Ideas for a Three-Day Girlfriend Getaway in Cody Yellowstone Filled with Food, Fun and Adventure
CODY, Wyo., June 25, 2024 – Girlfriend group trips have a lasting appeal, and they provide a chance for friends who have scattered to far-flung locales to gather for a few days to reconnect and experience memorable adventures together. For girlfriend groups seeking a destination that will appeal to every member of the group no matter what their interests, Cody Yellowstone offers it all, from adventure to shopping to the world’s first national park.
Foodies will love the array of restaurants, and there are plenty of choices for travelers who follow vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free and other diets. Fitness-focused visitors will love the hiking trails and other outdoor adventures. Travelers with an interest in history will be enthralled by the region’s attractions such as the Buffalo Bill Center of the West, with five museums under one roof. Women who like to shop with gusto, especially on vacation, will return from the trip laden with beautiful and useful Wyoming-made gifts. And everyone will love a day trip into Yellowstone National Park.
Here are some ideas and tips for three memorable days with girlfriends, including a day downtown, a day for adventure and day in Yellowstone.
Be Poster Girls
Girlfriend groups can let friends and family back home know about their great adventures – and make them a little jealous – by posting on photos using hashtags: #CodyYellowstone, #CodyWyoming, #BuffaloBill, #Yellowstone, #ThatsWY.
Stay
Accommodations in Cody Yellowstone include hotels for every budget, RV parks and campgrounds, boutique inns, bed and breakfasts and dude and guest ranches.
For groups that like it luxe, there’s The Cody Hotel. Situated just a short distance from downtown, this is the place to be for groups that like upscale hotels and a little pampering. Groups can rent a suite with a jetted jacuzzi tub and fireplace for an extra treat.
Girlfriend groups that are seeking charm and a place within walking distance of shops, restaurants and attractions, should choose the Chamberlin Inn. This historic boutique inn features artfully decorated one-of-a-kind rooms, including some that accommodate several people. Friends can wind down after a long day with a cocktail in the cozy garden.
For a more unusual and Western-centric stay, groups can book the K3 Guest Ranch Bed & Breakfast. Formerly a working cattle ranch, K3 treats its guests to a Western breakfast cooked over an open campfire. For that especially adventurous member of the group, the ranch even offers glamping accommodations in a sheepherder’s wagon.
Eat and Drink
Breakfast:
If crepes and fresh-roasted coffee sound like an ideal way to start the day, The Station by Cody Coffee is the place. This lively restaurant – formerly a gas station – is a great place to gather and discuss the day’s adventures. The Station is an especially good option if there are vegetarians and gluten-free eaters in the group.
Or there’s Granny’s Restaurant, with traditional breakfast fare like a classic bacon, egg and biscuits breakfast. Granny’s is also a good option for a homestyle dinner, with choices like meatloaf and apple dumplings.
Coffee aficionados will like Rawhide Coffee Co., a charming coffeehouse on Sheridan Ave. This is a sit-and-stay-awhile type of place, so if anyone must catch up on work, this is a good place to set up a remote office.
Lunch:
Sitti’s Table is an award-winning, celebrity-attracting eatery that serves creative, fresh-made, Lebanese-inspired lunch fare. “Sitti” in Lebanese means “grandmother,” and the restaurant’s co-owner, Porter Koury, named the restaurant for her grandmother, cookbook author Marie Koury. The restaurant has attracted the likes of celebrities Guy Fieri – who featured the restaurant on “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives,” and actor/comedian Will Ferrell. Tables in this tiny eatery fill up fast, so groups should plan accordingly.
When it’s time to head into the park or out for an adventure, groups can pick up a to-go lunch at The Breadboard. Sandwiches are on fresh-baked bread, and there are plenty of options for vegans, vegetarians and gluten-free eaters.
Fans of locally harvested food will find terrific menu options at the Hickory Street Bistro in the nearby town of Powell a delightful choice. Powell is known for its agritourism offerings.
Dinner:
One of Cody’s most popular nighttime restaurants is Trailhead Bar and Grill. The owners put a Western spin on their Northern Italian-inspired menu, with an array of pizzas as well as creative choices like a gluten-free three-seed salad and charcuterie board for two. The Fungi pizza is a Trailhead fan favorite.
Sometimes only tacos, tortillas and margaritas will do, and if that’s the vibe, groups should head to Zapata’s, Cody’s classic Mexican restaurant. Friends can grab a seat on the street-side deck for some excellent people-watching as visitors stroll along Sheridan Ave.
For friends who like some music with their meals, there’s Blanka Tatanka, one of Cody’s newest dining hot spots. With fresh greens, handhelds, small bites and Wagyu beef specialties, there are plenty of food choices. On a Wednesday or Friday night there’s live music as well. The trio of Wagyu beef sliders with caramelized onions, goat cheese and bacon jam is an especially popular menu item.
