9. Old Faithful Inn, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming
From your window, chances are you'll see moose, bison, or elk silhouetted against the big Wyoming sky. Maybe even a bear if you're lucky. Yellowstone National Park is an unforgettable, protected wilderness experience that dates back more than a hundred years, and the Old Faithful Inn is the best seat in the house.
Within a stone's throw of the Old Faithful Geyser (the entrance of the inn is positioned so the geyser is the first thing you see when you arrive), the inn, built in 1904, is a grand wooden lodge that seems as at home in Yellowstone as the ubiquitous bison. The ceiling of the lobby looms a lofty 77 feet above the sturdy wood floor, with intricately entwined logs and branches creating an airy lattice of stairways, balconies, and decks that rise like a seven-story spider web of wood. Built of lodge-pole pines and locally quarried stone, the tree-house-like maze of open-air nooks and crannies overlooks the grand lobby and the Old Faithful Inn Dining Room.
You can visit the inn without staying overnight, but the real magic starts when the sun goes down and the day tourists leave. Stroll down to the dining room for the buffet featuring freshly carved buffalo, and then head out to the deck to watch Old Faithful erupt in the moonlight. The inn's 326 rooms include high-end suites and semi-suites; mid-range, comfortable renovated rooms with bath; and rustic rooms that have changed little since the inn opened in 1904. Rooms start at under $100.
