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From Away.com

North America's Top 100 Family Resorts
Paradise Guest Ranch, Buffalo (WY)
Wyoming's Best Family Resorts

By Candyce H. Stapen

The Spread:
Set in a valley outside the small town of Buffalo, about an hour from Sheridan, Wyoming, Paradise's ranch brand is F-U-N. Up to 72 guests are accommodated in 18 one- to three-bedroom cabins with rough-hewn logs and nice touches such as fireplaces and cozy comforters.

The property has a pool, stocked trout pond (just the place for a memorable "first catch"), and hot tub, but it's the riding that really stands out. Excellent wranglers lead groups of differing riding abilities through quiet forests and river valleys to high mesas with sweeping views across the land where the deer and the antelope really do play—or at least graze and leap.

Why Families Love It:
Throughout the week there are a host of activities for the whole family, from fly-fishing clinics, hiking, and sing-alongs to the ever-popular talent show for guests and ranch crew. When the kids go on their overnight adventure, adults enjoy Gourmet Night, including good food, good wine, and swing dancing (not always so good).

One unusual aspect of the Paradise kid's program (included in the weekly rate) is that it's for all ages. Even babies and toddlers can participate in the morning (8 a.m. to noon), while ages three and up can play all day (8 a.m. to 5 p.m.). Activities include games, crafts, nature hikes, an overnight campout, pony rides, and more. Ages six and older participate in the daily riding program, while teens have their own teen social and overnight pack trip.

Special Events & Activities:
During team penning, three riders attempt to separate three steers from a group, then convince them to head into a pen at the other end of the arena, a cowboy skill that's become increasingly popular with guests. Or catch the pros at the Ranch Rodeo in Buffalo during the second week of June.






Away.com's resident family expert Candyce Stapen has written the book on family travel, having authored some 1,400 travel articles and 27 books, 26 of them on family travel. She is the winner of the 2004 "Caribbean Travel Writer of the Year for North America" award and a three-time winner of the Society of American Travel Writers' Lowell Thomas Travel Journalism award. Her articles have appeared in publications including Nick Jr, FamilyFun, Parents, Better Homes & Gardens, Conde Nast Traveler, National Geographic Traveler, and the Family Travel Network, among others. Her book, the National Geographic Guide to Caribbean Family Vacations is available from Amazon.com.