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City in Wyoming, United States
Photo: Mr. Satterly, CC0 via Wikimedia Commons
Gillette is a city in Northeast Wyoming halfway between Sundance and Sheridan on I-90. Gillette is a coal mining town with a population of about 33,000 (2020). Because of the coal, oil, and natural gas production, the city calls itself the energy capital of the nation.
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Feeling the holiday spirit? Then this massive drive-through Christmas lights display is for you. It has dozens of animated displays, a light tunnel, and many thousands of lights. A short range radio station is setup at the park that plays Christmas music so don't forget to tune in.
While large sculptures and statues are spread across the city many pieces are concentrated on the Avenues of Art. The highest concentration is on 4-J and on Gillette Ave. The 4-J sculptures are best seen by using the bike and foot paths. The sculptures downtown are best seen by walking. Jane DeDecker, Gary Lee Price and Benjamin Victor are some of the notable artists that have had their work displayed. Quality varies from works of fine art made by truly skilled sculptures to school workshop projects of questionable value. Just as the statues are scattered, so is the subject matter.
The quality of art in the gallery can vary greatly, but since it is right around the corner from the ticket office it is worth a quick look if you happen to already be at the CAM-PLEX. Other than events you will find it empty so you can look at the art in peace. If you enter the Heritage Center on the door next to the Energy Hall directly on the left are pamphlets, maps, and other things for visitors.
The Campbell County Cemetery District runs a program where artists can put their sculptures on display for sale and the public can enjoy them. These pieces of art are scattered across Mount Pisgah Cemetery with a high concentration at Inspiration Garden. Some are fine art to contemplate the fragility of life while others will leave you scratching your head.
Museum of the Powder River Basin
The Rockpile was a landmark for cowboys and now it's a landmark for the museum next to. This quiet museum has a mix of objects and information about homesteading, ranching, farming, coal mining, ancient geology, and American Indians. There are a few hands on displays with old items for children, but a few are still interesting for adults. A back room in the main building is used for rotating exhibits and the empty space there in front of the covered wagons is for events and talks. Don't forget to walk outside to the big white building with a garage door. There are more exhibits inside and outside on the South side of the building.
High Plains Energy Equipment Display
A large outdoor museum of retired coal mining, oil drilling, and agricultural heavy equipment. You can take your photo with a coal haul truck the size of a house, a dragline bucket you could drive a car into, or the formerly biggest tire in the world. Explore however you wish because there are no amenities, staff, or paths.
Philatelic (stamps, postal history, and postal related) fans can see the old Gillette Post Office in the downtown area. You can also check out the local brewery inside.
See a working coal mine with haul trucks and other heavy equipment in action. The outdoor visitor area has chunks of petrified wood, a huge coal haul truck tire, a large drag line shovel, and a platform to see the mine west of the highway that splits it. Requires climbing stairs to get on the platform.
One of the highest points in the city for a great view of Gillette north of the interstate. The park is open long enough to allow day or night viewing. Be careful on Goldenrod Avenue when it is icy or there is heavy snow. The road can be steep.
CAM-PLEX hosts RV and motorcycle rallies, many rodeos including the National High School Finals, concerts, gun shows, car shows, flea markets, fireworks displays, conferences, and the county fair.
Rec Center
The modern looking rec center has a pool, basketball courts, tracks, and so on; the same you would find at any recreation center or gym. The unique feature is the huge 42 foot tall climbing tower that mimics parts of Devils Tower.
Dalbey is the crown jewel of parks in the city. There are shelters, a mile-long walking path, a boardwalk, a scenic bridge, statues, memorials, information boards, a large disc golf course, baseball fields, football field, benches, and places for cornholing and horseshoes. At the center is the man-made Gillette Fishing Lake which is stocked with fish for year-round fishing and is a good spot for bird watching.
Enjoy an ice-hockey game at the Campbell County Ice Arena. The Wild play in the North American Tier III hockey league.
