Casper, Wyoming

The historic trail town celebrates its Western heritage all year round.

- By Peter Corbett

The College National Finals Rodeo in 2021 was not Casper’s first rodeo.

The central Wyoming city on the North Platte River in fact has hosted the collegiate finals for two decades in the Ford Wyoming Center. They call it the Rose Bowl of Rodeo, and it’s the city’s biggest annual event.

Casper’s Rodeo Week—June 12-18—will rope in 400 top rodeo athletes and thousands of visitors. Clarendon College of Texas grabbed the Men’s Team Championship last year. Montana State took the Women’s Team Championship. The local favorite Casper College cowboys finished third.

Tourists who show up to Casper in shorts and flip-flops can get properly attired for rodeo and other Western pursuits by visiting Lou Taubert Ranch Outfitters. The Western wear store got its start in Laramie in 1917 and moved to Casper 30 years later. It carries saddles and tack and boasts of having 10,000 pairs of boots.

“They also have a robust collection of cowboy hats and an expert hat shaper on staff who can customize a hat to your head,” said Amanda Scherlin, Casper tourism bureau marketing director. “You can get fully outfitted there. It’s just a fun place.”

The fun doesn’t stop there in Casper.

Locals are known to go sneakin’ to the Beacon Club, a roadhouse restaurant and cowboy bar on the Yellowstone Highway. Other watering holes include the Backwards Distilling Co. and Gruner Brothers Brewing in the former Casper Oil Club, which got its start in 1949 as a place to do oil and gas deals over cocktails and steaks.