Park anchored by the three-story Grand Conservatory full of tropical plants and water features. The adjacent Paul Smith Children's Village is a hands-on kids' garden with gravity waterworks, a windmill, and teepees - a genuinely free family afternoon.

Address: 710 S Lions Park Dr, Cheyenne, WY 82001

Tip: Open Tuesday-Saturday; pair it with a walk around neighboring Sloan's Lake.

History & Culture

Cheyenne's gold-domed 1888 Capitol, a National Historic Landmark, reopened after a sweeping restoration and is free to tour. Self-guided visitors walk the rotunda, legislative chambers, and stained-glass ceilings - a genuinely impressive free hour in the heart of downtown.

Address: 200 W 24th St, Cheyenne, WY 82002

Tip: Self-guided weekdays 8-5 (extended summer hours add Saturdays); bring ID for security screening.

History & Culture

Wyoming's governors lived in this 1905 Georgian Revival mansion until 1976, now a free state historic site preserved with period furnishings. Self-guided tours wind through the restored rooms for a quiet look at a century of the state's first families and changing domestic style.

Address: 300 E 21st St, Cheyenne, WY 82001

Tip: Hours shift seasonally - currently open for spring/summer; call (307) 777-7878 to confirm.

Quirky Landmarks

One of only eight surviving Big Boy locomotives - the world's largest type of steam engine - sits on permanent free display in Holliday Park. At 132 feet long and 1.2 million pounds, Number 4004 is a jaw-dropping photo stop you can visit any hour.

Address: Holliday Park, 17th St & Morrie Ave, Cheyenne, WY 82001

Tip: Open-air and accessible any time with a free lot nearby; pair it with the Depot Museum downtown.

History & Culture

Housed in the grand 1886 Union Pacific depot - a National Historic Landmark and the last grand station on the transcontinental route - this museum tells the railroad story that built Cheyenne, with exhibits, a model railroad, and the restored depot architecture itself.

Address: 121 W 15th St, Cheyenne, WY 82001

Tip: On Depot Plaza, the trolley departure point - stack both in one downtown visit.

Museums & Galleries

This free museum traces Wyoming's citizen-soldier history from frontier militia through modern deployments, with uniforms, weapons, vehicles, and unit memorabilia. A quietly substantial, no-cost stop for military-history buffs that's often overlooked among Cheyenne's better-known attractions.

Address: 5410 Bishop Blvd, Cheyenne, WY 82009

Tip: Open Wednesday-Saturday 10-4; calling ahead to confirm is wise.

Parks & Nature

Cheyenne's sprawling signature park rings Sloan's Lake with a walking path, beach, playgrounds, bike paths, boat rentals, and an amphitheater. An Audubon-designated birding area with 200-plus species, it also holds the Botanic Gardens - a free, do-it-all green space.

Address: 4603 Lions Park Dr, Cheyenne, WY 82001

Tip: The Botanic Gardens and Big Boy locomotive are both walkable from here - an easy free triple-header.

Outdoors

About 25 miles west between Cheyenne and Laramie, this reservoir park is a regional favorite for hiking, mountain biking, fishing, and paddling across three lakes and an extensive trail system. A single day-use vehicle fee gets a whole carload in.

Address: 1264 Granite Springs Rd, Cheyenne, WY 82009

Tip: Per-vehicle fee, not per-person - split across a carload it's a cheap outdoor day, about 25 minutes west.

Free Walking Tours

A 90-minute narrated trolley loop through historic downtown mixing Wild West lore, ghost tales, and landmark stops. It's one of the easiest budget ways to get the lay of Cheyenne's frontier-era core, departing from the Depot Plaza downtown.

Address: 121 W 15th St, Cheyenne, WY 82001

Tip: Departs Depot Plaza; daily in summer and Saturdays-only in winter, so confirm times before going.