23 Best Hotels in Cheyenne, Laramie, and Southern Wyoming, Wyoming

The rooms in this pleasant hotel have a classic elegance to them, as well as a lot of practicality—all with a microwave, fridge, and desk. The lobby has an upscale, rustic look, with one wall made entirely out of old snow fencing. There are plenty of nice extras here, including a pool and hot tub, workout room, cocktail lounge, and a free hot breakfast.

In the quiet little hamlet of Riverside (immediately northeast of Encampment), just across the street from the town park, these cabins have wood furniture, country quilts, outdoor grills, picnic tables, and full kitchens. The cabins are all different sizes and are a big hit with groups, especially families, hunters, and hikers. Small dogs under 20 pounds are allowed.

This downtown 1893 hotel on the National Register of Historic Places is well-maintained by its proud owners, who have decorated each room differently, always maintaining the hotel's original simple Victorian charm. Note that all guest rooms are on the second and third floors, and there is no elevator. Also, some of the rooms are small, though the prices shrink with the sizes of the rooms. The fine restaurant ($$), bar, and lounge also have Victorian furnishings, including dark-green wallpaper, antique oak tables, crystal chandeliers, and lacy drapes. Prime rib and steaks are the specialties, and seafood and lamb are also on the menu. Dinner reservations are strongly recommended.

This one-stop facility stands alone in the Red Desert, and its large, comfortable rooms can be a real haven if the weather becomes inclement. The hotel, founded in 1934, is the original of the small chain. A full-service fuel station, convenience store, and a grill are also on the premises. There's also a dump station for RVs.

On busy Grand Avenue, this a good budget option close to restaurants and fast-food chains, as well as War Memorial Stadium at the University of Wyoming. The simple, welcoming rooms are decorated in shades of gold.

With leather couches in the common areas, pole-frame beds, and Western art, this small-town inn is as nice as any place in Wyoming. Some rooms are in the main lodge, which has a double fireplace lounge that opens both to the central sitting room and the back porch; other rooms are in separate buildings surrounding a large expanse of lawn and a hot-mineral-water swimming pool. There are five outdoor hot tubs filled with mineral water, four of them covered with tepees, a 9-hole public golf course, and tennis courts. There are two restaurants, a brewery, and a beer garden on-site. The Snowy Mountain Pub ($$) serves up burgers, pizza, and tacos alongside the spot's own beer. The Silver Saddle Restaurant ($$$) is geared toward groups, private events, and special holiday meals.

Beside the Encampment River, this massive log structure has walls of lichen-covered rocks and large windows overlooking the water and surrounding scenery. Stained glass and Western artwork—most of it by owner R.G. Finney, who is known for his wildlife bronzes and paintings—fill the lodge. His wife, Lynn, who serves the full breakfast, is a Senior Olympic gold medalist in cycling and a native of the area. She can direct you to the best cycling routes and cross-country-skiing trails. The lodge has about a half-mile of private-access fishing on the Encampment River, and each room has a private entrance off a deck overlooking the river. The three-bedroom guesthouse has a full kitchen and private access, as well as river frontage. Some units have TVs and full kitchens.

Big, no-frills rooms are well-kept, and there's an adjacent restaurant ($$) and full bar. The menu is full-on cowboy, with burgers, hand-cut fries, and chicken-fried steaks. Located right on the highway in the center of town, this is a convenient, friendly place to lay your head after a long drive.

This family-operated guest ranch along the Little Laramie River offers all-inclusive summer lodging in individual cabins that exude rustic luxury; winter accommodations are in the equally charming lodge suites, with breakfast-only included. The ranch builds its summer activity program around horseback riding and also offers fishing, hiking, river tubing, mountain biking, and trap shooting. May through October there is a three-night minimum, and rates are all-inclusive, except on Saturday, when a one-night B&B is offered. The rest of the year, there is no minimum, and only the B&B option is available. B&B guests, and those not staying at the ranch, may eat in the dining room ($$$–$$$$) by reservation only.

Inspired by the Owen Wister novel The Virginian, this sandstone hotel was built in 1909 and has been operating nearly continuously ever since; it's historic but pretty bare-bones. Claw-foot tubs, tulip-shape lights, and brass beds with comforters fill the Victorian-style rooms. The rooms in the main hotel don't have TVs, phones, or radios (most don't even have electrical outlets), but the atmosphere more than makes up for the lack of amenities. In the main hotel only the suites have private bathrooms; rooms in the Bunkhouse Motel annex have TVs, bathrooms, fridges, and microwaves. Those amenities can also be found in the Virginian's cabins, as well as its Scott Street Addition, located in an old bank the owners have renovated. The dining room ($$–$$$), with antique oak furniture and 19th-century photographs, is a big draw. For lunch and dinner it serves American fare such as steaks, hamburgers, chicken fried steak. For breakfast, people come for the plate-size pancakes, omelets, and other staples.