Some Side Trips To Consider

If you've got some extra time during your trip to Yellowstone, here are some interesting side trips you might want to consider.

Worthy Sidetrips to Consider

* The Buffalo Bill Historical Center in Cody arguably is the Smithsonian of the West. Inside this complex you'll find museums dedicated to one of the world's best collections on firearms, Buffalo Bill Cody, Western art, the Plains Indians, and "Humans and Nature in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem."

* The National Museum of Wildlife Art just north of downtown Jackson, Wyoming. The incredible collections inside this building read like a who's who of Western masters, with artworks of George Catlin, Albert Bierstadt, Peter Moran (Thomas Moran's youngest brother), James Browning Wyeth, and John James Audubon among the more than 300 artists represented.

* Grizzly and Wolf Discovery Center in West Yellowstone. While you might not see a grizzly bear or wolf in Yellowstone during your stay, you will if you visit this not-for-profit educational center. This is not a roadside tourist trap, but rather a great facility that takes in trouble grizzlies that otherwise might be put down.

* The National Bighorn Sheep Center is southwest of the park, in Dubois, Wyoming. The biggest wintering herd of bighorn sheep can be found in Whiskey Mountain just southeast of Dubois, and the center leads wildlife viewing tours to the range.