“You don’t just make Cheyenne,” my retired rodeo cowboy friend rants, again, as the George Strait classic comes on in the bar we’ve decided to visit. “You bust your ass all year to even qualify for Cheyenne, you can’t just go there last minute because you found out your wife left you,” he continues, taking a long sip off a Coors Banquet. “If George Strait had qualified for Cheyenne, believe me, he’d be there. My guess? He was calling her from Cheyenne because he already knew she was gonna leave. He was going anyway.”
This is a revelation for anyone who knows nothing about rodeo but a little bit about George Strait. In the rodeo world, “Cheyenne” is short for Cheyenne Frontier Days, the largest outdoor rodeo in the world and one of the 10 richest payouts on the PRCA circuit. And while it might not be the biggest, or the richest, or even the most watched rodeo on TV, Cheyenne is by far the most prestigious. It’s the Kentucky Derby of rodeo, the Daddy of ‘Em All.
If you’re going to one rodeo in your lifetime, you better make it Cheyenne.
From Bronco Busting to a Literal Wild Horse Race
Cheyenne Frontier Days started as a one-day cowboy competition back in 1897, consisting of pony races, bronco busting, and steer roping, with nary a parade or concert to be seen. The event proved so popular, it expanded to two days the next year.
Today, 128 years later, it’s a full-blown 10-day extravaganza that brings more than 300,000 people to Wyoming’s largest city (population 65,700) for a celebration of all things Western. The rodeo itself is the main event, but surrounding it, you’ll find parades, big-name concerts by everyone from Luke Bryan to T-Pain, and a week’s worth of parties.
Most of the rodeo action goes down in Frontier Park’s 19,000-seat rodeo arena, large enough to be a small high school football stadium in Texas. Each competition day is a little different, but every performance includes Bareback Bronco riding, Tie Down Roping, Saddle Bronco riding, Team Roping, Steer Wrestling, and two sections of Bull Riding. There are also two ladies’ events: Barrel Racing and Ladies Ranch Saddle Bronco riding. Plus, a Rookie Bronco Riding event where most riders are bucked off in just a few seconds.
It all ends with a Wild Horse Race, the only sport outside prison walls where “Mugger” and “Shanker” are actual positions. It’s an insane spectacle where a team of three cowboys wrangle an untamed horse, then attempt to ride it one lap around the arena.
The first thing that strikes you after spending a day watching the rodeo is that there is no part of it that a normal, sane person would want to do. Your choices are either riding an angry 1,800-pound bull, riding an even-angrier 800-pound horse, or jumping from a horse moving at 40 miles an hour and trying to tackle a cow. Even a 220-pound MMA heavyweight seems manageable after that, so you gain great respect for those who compete.
Everything To Do at Frontier Days, Besides the Rodeo
Much like the Super Bowl or Kentucky Derby, the rodeo is a fraction of what happens at Frontier Days. Inside Frontier Park, you can shop through Frontier Village, an artisan marketplace made to look like an old frontier town. It’s filled with crafts, souvenirs, and artwork inspired by rodeo and the American west.
The park also houses the Frontier Days Indian Village, where tribes from the surrounding area perform dances and sell crafts. This is also where you’ll find Frontier Days’ famous Indian Taco – fry bread filled with seasoned ground beef, cheese, lettuce, and tomatoes. The line is always long, but you can usually watch the dancing while you wait. In 2026, the Indian Village moves into a new, larger home near the front of Frontier Park, which hopefully means room for more Indian Taco stands.
There’s also a carnival midway with the regular collection of stomach churning, should-I-really-be-riding-this rides. And of course, plenty of great Midway food. The fried apple pies are the stuff of local legend, though the stand also has pumpkin and rhubarb options if you want a full sample.
The Philly cheesesteaks are surprisingly respectable, and there’s even a gourmet pizza stand with stuff like arugula and truffle on its slices. If you want brisket, you’ll find it here too, although the lines can run long so plan accordingly.
