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Buffalo Bill Center of the West

Buffalo Bill Center of the West

Buffalo Bill Center of the West
5
Speciality MuseumsHistory Museums
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Thursday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Friday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Saturday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Sunday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
About
Hours: Mar 1–Apr 30: 10 a.m.–5 p.m. daily May 1–Sep 15: 8 a.m.–6 p.m. daily. Sep 16–Oct 31: 8 a.m.–5 p.m. daily. Nov 1–30: 10 a.m.–5 p.m. daily. Dec 1–Feb 28: 10 a.m.–5 p.m. Thursday–Sunday. Closed Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s days. Since 1927, the Buffalo Bill Center of the West has been committed to the greatness and growth of the American West, keeping western experiences alive. The Center of the West, an affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution, weaves the varied threads of the western experience-history and myth, art and Native culture, firearms, and the nature and science of Yellowstone-into the rich panorama that is the American West. The Center of the West has been honored with numerous awards, including TripAdvisor's Certificate of Excellence for four years running.
Duration: 2-3 hours
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  • Alan N
    Flowery Branch, Georgia538 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Well worth the time to visit
    Really 5 museums in one and well worth the time to go through. Takes at least 4 hours to do the exhibits justice. They have a snack bar for food and drinks if you get a little tired walking.
    Visited October 2023
    Traveled as a couple
    Written October 10, 2023
  • tigerinatlanta
    Suwanee, Georgia11 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    If you only do 1 thing in Cody, this should be it!
    Our family can not say enough good things about this mega museum that contains 5 different museums. The staff is very friendly and there really is enough to see over the course of 2 days. The firearms museum has a forensics lab and other interactive things to do. Another favorite was the museum of natural history which is divided up into the different sorts of animals which you see at that particular range of elevation. Lots of audio/visual footage and small movies thru out. This was the highlight of our trip to Cody.
    Visited October 2023
    Traveled with family
    Written October 17, 2023
  • John R
    Winston Salem, North Carolina79 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Unbelievable!
    Incredible place. So much to see! It was very nice that the tickets gave you two days to visit since it is so hard to see it all. So many firearms, art work & overall History of the West. Would hope to visit again.
    Visited September 2023
    Traveled with family
    Written October 20, 2023
  • vannessaclaire
    Junction City, Kansas45 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Buffalo Bill Center Never disappoints
    Our second trip to the museum as we enjoyed it years ago. A full day is needed to cover it all and you'll get in your steps for the day! I especially enjoyed the raptor program outside this time and loved the Western Art section.
    Visited September 2023
    Traveled as a couple
    Written October 21, 2023
  • Lou
    Massachusetts60 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Informative museum
    Fantastic museum!! We had 6 kids in our group, aging 10-17 and they enjoyed the interactive scavenger hunt the museum has for the younger visitors. The adults also enjoyed the exhibits. We learned a lot about the life of the early settlers of the area. Worth the trip
    Visited August 2023
    Traveled with family
    Written November 1, 2023
  • Highball D
    2 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    In museum heaven.
    These five museums could take over a week of my time, regretfully we spent part of two days here. There is no place on earth that has so much history on display to see. I might guess that the Smithsonian has more but they lock it all up in vaults. If my health allowed it, I would go back and spend that week.
    Visited December 2022
    Traveled with friends
    Written November 5, 2023
  • PhillipABukowski
    217 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    More praise for the Buffalo Bill Center of the West
    Believe all the glowing reviews. This place is amazing! There’s something for everyone here. And it’s absolutely worth a two day visit. Of special note the gun museum has the most extensive collection of firearms I have ever seen anywhere in the world.
    Visited October 2023
    Traveled with family
    Written November 11, 2023
  • Sara T
    Ellicott City, Maryland994 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Best museum ever — don’t miss it!
    I am speechless. This is the most educational museum we have ever been to. Your ticket is good for two days, and you will need it! There are five museums. My favorite is Buffalo Bill and Amimals. The gun museum is impressive! Really, I had no idea about history of guns.
    Visited August 2023
    Traveled solo
    Written December 28, 2023
  • montanapescado
    Albuquerque, New Mexico1,575 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    The Smithsonian of the American West!
    This is a truly amazing museum complex. Five complete museums, all excellent to outstanding. Ironically, the one Buffalo Bill-specific museum is the least impressive of the five. All four of the others would be full five star museums on their own; that they are all under one roof on one pass is truly fantastic. My only complaint is that it takes multiple days to see it all properly!
    Visited December 2023
    Traveled with family
    Written December 29, 2023
  • Susan B
    10 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Make time to visit this excellent venue.
    Superb experience, well presented, informative and fun. I really would reccomend this group of museums if you are in Cody. Each one is fascinating but not heavy going. The gift shop shows good quality work by local artists as well as the usual souvenirs.
    Visited May 2024
    Traveled as a couple
    Written May 19, 2024
These reviews are the subjective opinion of Tripadvisor members and not of TripAdvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.

Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.

Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.