An old failed indoor mall was converted to a science center for local school children and is now open to the public. One of the former shops is a children's science center called the Adventurarium. Throughout the indoor courtyard and Adventurarium are whisper dishes, displays of local wildlife feces, optical illusions, live animals, and an interactive display that shows a virtual human body scanned with a CAT scan, MRI, x-ray, and gamma radiation.
The main trail is over 12 miles long. Bikes and horses are also allowed. Expect to see rolling prairie full of grass and sagebrush without a tree in sight. Grazing has been allowed again, so there may be cows.
7th Day Adventists hold their religious event for children every five years and Gillette was selected for a second time. Tens of thousands of children are coming to do community service in the city, participate in events at the CAM-PLEX Park, and worship their lord and savior Jesus Christ. Expect every hotel, motel, and RV spot to be booked.
Regional and local breweries show up and offer their beer right on the street with live music playing in the background. You can hold your craft beer in one hand and play oversized Jenga or cornhole with the other because drinking is allowed in public for the outdoor event. Or use that free hand to get some food from local vendors.
Rodeos, bands, animal shows, dog race, tractor pull, and pig wrestling are just a few of the things you can find at the fair. The fair is mostly geared towards two types of people; local ranchers and children. The two meet when the families occasionally wander away from the free stage entertainment through the barn areas to see prize pigs, rabbits, sheep, rams, cows, chickens, goats, ducks, and turkeys. If you didn't grow up on a ranch then inside the Central and East Pavilion is a peek into their world. There is a reason farm kids don't have as many allergies as city kids. You will find out once you step through those doors and all the sawdust, a dozen species of animal hair and feathers, and smells that cling to you for hours being blown by high powered fans hits you like a brick. If you can get past that then walk through the pens and crates, maybe even stop for a show or get a free sample of sheep. While the ranchers are friendly they aren't there to entertain you and go about their business.
Local businesses, groups, the college, and others try to win your vote with samples of chili and salsa. The Central Pavilion is over 40,000 square feet (over 12,000 meters) and it is completely filled with over 30 booths and a large crowd. While orderly the lines are long so spend time talking to locals while waiting. Booths are sorted by last year's rankings; booth number 1 will be the previous year's winner. The quality of the chili starts off great then tapers off to just good. Beer is available at extra cost and a few booths have offered free beer tickets for stunts such as eating a whole ghost pepper. Money from the event goes to local charities such as the YES House and Council of Community Services.
Inspired by the TV show, Cupcake Wars has over a dozen booths of homemade cupcakes each with its own theme and flavor. Tastes range from unbelievably good to finding out what happens when you let small children put whatever ingredients they want into it. After a massive sugar rush vote who had the best booth and taste. Water, plates, and napkins are in the center on tables. Even though there is no seating you have to eat it there because no one is allowed to wander the library stuffing cupcakes.
Every year the gun club hosts a weekend long gun show at the CAM-PLEX. The building it is hosted in is 42,000 square feet and the vendors use most of it. Wyoming is extremely gun friendly. No permits are required at the state level to purchase and own a gun nor register with the state, but federal laws still apply.
Every year the CAM-PLEX hosts the Buck & Ball rodeo. See cowboys from around the region ride bucking broncos and bulls. After the rodeo a ball is held with live country music until the new years starts.
The Frontier Auto Museum hosts a one-day small classic car show in front of their museum. As a bonus their museum is free to visit that day. If you love free car show, it is worth a look.
18-hole par 72 championship course and 9-hole par 3 golf course operated by Campbell County.
18-hole course.
The Coop's rotisserie chicken is the big draw, but don't overlook the pot pie. Their homemade pot pies have about as much in common with a frozen pot pie as homemade mashed potatoes do with instant potatoes out of a box. It comes in a big enough portion enough to fill up anyone but the biggest eaters.