Frontier Days food extends far beyond carnival stands, though. One of the biggest events of the week is the Chuck Wagon Cookoff, an Iron Chef for cowboys where wagon teams are given ingredients and a time limit to prepare a traditional frontier meal. And yes, spectators can sample the final product. There are also pancake breakfasts on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.
Drinkin’ With the Cowboys: Where to Eat and Drink at Cheyenne Frontier Days
Cheyenne has a palatable energy during Frontier Days, the kind you find in small cities when the biggest event of the year is afoot. Bars are packed, as are the Friday night concerts in the city’s Depot Plaza. Restaurants are filled with big groups spending and drinking like they’re on vacation.
You don’t see many cowboys out early in the week, as the more disciplined stay in to ensure they’re in top competition shape. But as Frontier Days progresses, those who’ve been eliminated start teetering out into the city’s nightspots, and if you’ve ever wanted to sit down and have a beer with a rodeo cowboy to learn what their life is really about, this is the time. Belt buckles are status symbols, and it’s the odd place where you’ll see men look at another man’s waist, look back up at him, and say, “Impressive.”
The best spot in the city for a night out is the Outlaw Saloon, a massive, multi-room honky tonk with pool tables, indoor and outdoor stages, and five bars. A little outside town, the Bunkhouse offers a look into Wyoming’s real-deal cowboy culture. It still has a hitching post outside, and some cowboys do actually ride up. Bunkhouse is the sort of place where men in tucked-in dress shirts tip their cowboy hats and ask ladies to dance, as they two-step to a live country band under a pitched wood ceiling draped in military flags. The food is pretty good too, and if you’re looking to try bison on your trip to Wyoming the burger here is the best in Cheyenne.
Closer to downtown, The Albany is a classic, turn-of-the-century saloon on the edge of Depot Square. The Paramount Ballroom is an old theater converted into a craft cocktail bar, home to Cheyenne’s best craft drinks. Disappointingly, it closes at 9 pm, so make sure to stop in for a pre-dinner drink.
Cheyenne also has a handful of good breweries, most notably Freedom’s Edge a couple of blocks from Depot Square. Beyond its collection of beers, it’s also where you’ll find Wetzel’s Wings – aka Double Dubs - a food truck that has won the Buffalo Wing Festival eight times. The guy working the truck told me University of Wyoming alum Josh Allen says the wings are better than the best spot in Buffalo.
Speaking of the Bills, the local chapter of the Bills Mafia congregates at Westby Edge, a colossal barn of a beer hall that draws huge crowds during Frontier Days. It’s got an outdoor game area with turf from the University of Wyoming’s football field, and a wide variety of beers.
Other intriguing restaurants include the Elvis Presley-themed R & B Breakfast Club, which makes arguably Cheyenne’s best breakfast burrito. The La Paz Mexican market has a sign outside that reads “Best Tacos and Burritos,” and they’re not lying. For non-Mexican food, Railspur offers a big menu ranging from burgers to gyros, and some funky, graffiti-inspired art. And the Wyoming Rib and Chophouse is your go-to for steaks.
Where to stay for Cheyenne Frontier Days
For a state capital, Cheynne has a disappointing lack of downtown hotels. The coolest is the Nagle Warren Mansion, a gilded age mansion painstakingly transformed into a 12-room bed and breakfast. The art and décor are much the same as they would have looked during its 19th century heyday, and the food comes from a chef who worked in Michelin-starred restaurants.
Most other hotels lie near Interstate 25, the usual collection of serviceable chains. One standout is the Little America Hotel and Resort, a sprawling, multi-building mid-century resort that brings to mind summer vacations of the 1950s. The bar is lively on most nights, too, with a band entertaining guests from all over the country.
Hotels during Frontier Days, and restaurants too, book up well in advance of the event. So book early. What my rodeo cowboy said about the cowboys holds true for visitors too: You don’t just “make” Cheyenne.
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