It all started with a classic American road trip. The plan was simple: drive from Denver up to Cody, Wyoming, use it as a base camp for Yellowstone, and soak in some authentic Americana

For context, Cody is named after none other than William "Buffalo Bill" Cody, who helped found the town back in 1896. He also built the Irma Hotel in 1902, which is still kicking today as a fully functioning hotel and restaurant. Naturally, that’s where we stayed. It’s charming, historic, and possesses a vibe that screams, "Someone was definitely challenged to a duel in this lobby."

Which brings me to Cody’s main evening attraction: a live, open-air wild west gunfight

Now, as a Brit, my relationship with firearms is distant, to say the least. In the UK, we don’t do guns. To be completely honest, they terrify me. My entire history with shooting consists of a few clay pigeon outings where the only thing I successfully murdered was the afternoon's peace and quiet. I am utter rubbish at it

Yet, there we were, sitting right at the front

The show kicked off, and the narrator immediately bellowed into the microphone: "WHO HERE LIKES GUNS?!" An absolute roar of pure, unbridled patriotism went up from the crowd. It was at this exact moment, looking around at the sea of enthusiastic nodding, that I realized the rest of the audience consisted entirely of American military veterans. Meanwhile, I was shrinking into my boots, utterly paralyzed by the sudden, rational fear that they were going to call up a "volunteer" from the front row to participate

Thankfully, before the chaos began, the narrator delivered a very responsible safety talk, gently explaining to the kids in the audience what to do if they ever found a gun, while reassuring everyone that the upcoming performance used blanks, not live ammo. My pulse slowed down from a sprint to a brisk jog

What followed was a classic, theatrical cowboy skit on the porch of the Irma Hotel. It was pure goodies vs. baddies, harkening back to the legendary days of Wild West shootouts. And honestly? It was brilliant. I was genuinely amazed to see that in the 21st century, there are people making a legitimate, full-time living by being real, live cowboys

Conclusion

If you ever find yourself in Wyoming, the Cody gunfight is an absolute must-see, even if you’re a jumpy Brit who prefers tea to gunpowder. It’s a loud, proud, and delightfully theatrical slice of American history that proves the Wild West isn't dead; it’s just putting on a really great show on the front porch of a hotel. Just maybe don't sit in the front row if you bruise easily from loud noises