There comes a point when taking the grandkids on vacation becomes less about keeping them entertained every second and more about creating memories they will actually remember when they are grown. That is one reason I love the idea of a grandparent-grandchild trip to Cody, Wyoming and Yellowstone National Park.
This is not a vacation where you need to spend thousands of dollars at a theme park while standing in line for 90 minutes so your grandchild can ride something that lasts approximately 3 minutes. Instead, you get mountains, wildlife, horses, history, rodeos, museums, and plenty of opportunities to experience something together for the first time.
Cody makes a particularly good starting point because it gives you several days of activities before you enter Yellowstone. That means the trip doesn’t have to be one long stretch of driving through the national park while everyone periodically asks, “How much longer?”
And let’s be honest: grandparents deserve a vacation that is fun for them, too.
Why Cody and Yellowstone Work So Well for a Grandparent-Grandchild Trip
A good grandparent-grandchild vacation needs a little balance. You want adventure, but not necessarily an itinerary that requires everyone to hike 9 miles before breakfast. You want educational experiences, but you don’t want every activity to feel like homework.
Cody and Yellowstone offer a nice mix.
There are opportunities to get outside, see wildlife, learn about the American West, ride horses, visit museums, watch a rodeo, and explore one of the most spectacular national parks in the country. You can choose activities based on your grandchild’s age and interests while still having plenty of things that you can experience together.
It also gives grandparents a chance to share something with their grandchildren that doesn’t involve a screen.
Start in Cody, Wyoming
Cody is located in northwestern Wyoming and is a gateway to Yellowstone’s East Entrance. Yellowstone Regional Airport provides air service into Cody, making it possible to fly into the area rather than automatically starting your trip with a long drive from a larger airport. Current flights should always be checked before booking because schedules change.
For grandparents traveling with grandchildren, that can make a big difference. The less complicated the beginning of the trip, the more energy you have for the fun part.
And Cody isn’t merely a place to sleep before heading to Yellowstone. I would plan to spend at least a couple of days there because there are plenty of experiences that kids and grandparents can enjoy together.
Stay Somewhere With Some Personality
For a grandparent-grandchild trip, I would look at the Chamberlin Inn in downtown Cody.
I stayed in the Ernest Hemingway Suite, and the historic inn is conveniently located near Main Street, making it possible to walk to nearby restaurants and attractions.
I like the idea of staying somewhere with a little history when traveling with grandchildren. It gives you something to talk about beyond what time you have to leave for the next activity, and the Chamberlin Inn has a distinctly different feel from a standard chain hotel.
There is also a Cocktail Bar & Lounge inside the inn, which gives grandparents somewhere to relax at the end of the day.
Because let’s be honest: even the most adorable grandchildren can eventually become exhausting.
Take the Grandkids on a Cody Trolley Tour
A Cody Trolley Tour is an easy way to introduce children to the history of the town without asking them to walk through a museum for several hours.
The one-hour tour uses narration, historical photographs, and audio clips to tell the story of Cody and its connection to Buffalo Bill.
It is also a nice activity for grandparents because everyone gets to sit down while someone else does the explaining. I am always a fan of an educational activity that does not require me to personally read 47 historical plaques aloud.
It can be quite hot on the trolley. Bring ice water and a portable fan.
Let Them Meet the American West
One of the highlights of visiting Cody is the Buffalo Bill Center of the West.
The Smithsonian Affiliate houses five museums under one roof, including the Buffalo Bill Museum, Whitney Western Art Museum, Plains Indian Museum, Draper Natural History Museum, and Cody Firearms Museum. There is also the McCracken Research Library.
This is particularly good for a grandparent-grandchild trip because you can explore different parts of the museum together based on the child’s age and interests.
Younger grandchildren may be drawn toward the animals and natural history. Older kids may become interested in the history of the American West, Native American cultures, art, or Buffalo Bill himself.
Admission is good for two days, so you don’t have to attempt the entire complex in one heroic afternoon. That is a good thing because children have an astonishing ability to go from “This is fascinating!” to “I’m bored” in approximately six minutes.
Go Horseback Riding Together
If you want a vacation memory that is likely to stick, put horseback riding on the list.
The Bill Cody Ranch offers trail rides through the North Fork of the Shoshone River area, with access to thousands of acres of forest and wilderness. Rides range from two hours to four hours, with the longer ride including lunch.
Obviously, horseback riding should be matched to the age, size, experience, and comfort level of your grandchild. But for kids who are old enough and comfortable around horses, this can be one of those experiences they remember for years.
There is something special about doing an activity together that is completely outside your normal routine. You are not sitting across a restaurant table from each other. You are out in the Wyoming landscape, figuring out your horses and enjoying the scenery together.
And yes, there is a good chance the grandchild will remember their horse’s name long after they forget what you ate for lunch.
Go Looking for Wild Horses
Another wonderful grandparent-grandchild experience near Cody is a guided trip to the McCullough Peaks Wild Horse Herd Management Area.
The area encompasses more than 109,000 acres and is home to wild horses along with other wildlife, including pronghorn, mule deer, bighorn sheep, and birds.
