Yellowstone-area lodging is rustic, pretty much across the board; and Old Faithful Inn is no exception. You won't find organized children's programs, babysitting, or many of the modern conveniences your family may be accustomed to. Stay here because of what is at your doorstep.
Nearby activities include a Junior Ranger Program which is open to children ages 5 to 12. Families pay a $3 fee for the 12-page activity paper, available at any visitor center. After completing age-appropriate requirements like attending a ranger-led program, hiking on a park trail and studying park resources, parents return the form and review their work with a ranger at any visitor center. Kids are then awarded with an official Yellowstone Junior Ranger patch.
Kids ages 5 and older can also take part in Yellowstone Park's in-park science inquiry paper and become an official "young scientist."
Families can also purchase a self-guiding booklet for $5 at the Canyon Visitor Education Center or Old Faithful Visitor Center and begin to investigate the mysteries of Yellowstone by completing activities in the visitor center and field. If kids are investigating in the Old Faithful area, they can pick up a Young Scientist Toolkit, which has a thermometer, stopwatch, and other gear. Once their investigation is complete, they will be awarded an official Young Scientist patch or key chain.
Located 52 miles from Yellowstone in Cody, the Buffalo Bill Historical Center is home to five museums devoted to western cultural and natural history all under one roof; and admission to all five museums is good for two consecutive days. These include the Plains Indian Museum, which documents the cultures and histories of the Plains Indians, the Cody Firearms Museum which exhibits rare firearms, the Draper Museum of Natural History which sheds light on the Yellowstone ecosystem, the Buffalo Bill Museum which documents the life and legend of Buffalo Bill Cody and the Whitney Gallery of Western Art which features western art works.
Other family-friendly ideas:
Yellowstone Stagecoach Adventures offer a half-hour ride on a replica stagecoach drawn by two horses through sagebrush flats.
The Yellowstone old West dinner cookout takes place in Pleasant Valley. Eat a buffet dinner while being entertained by a cowboy singer.
Take a Yellowstone Lake Scenicruise aboard the Lake Queen for a one-hour guided tour of Yellowstone Lake.
If you're in the mood to do a little shopping, the Old Faithful Inn gift store has an assortment of regional carvings and bronzes, Native American jewelry, drums, headdresses, and an outstanding array of artifacts.
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