12 US towns for a cowboy core getaway By: Taryn Shorr-McKee
Jul 18, 2025 • 10 min read
1. Bandera, Texas
Best for real-deal cowboy core
Western shops line Main Street, like The Cowboy Store and Bandera General Store, which serves root beer floats from its old-fashioned soda counter. Around the corner, Arkey Blue’s Silver Dollar claims it's the oldest continuously operated honky-tonk in Texas. Have dinner at OST, a BYOB restaurant with a John Wayne Room, and stay at a working dude ranch like Mayan Ranch, where chuckwagon breakfasts and trail rides set the tone.
Planning tip: Visit on a Wednesday for 11th Street Cowboy Bar’s legendary steak night. BYO meat and grill it out back with locals.
2. Jackson, Wyoming
Best for rustic luxury
Small-town but posh, Jackson, “The Last of the Old West,” blends luxury with deep-seated cowboy culture. Ride a stagecoach around Town Square, hit the long-running summer rodeo or dine on elk and bison steak in a former wildlife museum. With saddle barstools and nightly live music, the Million Dollar Cowboy Bar is a local icon.
Numerous dude ranches just outside town offer everything from rustic cabins to ultra-luxe all-inclusive retreats. I’ve stayed at – and highly recommend – Heart Six and Triangle X. To go all-in on frontier travel, head to Darwin Ranch, the most remote guest ranch in the Lower 48. Get the full cowboy treatment at Rusty Parrot Lodge & Spa, where the Cowboy Concierge sets up private trail rides or arranges for you to borrow a custom belt buckle.
Planning tip: Don’t overlook winter. Sleigh rides, skiing and snowboarding, ice skating and hot springs make for a quiet, magical visit.
3. Virginia City, Montana
Best for stepping into a time capsule
Virginia City looks and feels like a movie set, except everything is real. Montana Territory’s former gold rush capital remains strikingly well-preserved, from its wooden boardwalk paths to vintage saloons lining Wallace Street. Catch a cabaret show at Brewery Follies and, if you dare, spend the night at the allegedly haunted Fairweather Inn. Hop the Alder Gulch Shortline Railroad 1.5 miles to Nevada City, a ghost town turned living history museum.
Planning tip: Day-trip to nearby Dillon and Bannack. Dillon’s rural ranching culture meets top-tier fly fishing and a rare Patagonia outlet, while Bannack is one of the country’s best-preserved ghost towns.
4. North Platte, Nebraska
Best for cowboys and cowgirls who brunch
“Buffalo Bill” Cody called North Platte home, and his original ranch (now a state park), complete with a barn and Second Empire-style mansion, hosts tours and trail rides. The town honors its heritage with the annual NEBRASKAland celebration, featuring concerts, parades and one of the country’s top PRCA (Pro Rodeo Cowboys Association) rodeos.
The Historic Canteen District downtown blends cattle country roots with stylish restaurants. Chic-industrial The Cedar Room serves prime Nebraska beef, while North 40 Chophouse has a polished ranch vibe and cocktails that would be at home in New York City.
Planning tip: Go in June to catch rodeo season, trail rides and “tanking,” a delightfully oddball, very Nebraska way of floating a river in a livestock tank.
5. Wickenburg, Arizona
Best for ropin’ and ridin’
Wickenburg is also Arizona’s dude ranch capital. Saddle up for trail rides and sleep in dreamy, century-old adobe buildings at Kay El Bar, but go in winter or spring – many ranches and horseback outfitters scale back operations in the summer.
Planning tip: Try a signature beef tallow cookie at Capital Patty (trust me) and check out the 200-year-old “Jail Tree,” allegedly once the town’s open-air lockup.