The 7 Friendliest Little Towns In Wyoming
In Wyoming, the town of Douglas lets travelers camp free for two nights on the riverbank right off Main Street. Afton locals gather downtown every Friday night for food and live music in Star Valley. Sundance residents set out free outdoor movies all summer with chairs for anyone who shows. Hulett fills its one main street with a rodeo parade and a street dance each July. Greybull brewers pour local craft beer and swap fossil stories at the downtown brew-fest. Visitors to these seven towns get treated like someone worth feeding.
Afton
Afton takes pride in its community, welcoming visitors to town with the can't-miss Elkhorn Arch, recognized as the largest of its kind in the world. Composed of 3,011 naturally shed elk antlers, this structure stretches over all four lanes of Highway 89 as it enters downtown, a landmark that seems to shout "Welcome to Afton!" at the top of its lungs. The town hosts lots of community events, such as the annual Lincoln County Fair, as well as the recurring Friday Night Lights in Star Valley, where visitors and locals alike gather downtown for food, music, and community.
While in Afton, you can stroll along the cute downtown district, window shopping or simply enjoying the Old-West architecture set against a backdrop of gentle mountain slopes. Consider stopping in at the Western Skies Fine Art Gallery to check out some great local and regional artwork, and grab a bite to eat at the delicious and unique Rocky Mountain Seafood. Enjoy a wide range of outdoor recreational activities, from summer fishing and hiking to winter ice skating and snowmobiling: Afton is a nature lover's paradise. For some great scenery and recreational opportunities, check out the Intermittent Spring, the largest rhythmic spring in the world, which bursts forth like a gentle geyser every 18 minutes.
Douglas
Nothing says "friendly little town" like free camping. The North Platte River flows through the town of Douglas, and on its banks sits Riverside Park, which provides free camping for up to two nights on a first-come, first-served basis. In total, there are around a dozen public parks in Douglas, all of which offer free park shelter reservations. Several miles of hiking and biking trails crisscross these parks. The Municipal Water Park features a public swimming pool and splash park, popular throughout the summer months. The Douglas Community Golf Club provides a space for golfers to gather for some friendly competition.
Douglas is a hotspot for annual events, welcoming visitors from throughout the state and beyond for the Wyoming State Fair each summer. This fun event features a parade, rodeo, carnival, demolition derby, live music, and lots of great food. Other popular community events include Jackalope Days and Christmas at the Depot. Before leaving town, be sure to get your picture taken with the town's world-famous Jackalope Statue, explore the shops and bookstores lining the streets of the historic downtown district, and take a tour of the Railroad Museum and Visitor's Center at Locomotive Park.
Greybull
Greybull sits in north central Wyoming at the confluence of the Bighorn and Greybull Rivers. A key town in the Bighorn Basin, the town boasts lots of options for camping, hiking, fishing, hunting and various other recreational activities. Visitors can explore the nearby Devil's Kitchen badlands, watch for birds in the various habitats of the Bighorn Basin, and watch for wild mustang herds in the McCullough Peaks area. Check out the Red Gulch Dinosaur Tracksite just west of town, where hundreds of preserved dinosaur footprints can be observed.
In the town proper, Greybull Avenue is lined with historic brick buildings and western-themed businesses, including the notable 1916 Historic Hotel Greybull. The Greybull Museum is located in the heart of downtown, providing fascinating exhibits on fossils and geology as well as local pioneer life. Each summer, the Bighorn County Brew-Fest brings downtown to life with live music, great food, and local craft beer tastings. Greybull Days of '49, one of the biggest events of the year, brings a car show, rodeo, parade, and other fun events to town, filling both locals and visitors with the spirit of the West.
Hulett
The Belle Fourche River winds in and around Hulett, a small town perhaps best known for its proximity to Devil's Tower National Monument. This monolithic structure of volcanic rock rises from the grasslands a handful of minutes down the road from Hulett and is a popular attraction among those visiting the town. Not to be outdone by natural wonders, the town itself loves welcoming travelers with an extra helping of small-town hospitality. It prides itself on its slow pace and peaceful atmosphere, offering visitors a chance to "breathe deeply, to see clearly, to reconnect with something timeless."
