I spent my childhood in Laramie, WY, but ended up leaving when I was going into the sixth grade, so now that I am going to be spending this summer in Laradise as a college-aged adult I’m excited to re-experience what summer has to offer. If I recall, the weather mellows out, it warms up, the wind relaxes, and there is always stuff to do.

In the “old days” of childhood, I spent my summers riding my bike to one of the many city parks, fishing for crawdads in the Laramie River using sticks and Vienna sausages, and watching UW’s football practices. While I’ll probably get spotted doing these things at some point this summer, I realized I needed to find some “adult” activities to enjoy as well and began searching.

Laramie has many great things to offer! In fact, I found a list on the City of Laramie website of “101 Things To Do…In And Around Laramie,” ranging from visiting the UW art museum to windsurfing on Lake Hattie. But, I figured I would give a much shorter, more detailed list to all the readers of Odyssey, so here it goes:

1. Hiking/Camping

Something I really look forward to this summer is getting out into the mountains around Laramie, largely because there is little to no cost to do it. According to the UW website, we are 25 minutes west of the Snowy Range Mountains and 15 minutes east of Vedauwoo. Those numbers are just about right, but I’m planning on spending a lot more time than that exploring the area. If you get out into Medicine Bow National Forest in the Snowies, there are many trails to follow away from the bustling metropolis down the mountain. Some of the most popular are the four mile trek to the summit of Medicine Bow Peak and the easier Libby Creek and Lakes Trails. On the Vedauwoo side of town, some of the more popular jaunts follow the Turtle Rock Loop and the Box Canyon Trail which takes you to the top of Glen Dome. More information and a handy backpacking checklist can be found here.

2. Fishing

Laramie is surrounded by great fishing. If you choose to take advantage of the many opportunities to fish close to home, you can get on the Laramie River just by following the Green Belt through town, or you can head out towards the Snowies and fish the North Platte. Regardless, there will be some good fishing once the river starts dropping in June.

Until then, the Plains Lakes are always an option. Luckily for me, I’m a Wyoming resident and can get a cheaper fishing license than you outta-staters! But, even if you are from out of state, you can get licenses relatively cheap at Wal-Mart depending on how often you plan on fishing, and on June 4 there is one statewide free day if you don’t want to buy a license. You can find more information here or in a great article written for Laramie Live called “Best Rivers & Streams to Fish Around Laramie – Our Top 5."

3. Laramie Jubilee Days

Laramie hosts “Wyoming’s Hometown Celebration” every year and, in this 76 year, it runs from July 2nd to the July 10th. This week can be seen as a “pre-game” for Cheyenne Frontier Days (July 22-31) if you’re planning on heading east, but it could just as well stand alone. The week has various kid-oriented events throughout, a golf tournament on Thursday, live music and dancing downtown Thursday-Saturday nights, a pancake breakfast on Friday, a parade and carnival on Saturday, and a PRCA rodeo Friday-Sunday just to name a few of the events. Most events are free or pretty cheap to get into, so be sure to mark your calendars. A full schedule of events is available on the Jubilee Days website.

4. Downtown Laramie Farmers Market

Laramie hosts a farmers market downtown every Friday in the summer from July 1st to September 30th. They run from 3-7 p.m. and place you downtown just in time for dinner or bar-hopping once you get all the vegetables (and other locally grown produce or homemade items) your heart could desire. There is live entertainment, and, as of last year, open containers are allowed within the market, so you can sip your favorite beer and wander around downtown, enjoying free music, and meeting locals who may give you some more ideas on how to spend your summer in Laradise. Updates and schedules can be found on the Laramie Farmers Market Facebook page. Give it a like!

5. Laramie Downtown Mash Up

Laramie partners with Wyoming Athletics to bring us an event to kick off the new school year and bring the whole community together right at the end of summer, September 17, after the football game. There’s live music and local food and drink! The event is an opportunity to get incoming students (and those returning) to get downtown and become acquainted with it and the people of Laramie. The streets are closed downtown for you to wander around, mingle, mash, and do whatever you want downtown. Mark your calendars! More information can be found on the Downtown Mash Up Facebook Page as we get closer to the date.

Laramie has many beautiful things to offer in the summertime. This list is definitely not the end-all-be-all of events in our little town, but it’s somewhere to start. You can always check out the list of “101 Things To Do…In And Around Laramie,” go windsurfing on Lake Hattie, or come find me on the Laramie River catching crawdads (just bring the sausages!). Whatever you do, get out, enjoy the town and wind down before school starts up again.