Wildlife viewing is one of those activities that teaches children a valuable travel lesson: you cannot control everything. You might see a herd immediately. You might spend time looking and only catch a glimpse. That uncertainty is part of what makes seeing wild animals exciting.
A knowledgeable guide can make the experience much more rewarding by helping you understand the landscape and locate wildlife. It also gives you something to do together rather than simply driving around hoping a horse eventually wanders into view.
Take Your Grandchildren to a Rodeo
If your grandchild has never been to a rodeo, Cody is a pretty fantastic place for a first experience.
The Cody Nite Rodeo has been a tradition since 1938 and offers family-friendly rodeo action. The experience includes the opportunity to meet cowboys and bullfighters before the rodeo, adding an interactive element to the evening.
For grandparents, this can be especially fun because you are introducing your grandchild to something that may be completely different from their everyday life.
You can also have dinner and listen to live music at Cody Cattle Company before the rodeo. The venue offers a buffet dinner and live entertainment, with packages that can be combined with the rodeo during the season.
It is a wonderfully old-fashioned kind of evening, which is exactly why it works.
Make Food Part of the Adventure
Traveling with grandchildren is also a good excuse to be adventurous about food.
Sitti’s Table in Cody offers breakfast and lunch inspired by Middle Eastern and Mediterranean family meals, incorporating traditional French techniques. It is located a short walk from the Chamberlin Inn.
For dinner, Trailhead Bar-Grill-Wood Fired Pizza serves Northern Italian-inspired food with options including local beef and lamb, seafood, fresh pasta, small plates, and wood-fired pizza. Gluten-free and vegetarian diners can also be accommodated.
And then there is a chuckwagon dinner.
2 Mules Chuckwagon offers a Dutch oven dinner featuring steak, biscuits, beans, salad, and cobbler at the Buffalo Bill Center of the West. Families are welcome, and the experience feels much more like an event than simply going out to dinner.
I particularly like experiences like this for grandparents and grandchildren because the meal becomes part of the memory. Years from now, you may not remember every restaurant you visited, but you might remember sitting together eating dinner outside and talking about everything you had seen that day.
Have an Important Conversation at Heart Mountain
Not every experience on a grandparent-grandchild trip needs to be lighthearted.
The Heart Mountain WWII Interpretive Center tells the story of Japanese Americans who were incarcerated at the Heart Mountain confinement site during World War II. The site includes a museum, original camp structures, a walking trail, and a military memorial.
This is a particularly worthwhile stop for grandparents traveling with older grandchildren or teenagers. It provides an opportunity to talk about American history in a place where that history actually happened.
Grandparents have a unique role in helping younger generations understand history, and travel gives you a much more powerful classroom than a textbook sometimes can.
Then Give Them Yellowstone
After Cody, head into Yellowstone.
This is the part of the trip where the landscape gets even more dramatic. The drive toward Yellowstone’s East Entrance follows the North Fork of the Shoshone River and climbs through the Absaroka Mountains before entering the park.
Once you arrive, you have the opportunity to explore Yellowstone’s famous geothermal features, look for wildlife, see waterfalls and dramatic scenery, and take in one of the country’s most remarkable natural landscapes.
For a grandparent-grandchild trip, I would resist the urge to make Yellowstone a checklist.
You do not need to see every geyser, hike every trail, and visit every corner of the park. Choose a few things that fit your group’s interests and physical abilities, and leave room for spontaneous stops.
Some of the best memories may come from pulling over because someone spotted wildlife or stopping at a viewpoint simply because the scenery is ridiculous.
And Yellowstone has plenty of ridiculous scenery.
Let the Trip Be About Time Together
The biggest reason I like this trip for grandparents and grandchildren is that it creates opportunities for actual conversation.
You are in a car together. You are sitting around a dinner table. You are riding horses. You are looking for wild animals. You are walking through a museum. You are watching a rodeo.
None of those things require you to ask, “Can you please put your phone away?” At least not constantly. Plus, there’s not a whole lot of cell service outside of Cody. That alone is worth the trip to get your grandkids off the phone!
A grandparent-grandchild trip also creates memories that belong specifically to the two of you. That is something that becomes increasingly valuable as children get older and their lives become busier.
You don’t need an elaborate luxury vacation or a perfectly choreographed itinerary. You need time together, a place interesting enough to explore, and enough flexibility to let the trip unfold.
The Bottom Line
If you are looking for a memorable place to take your grandchildren, put Cody, Wyoming and Yellowstone National Park on the list.
Cody gives you a wonderful mix of Western history, horses, wild horses, museums, food, and rodeo experiences, while Yellowstone adds wildlife, dramatic scenery, geothermal wonders, and the feeling of being somewhere truly extraordinary.
The combination works for different ages and interests, which is important when the people traveling with you range from “Can we go faster?” to “Can we sit down for a minute?”
More importantly, it gives grandparents the chance to create memories with their grandchildren that are not based around a screen, a shopping mall, or an amusement park.
Take the grandkids somewhere they can see a wild horse, ride through the mountains, learn about American history, watch a rodeo, and stand beside you looking at one of the most spectacular landscapes in the country.
They may not remember every detail. But they will remember that you took them.