Popular mentions

5.0
5.0 of 5 bubbles4,767 reviews
Excellent
4,120
Very good
537
Average
88
Poor
7
Terrible
15

Buttman73
Lytton, IA225 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jul 2020 • Solo
If you like the old west and are someone who enjoys guns from all different eras then you really need to stop here.
The entrance fee could be considered a little high until you realize that it's good for 2 days and quite honestly to see everything and do it all justice you need to give it 2 days. With that being said we did not give it that much time and I know we missed some things one of which was the arms section ( over a thousand guns if I remember right )as I'm not that much of a gun fanatic so it was easy to skim through that section.
There is fine art, a working saddle shop, wildlife display, and working exhibits to take in. They do offer some snacks and food although with covid I'm not sure how much you can actually get.
I think if you are into history and the old west that this is a must see.
Written August 9, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Dmp1953
Lexington, VA49 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2019
If you love the west and history you will love this museum!
You buy a 2 day pass and can easily stay 2 days. Unfortunately we only had 4 hours but saw some things we’d never seen. The museum shop is top quality and food center is a bit pricey but it means you don’t have to leave the buildings for food.
I hope to return.
Written January 27, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

MsOCR
Plains, MT166 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jun 2020 • Family
The Indian history museum was interesting but too many repetitive exhibits. Indian art exhibit up stairs is not worth the stair climb. The gun museum is a total over kill. Admission is expensive so if you don’t think your kids will appreciate touring a museum, save your money.
Written July 2, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Joan G
Hickory, NC54 contributions
3.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2020 • Family
We only had about an hour or two to spend here, so it was too pricey for all of us to go in. We tried to talk my husband into going in alone, but he didn’t feel comfortable doing that. It would be nice if there was a one or two hour pass for $10 to $12. We did enjoy looking at the outside. They had two teepees and some sculptures.

* I put family with teenagers above because they didn’t have the option of just family.
Written August 1, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

EdE2020EdE
Victorville, CA112 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jul 2020
My wife and I visited the Buffalo Bill Center of the West on 7/9/2020. What a great experience. The Center consists of 5 different museums. A single ticket provides a two-day admission.

Unfortunately, we were on a tight schedule so we explored only the Buffalo Bill museum, the Cody Firearms Museum, and, of course, the Gift Shop.

The Buffalo Bill Museum provides so much history as to the life and times of Buffalo Bill Cody that I could have easily spent the entire day in that museum. Exhibits include photos of his family, clothing he wore, guns and rifles he used, saddles on which he rode his horse(s), full-size stage coaches, and so much more. There are also exhibits related to Annie Oakley, Sitting Bull, and others.

The Cody Firearms Museum is unbelievable. With thousands of guns and rifles on display in locked display cabinets, this museum could keep you interested for an entire day, if not more. The ages of the firearms range from present day back to the beginning of the firearm age. If you have any interest in firearms and their history, this is definitely the museum for you.

There is a well-stocked gift shop with so many items that you could easily find something for everyone.

All of the staff are extremely friendly and will answer all your questions. I definitely hope to return to this center one day when I have a full two days available to explore all that the center has to offer.

I know my review is not that detailed, but if you go to the Buffalo Bill Center of the West website you will get a much better overview of the center. I hope you visit the center and enjoy it as much as my wife and I did.
Written July 25, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

wearmanyhats
Perham, MN77 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Jul 2020
Five Smithsonian affiliated museums are in this building. You can spend a whole day going through these museums. The art museum is interesting, especially the area explaining how big scupltures are made, how much work goes into them, and the sheer amount of effort/manhours it takes to make them. The gun museum is almost overwhelming, but to an afficianado, it is a gem of a collection. There is no mask requirement for visitors, and although many were masked in the morning, there were so many people unmasked in the afternoon that we left to be safe. Plan to take the whole day there, but unless they consider a mask policy, skip it if corona virus is a concern to you.
Written July 25, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

CRB
Cody, WY149 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jun 2021
BBCW is a nationally-recognized museum (exchanges things with the Smithsonian) and is actually 5 musuems: Buffalo Bill Wild West Show, Natural History, Plains Indian, Firearms, and Whitney Gallery of Western Art. If you read the informational cards scattered around the exhibits, you could spend several days here. I would recommend that--too much of any museum at once burns out the brain. There are a number of other things to see and do in Cody; try half a day at the museum and the rest of the day elsewhere.
Written August 8, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Sarah M
28 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jun 2021
It's the best museum ever, and your admission gets you in and out as much as you want for two days. You might need it. Kids loved the interactivity of the Draper nature museum. Buffalo Bill is always a hit. My favorite is always the Plains Indians museum. There is so much to see and learn. My husband's favorite is the Whitney art museum - he loves the variety of artwork. We also enjoyed a raptor program while we were there. We wanted to try the escape room, but it wasn't ready yet. It's a must-stop for us every time we're in Cody. I recommend it to everyone that I hear is traveling to Wyoming, because it is worth going out of your way for. I recommend breaking it up so you don't get sensory overload. We did the Draper and Buffalo Bill in the morning, left for lunch, and came back for the Plains Indians and Whitney art. We didn't have time for the firearms this time around. I would have loved to have a couple hours the next day.
Written June 20, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Jeff H
Juneau, AK42 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Oct 2020 • Solo
I was totally surprised to find this world class museum in this small town. At first I thought the $20 entrance fee was too high but the museum is worth every penny. The best and most complete western art, stories and pictures, along with the largest firearms collection. I would compare this museum to those I visited in Washington DC. I could have spent an entire day there.
Written October 6, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Reese-Texas
Bellville, Texas, United States35 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Sep 2020
Wear comfy shoes! There is much to see: 5 separate wings of art, natural history, guns, personalities, history. All so well displayed. Food and drinks are there. Tables to take a break, then on to the next wing! We enjoyed four hours of it, but deep divers can get a second day at no extra charge.

It might not be the favorite visit for small children - not much in"bells and whistles", but for an old Boomer like me, it was a big hit. My question: "How did Buffalo Bill give so many shows all over the world and the USA in those days?"Logistics must have been very tough!
Written September 18, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

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Buffalo Bill Center of the West - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (2025)

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