Discover Dodge City

Dodge City offers several distinct travel-planning themes: Boot Hill and its cemetery history, the legacy of the cattle drives, a tour with a spirits tasting, an annual rodeo and a Western-style water park. If you’re looking for a hotel in Dodge City, first decide which theme will shape your stay.

Getting There and Finding Your Way

Dodge City lies at the junction of U.S. Highways 50, 56, 283 and 400. This gives you a concrete point of reference for planning your route; which of these highways fits your route depends on your starting point. The junction provides an initial reference for your plans before you shape your stay around your interests.

Boot Hill and the History of Dodge City

Boot Hill was established in 1872, after a man killed in a shootout was buried where he had fallen. Boot Hill was used as Dodge City’s burial ground until 1878. The Boot Hill Museum is located on the original site of Boot Hill Cemetery in historic Dodge City. Together, the dates and the museum’s location provide a historical and geographical reference for anyone interested in the history of the burial ground.

The Dodge City Old City Hall Monuments commemorate the era of the cattle drives at a burial ground associated with Western lore. Their focus is on remembering the cattle drives, while the Boot Hill information places the use of a burial ground in a specific historical period. This distinction can help you choose between exploring the history of a specific place and commemorating the cattle drives.

Tour and Tasting

The Boot Hill Distillery is housed in Dodge City’s historic City Hall. Its tours include a guided tasting of its spirits. This experience has two aspects: its location in a historic civic building and a tour that includes a tasting. If you add this activity to your travel plans, the tasting is part of the tour.

Rodeo and Water Park

The Dodge City Roundup Rodeo is an annual, PRCA award-winning rodeo; its tradition dates back to 1977. Its annual recurrence makes the rodeo a recurring event, while the specific date determines when to travel.

Long Branch Lagoon is a Western-style water park with slides, swimming pools, a lazy river and a wave pool. Here, the focus is on a water park with a variety of attractions, rather than the city’s history or an event. If this attraction shapes your stay, you can make Long Branch Lagoon a distinct focus of your trip to Dodge City.

Hotels for Your Stay in Dodge City

For a trip centered on the rodeo, the specific event date is another factor; for the other themes, your interests determine the focus. Then look for hotels in Dodge City for the dates that suit your plans.

For the broader travel overview: Ford County.