Free things to do in Gillette

14 places in Gillette with free entry or no charge, based on guide listings and map data.

Ranked with the travel guide's picks and well-known places first.

See
Avenues of Art
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.
Free
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Brew Fest
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.
Free
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Campbell County Fair
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.
Free
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Dalbey Memorial Park
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.
7AM-11PMFree, fishing $14/day nonresident
See
Eagle Butte Coal Mine Overlook
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.
Daylight hoursFree
See
Energy Equipment Park
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.
Free
See
Festival of Lights
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.
November-JanuaryFree
See
Gillette Post Office
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.
Free
See
Heritage Center Art Gallery
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.
Mon-Fri 8AM-5PMFree
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Lakeway Learning Center
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.
Fri 9:30AM-3PMFree
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Overlook Park
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.
7AM-11PMFree
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Red Rock Trails
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.
Free
See
Sculpture Walk
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.
Free
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Show & Shine
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.
Free

Listings from the Wikivoyage guide to Gillette (CC BY-SA 4.0).