What are the opening hours?

Monday 8am - 6pm Tuesday 8am - 6pm Wednesday 8am - 6pm Thursday 8am - 6pm Friday 8am - 6pm Saturday 8am - 6pm Sunday 8am - 6pm

Draper Natural History Museum at the Buffalo Bill Center of the West

Name: Draper Natural History Museum at the Buffalo Bill Center of the West
Address: 720 Sheridan Avenue, Cody, WY, 82414, US
Telephone: (307) 587-4771
Price range: $$
Rating: 5

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Draper Natural History Museum at the Buffalo Bill Center of the West

*Summer hours in effect*
Open Daily: 8 am to 6 pm

Why is snow red in high alpine environments? Where do the specimens come from and how are they prepared?
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Full scale natural history museum highlighting species, ecosystems, and processes of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. 20,000-sqft of exhibit and gallery space, live raptor experience featuring non-releasable birds, and active specimen preparation lab! How are bacteria in Yellowstone National Park tied to the replication of DNA? What makes eagles and hawks "superheroes of nature"? How do turkey v

ultures use projectile vomit to their advantage? Discover the answers to all of these questions and many, many more during your visit to the Draper Natural History Museum! Descend through an Alpine Cirque, Mountain Forest, Meadow, Plains and Basin ecosystem of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem on our "Alpine-to-Plains" trail featuring 20,000 square feet of galleries and exhibits. View into the Draper Discovery Lab to watch staff and volunteer prepare specimens every Tuesday from 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM. Catch the Draper Raptor Experience daily featuring educational programs with live raptors. Discover what makes Wyoming and the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem a true treasure for nature, wildlife, and outdoor enthusiasts alike! The Draper Natural History Museum is part of a larger complex of five museums and a research library known as the Buffalo Bill Center of the West located in Cody, Wyoming.

06/01/2026

New Programs!

We are excited to announce a new daily program from the Raptor Experience - Bald Eagle Feeding.

Beginning June 1st, every day at 3:30 pm one of our "Mobile Perches" will feed Jade, our Bald Eagle, and talk to guests about this incredible bird. There's no guarantee Jade will dig right in, but we can guarantee you'll get the chance to ask ask questions and learn about Bald Eagles and this particularly charismatic girl.

05/29/2026

We're a week out from a presentation that will rock your socks off! Join us next Thursday, June 4th, at noon for "Reading Rocks with Light," presented by Tess Oldroyd-Johnson.

Fire and water collide in this Lunchtime Expedition into one of geology’s most elusive mysteries. When lava meets even small amounts of water, it can leave behind subtle clues—nearly invisible, yet critical for understanding volcanic landscapes on Earth and beyond.

Journey to “The Breaks” near Mud Lake, Idaho, where ancient lava once flowed into a shallow lake, preserving rare evidence of these hidden interactions. Through cutting-edge spectroscopy, scientists decode mineral “fingerprints” that reveal how these environments formed.

This research doesn’t just reshape what we know about Earth, it provides a powerful lens for detecting past water on Mars, bringing us closer to understanding where life might once have existed.

Abstract and photographs provided by Tess Oldroyd-Johnson. Learn more about the presentation here: https://centerofthewest.org/event/reading-rocks-with-light/

05/23/2026

It's officially summer for the Draper Museum Raptor Experience!! We have started our summer programming schedule and hope to see you in the audience soon.

10:00 am Relaxing with Raptors - Owls: Learn about the adaptations that allow owls to be such amazing predators and meet one of our ambassador owls up close and personal.

2:00 pm Relaxing with Raptors - Small Changes, Big Impacts: With three live birds present, learn about the challenges birds face every day and the simple things we can do to make their lives a bit easier.

05/22/2026

Riverton area friends!!!

The Draper Museum Raptor Experience will be in your area next Saturday, May 30th!

Join Chloe and our American Kestrel, Dot, at 2pm at the Riverton Museum to learn about America's most common raptor!

Hope to see you there!

05/16/2026

Something exciting is in the works at the Draper Natural History Museum! This past week, Wyoming PBS accompanied the Bighorn Basin Pinyon Jay research team as we captured jays, deployed GPS tags, and visited nest sites. We share regular updates on this project in the form of newsletters, which can be found the DNHM's research page: https://centerofthewest.org/explore/greater-yellowstone-natural-history/research/

05/15/2026

Spend a day in the field with us! Nest searches are a crucial part of our project. The team holds federal permits to conduct this work and takes steps to ensure the safety of both pinyon jays and people.

Learn more about the project on our website: https://centerofthewest.org/explore/greater-yellowstone-natural-history/research/

05/13/2026

Spring and summer in the Yellowstone region mean longer days, greener landscapes… and wildlife on the move. From deer and elk to bears, foxes, bighorn sheep, and even young animals crossing roads with their mothers, the wild residents of northwest Wyoming don’t recognize road signs or speed limits.

When traveling through Cody, Yellowstone, and the surrounding region, please slow down and stay alert—especially at dawn, dusk, and nighttime when many animals are more active. Speed limits are there to help protect both wildlife and people. A few extra minutes of travel time can prevent serious injury, vehicle damage, or the loss of an animal that belongs to this remarkable ecosystem.

Watch road shoulders carefully, scan ahead, and remember: if you see one animal, there may be more nearby.

Help keep the Yellowstone region wild and safe for everyone who calls it home—human and animal alike.

Images by Melissa Hill.

05/12/2026

Join the Draper for a field trip to Yellowstone on May 28th! This field trip is a special offering for Buffalo Bill Center of the West members. You'll spend the day with Draper Curator, Corey Anco, and Assistant Curator, Amy Phillips. You'll experience wildlife facts, history, and hopefully see some wildlife along the way. Learn more and register on our website: https://centerofthewest.org/event/yellowstone-wildlife-viewing-experience-members-only/

05/11/2026

Does spring seem early this year? It is! Tracking seasons is done by monitoring the phenology of plants. In this video Assistant Curator, Amy Phillips, defines phenology. You can also visit "Status of Spring" to see how this looks on a national level: https://www.usanpn.org/data/maps/spring

05/06/2026

Calling all artists and writers! This Friday, May 8, museum visitors will have a chance to contribute to an art installation at the Heart Mountain Ranch Preserve!

Artist, Austen Camille, will be joined by Draper staff and specimens showcasing the sagebrush ecosystem. Drawing on inspiration from the museum's exhibits and collections, you are invited to contribute your observations to a new public artwork located at The Nature Conservancy’s Heart Mountain Ranch Preserve outside of Cody. Draper Natural History Museum staff and Nature Conservancy staff will be present to answer your questions about the specimens and the sagebrush ecosystem. This is a drop-in style workshop; all materials will be provided.

Drop-in during the following sessions for any amount of time: Session #1 9AM-12PM & Session #2 1PM-3PM. Workshop will be held in the lower rotunda of the Draper Natural History Museum. This workshop is free with your admission to the Center.

For more information, please visit this link:
https://centerofthewest.org/event/looking-closely-at-the-land-observation-writing-and-public-art/

Address

720 Sheridan Avenue
Cody, WY
82414

Opening Hours

Monday	8am - 6pm
Tuesday	8am - 6pm
Wednesday	8am - 6pm
Thursday	8am - 6pm
Friday	8am - 6pm
Saturday	8am - 6pm
Sunday	8am - 6pm

Telephone

(307) 587-4771

Website

https://linktr.ee/drapermuseum

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