What to Do
Downtown Day:
Sheridan Ave. is a meanderers’ dream, and travelers can spend an entire day trekking up and down Cody’s famous main street.
Top spots for girlfriend groups include Proprietress, selling bar sets, adorable tea towels and plenty of gifts; Mtn Girl Wyoming, with Western fusion clothing, gifts and home décor and Pretty Pink Buffalo, a woman-owned boutique with boots, accessories and all kinds of Wyoming-inspired clothing.
Friends who are seeking something to remind them of their adventure in Cody should stop at the Cody Country Art League, featuring arts and crafts created by local artists. Or they can pick up a gift from the Wyoming Buffalo Company, family-owned and -operated by three generations of Wyoming women.
Or groups can learn a little more about the destination at the Buffalo Bill Center of the West, with five museums under one roof. For friend groups who are planning a trip into the park, we recommend a visit the Draper Natural History Museum, with innovative exhibits about the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem.
After strolling through the museum, friends can cap the downtown day with a leisurely glass of wine in the museum’s garden.
Adventure Day:
Whether friends want to get physical with a hike, horseback ride or a rafting trip, or prefer something a little more culturally experiential, there are a lot of choices in Cody Yellowstone.
Outdoor rec:
Friends looking for some thrills can raft the Shoshone River with Wyoming River Trips, co-owned by Elyse Guarino, an outdoor educator with a commitment to responsible recreation. Or take a horseback trail ride at the Bill Cody Ranch, one of the largest riding facilities in the region. There are endless hiking trails around Cody as well. Sunlight Sports on Sheridan Ave. offers trail maps, and the staff there is knowledgeable about hiking and other outdoor recreation options. Or groups can arrange a personal hiking guide with Hiking Buddy.
Experiential adventures:
For the makers in the group, there are one-day artist-led workshops teaching skills like beading and woodworking at By Western Hands. Feisty friends might want to test their shooting skills at the Cody Firearms Experience, with an indoor shooting range where travelers can shoot replica guns from the Old West. Or, friends can book a guided exclusive tour with a staffer from Buffalo Bill Center of the West, who interpret the exhibits on display in each location.
Yellowstone Day:
Some tips for Yellowstone day include starting the day with a full tank of gas and stocking the car with snacks and water. Groups can pick up lunches to go from The Breadboard.
Cody feeds to two Yellowstone National Park gates – the East and Northeast – via two Scenic Byways, Chief Joseph Scenic Byway to the Northeast Gate and Buffalo Bill Scenic Byway to the East Gate.
An especially pretty morning drive is the Chief Joseph Scenic Byway. This curvy, stunning route climbs Dead Indian Pass with dramatic vistas of the Clarks Fork Canyon and Sunlight Basin before entering the park east of Lamar Valley, known as “America’s Serengeti” because of the abundance of wildlife.
Keeping in mind that Yellowstone’s roads form a “figure 8” pattern, travelers will be entering the park at the Upper Loop. We recommend a drive through Lamar Valley and stop at Mammoth Hot Springs Terraces before turning south towards Norris Geyser Basin. Then head across the bottom of the Upper Loop to Canyon Village and stop at the Lower Falls overlook of Artist Point. Continue south towards Yellowstone Lake and stroll the elegant lobby of Lake Yellowstone Hotel, the oldest hotel in the park. Then head out of the park over Sylvan Pass and through the East Gate for the 53-mile drive back to Cody along the Buffalo Bill Scenic Byway.
Tips: Download a free app called TravelStorys for GPS-triggered audio tours of the Buffalo Bill Scenic Byway and Chief Joseph Scenic Byway. Also, there are numerous ways to route a one-day tour of Yellowstone National Park, so follow your group’s interests. Friends who want to see geysers and other thermal features may prefer to visit the Upper Geyser Basin and walk the boardwalk that circles Old Faithful as well as nearly 150 other geothermal features. And those with a special interest in history will want to stop at the National Park Service Visitor Centers and other attractions such as the Museum of the National Park Ranger.
Back to Cody:
After three adventure-filled days in Cody Yellowstone, groups can cap their fun getaway with stroll along the Sippin’ Trail and discover why Cody was named the best small town beer scene in the U.S. Travelers who download the free Sippin’ Trail app and enter their stops along the way can earn prizes that will be mailed straight to their homes upon their return.
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Home of the Great American Adventure, Cody Yellowstone is comprised of the northwestern Wyoming towns of Cody, Powell and Meeteetse as well as the valley east of Yellowstone National Park. The region is known for rodeos, authentic guest and dude ranches, world-class museums and recreational adventures that reflect the adventurous spirit of the visionaries and explorers who brought the remote region to the world’s attention.
Related hashtags:
#CodyYellowstone
#YellowstoneCountry
#CodyWyoming
#CenteroftheWest
#BuffaloBill
#Yellowstone
#ThatsWY
Media contact:
Mesereau Travel Public Relations
720-284-1512
