Gillette

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.

See: 9
Do: 16
Eat: 9
Drink: 4
Buy: 5

16 places match

Bell Nob Golf Course

18-hole par 72 championship course and 9-hole par 3 golf course operated by Campbell County.

7AM-sunset

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

CAM-PLEX Multi-Event Facilities

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.

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

Campbell County Recreation Center

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.

Mon--Fri 5AM--10PM Sat 8AM--6PM Sun 11AM--6PM

Charity Chili Cook-off

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.

$10

Cupcake Wars

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.

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

Gillette Gun Club Gun Show

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.

$5 a day/$10 weekend pass

Gillette Wild

Enjoy an ice-hockey game at the Campbell County Ice Arena. The Wild play in the North American Tier III hockey league.

See website for current season schedule

International Pathfinder Camporee

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.

Closed

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