The town of Hulett is essentially a small collection of Old West buildings, a pioneer town brought into the 21st century. You can stop in at the Rogues Studio and Gallery to view local artwork, shop for antiques, and steep yourself in Wild West culture. A short walk up the street takes you to Ponderosa Cafe where you can grab a hearty meal. Despite its small size, Hulett hosts various annual events that bring both visitors and locals out for the fun. The Rodeo Parade and Street Dance and the Devils Tower Car Show are popular activities in the summer, while the Parade of Lights fill the streets with Christmas cheer in December.
Meeteetse
Meeteetse is a small town on the Greybull River in northwestern Wyoming, about an hour and a half from Yellowstone National Park. Not far from the Absaroka Mountains and the Wyoming Bad Lands, the town features beautiful, wide-open scenery and plenty of opportunities for outdoor exploration. Wildlife, ranging from bighorn sheep to grizzly bears to bald eagles call the region home, making for excellent wildlife viewing. Hunting and fishing are popular activities. Hiking and taking scenic drives are great ways to explore the diverse scenery in and around Meeteetse.
While in town, be sure to look into the Kirwin and Arland Ghost Towns, where you can explore abandoned but well-preserved communities in the area. For some winter sports fun, check out the Wood River Valley Ski Park. If you love fishing and are visiting during February, stick around for the annual Ice Fishing Derby, or check back in October for the Meeteetse Fall Festival. The town also throws fun celebrations for holidays throughout the year, such as 4th of July, Labor Day, and Christmas.
Sundance
Sundance is a pretty little town on Interstate 90 in northeastern Wyoming between Devil's Tower to the west and the Black Hills National Forest to the east. Surrounded by rolling countryside and gentle, forested buttes, there are lots of recreational areas around the town, perfect for biking, hiking, horseback riding, snowshoeing, hunting, fishing, offroading, and tubing. In town, Sundance Square downtown is a popular meeting place complete with a rock-n-ropes playground, splash pad, shelters, picnic tables, and a museum. It also features the Sundance Kid Statue, commemorating where the infamous criminal began his life of crime. Throughout the summer, Sundance Square hosts Movies in the Park, where locals and visitors can gather for free, outdoor showings of family-friendly movies.
Sundance loves welcoming visitors and inviting them to take part in various local events all year long. One of the most popular is the Crook County Fair, which runs for a week each summer and features events like a 4-H dog show, youth horse show, goat roping rodeo, and parade. Other events include the annual Burnout Wednesday, in which the central activity is a motorcycle burnout competition, and the Festival of Lights Parade, a traditional holiday celebration.
Thermopolis
The name Thermopolis means "hot city" in Greek, which is an accurate description of this central Wyoming town. One of Thermopolis' biggest attractions is Hot Springs State Park, recognized as home to the world's largest mineral hot spring. Visitors can explore the park and take a dip in its bath house for free as part of a treaty between the US government and local Native American tribes who sold them the land. The park also provides areas for boating, hiking, fishing, picnicking, and exploring the area via the popular "Swinging Bridge." The central bison herd for the Wyoming State Park system also lives in this area and is a popular sight for wildlife viewing enthusiasts.
Elsewhere in Thermopolis, visitors can play a few rounds at the Thermopolis Golf Course or Sweet Spot Miniature Golf. Learn more about dinosaurs at the Wyoming Dinosaur Center, containing large and unique fossil collections and live dig sites. Take part in a fun local event, like Wyoming Discovery Days, bringing people together for wagon rides, a petting zoo, local arts and crafts displays and demonstrations, and more. The Hot Springs County Fair also takes place in Thermopolis, featuring events like ice cream socials, sheep and goat shows, games, and shooting sports.
Explore Friendly Towns in Wyoming
What links these seven towns is how much of their welcome is free and communal. Douglas gives away riverbank campsites, Thermopolis keeps its bathhouse soak free by treaty, and Sundance runs its summer movies at no charge in the town square. The hospitality shows up in the shared gathering more than the scenery: Friday Night Lights in Afton, a brew-fest in Greybull, a street dance in Hulett. Meeteetse rounds out its calendar with holiday celebrations that fold visitors into the same crowd as the ranchers next door. Spend a weekend in any of them and the pattern holds, with locals who tend to remember a face by the second morning.