Humphrey's Bar & Grill has a wide selection of beer, big portions for lunch and dinner, and a few unique food creations.
Homemade dough and a wood fired oven makes pizzas that are better than anywhere else in the city. Owners are friendly to those who walk a different path in life. Everything feels clean, spacious, and welcoming. Then they top it off with homemade desserts.
On Highway 59 just south of Gillette, this little cafe offers simple, cheap, delicious Mexican and American food.
Doughnuts, cookies, and fudge. Also sells a variety of regular breads. Prices are slightly higher than chain store bakeries, but worth it for the better taste. They sell out quickly, so get there as early as possible.
If there was a noticeable class system in Gillette then the Ice Cream Cafe would be in the higher middle class. As with Breanna's Bakery the prices are a bit higher than chains, but completely worth it for the taste. Forget the imitation frozen desserts, this is real ice cream. Once you have decided on ice cream calories don't seem to matter so skip the small pre-made cake cones and go straight to their big chocolate dipped waffle cones with a marshmallow stopper at the bottom to prevent leaks. After that it is just a matter of selecting one or more of several flavors of ice cream. The Ice Cream Cafe always seems to have customers, but the line is never long.
Must be 21 or over to check in.
Completely nonsmoking, pool, and free wireless internet.
Amenities include large cable TV, daily newspaper, guest business center, room service, 24-hour coffee bar, outdoor heated pool (seasonal), high speed internet, in-room microwave, and refrigerator. Restaurant, lounge.
Laundry, coffee, fax, WiFi, copy service, and small pets allowed.
WiFi, pets allowed, and laundry.
Free WiFi, 50 amp hookups, trees, hot tub, and sauna.
65 lots, propane, laundry, gas, full hookups, tenting, pull throughs, and groceries.
Downtown
The downtown area has a variety of local businesses, cafes, restaurants, and bars. Prices are higher than the chain stores around the city, but they sell things you won't find elsewhere. Some of the buildings are traditional architecture and there are several statues and a mural in the area. Before you go ask the Campbell County Rockpile Museum for their free walking tour pamphlet that explains the history of each building. Keep an eye out for all the statues on every corner.
It's Walmart, but it has to be listed because everyone, including all the locals extolling the virtues of buying local still go here. Avoid the tight and narrow south entrance from Powder Basin Center. It's a hypermarket with a grocery store, general goods store, pharmacy, deli, tire center, and eye care center. It sells hot food during the day. The pharmacy and deli have different hours than the store. Several other shops are inside including a salon, check cashing, and fast food.
Albertsons has the best seafood section in town and high prices on everything to match. A sushi maker works in their deli and makes amazing sushi rolls that are sold ready to go in containers. It is the only supermarket with a liquor license. Also inside the store is a staffed Wells Fargo branch and a small Starbucks.
Don's is the only local supermarket in Gillette. They have friendly staff and retro style counters and signs from several decades ago. While the owners probably don't consider that a selling point it really feels like stepping back in time.
Smiths offers a choice to those averse to Walmart. Besides the typical bakery, deli, pharmacy, and so on, they have one of the very few electric vehicle charging stations in the area. Avoid going here around 3-4PM. That is when the nearby Campbell County High School gets out. There isn't much room on the Camel Dr and it will be clogged with inexperienced young teens rushing to get out as fast as possible.
By bus
By plane
Flying directly to Gillette is expensive. If you plan to rent a car or have a ride, a cheaper option is to fly to Casper, Wyoming or Rapid City, South Dakota.
By car
Gillette is best navigated by car. Parking in the city is free and street parking outside the downtown area is usually plentiful. All the major business areas have parking lots.
By bike
While some bike lanes and paths do exist they are better used for recreation in the summer than as a main form of transportation.
By taxi
Taxi service in Gillette is slow because of the distances they take passengers. Some services don't give an exact time you will be waiting outside in the heat or snow for a while.
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Gillette · Regional · GCC
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