Logan Wilson is “That Guy.” The guy whose rugged style of play and popularity earned him the nickname “Governor” when he was playing for the University of Wyoming football team.
Now that Wilson has become a fixture playing middle linebacker for the Cincinnati Bengals, he’s still making plays that bring out those roaring cheers from fans.
Lately, though, Wilson has been doing a bit of cheering of his own. The star linebacker has been leveraging his Instagram popularity to put his hometown of Casper on the map for his 95,600 followers. It’s a partnership with Visit Casper, the official destination management organization for Natrona County.
“Fall is one of the best times of year to #VisitCasper,” Wilson wrote in a recent Instagram post sponsored by Visit Casper. “With plenty of outdoor recreation opportunities to enjoy while the colors change, and indoor activities to warm up with.”
Wilson’s words come with a video reel that shows the Bengals tough guy sipping pumpkin lattes from Scarlow’s Art and Coffee with his wife Morgan, then hiking along North Platte River trails, searching for fall color.
They sip beer at one of Casper’s eight craft breweries, get fitted for a cowboy hat at Lou Taubert Ranch Outfitters and throw axes at Oil City Axe Company.
The reel finishes off what looks like a really fun day with a birdseye view of mountain biking the Eadsville Trail on Casper Mountain.
“I have always tried to stay true to my roots,” Wilson told Cowboy State Daily. “And my wife is from three and a half hours down the road in Longmont, so it makes sense for us to be (in Casper) where we can both see our families as much as possible.”
Casper Has Long Been Underrated
Although Good Housekeeping named Casper as a premier travel destination instead of Jackson last year and Men’s Journal named it one of the nation’s top mountain towns, Casper isn’t typically thought of as a tourism hot spot.
But Wilson sees things a bit differently. Not only has he grown up in Casper, giving him an insider’s view of all that it has to offer, but he’s also traveled a fair amount, giving him a good yardstick to measure things by.
In his calculus, Casper stacks up quite well, and it’s been fun to highlight some of that for his followers with the kind of insider tips only a true local can share.
“Casper is one of the most underrated ski towns out West,” Wilson said in one of his most popular Visit Casper posts. “The lift tickets are cheaper, the lines are shorter, and the views on Casper Mountain are just as scenic as they are anywhere else.”
The post comes with epic scenes of downhill skiing on an uncrowded slope, along with nearly wait-free ski lifts ferrying skiers to the top of the mountain.
But skiing is not the only winter sport Casper Mountain offers. There’s also fat biking and cross-country skiing within just five minutes of the ski lodge, with little to no traffic to contend with.
Wilson’s favorite activity so far as the football star turned social media travel influencer is something he hasn’t been able to do in a very long time.
“Hunting season is in the fall, so I’m usually kind of busy in the fall,” Wilson said, chuckling a little bit. “But I flew back the first weekend in May, and I got to go do some turkey hunting. That was the first time I’ve been able to go hunting in a long time, so that was fun.”
Through his social media and partnership with Visit Casper, Logan Wilson and his wife Morgan have been ambassadors for his hometown and Wyoming. He talks up Wyoming beef, still hunts local wild turkeys and shows off Casper with his wife through his Instagram. (Courtesy Logan Wilson via Instagram) 
Through his social media and partnership with Visit Casper, Logan Wilson and his wife Morgan have been ambassadors for his hometown and Wyoming. He talks up Wyoming beef, still hunts local wild turkeys and shows off Casper with his wife through his Instagram. (Courtesy Logan Wilson via Instagram) 
Through his social media and partnership with Visit Casper, Logan Wilson and his wife Morgan have been ambassadors for his hometown and Wyoming. He talks up Wyoming beef, still hunts local wild turkeys and shows off Casper with his wife through his Instagram. (Courtesy Logan Wilson via Instagram) 
Through his social media and partnership with Visit Casper, Logan Wilson and his wife Morgan have been ambassadors for his hometown and Wyoming. He talks up Wyoming beef, still hunts local wild turkeys and shows off Casper with his wife through his Instagram. (Courtesy Logan Wilson via Instagram) 
Through his social media and partnership with Visit Casper, Logan Wilson and his wife Morgan have been ambassadors for his hometown and Wyoming. He talks up Wyoming beef, still hunts local wild turkeys and shows off Casper with his wife through his Instagram. (Courtesy Logan Wilson via Instagram)
Once A Cowboy Always A Cowboy
As a state, Wyoming has lots to offer, but Casper, in Wilson’s mind, really does shine. That’s one reason he plans to always call it home.
Once a cowboy, always a cowboy.
“I’ve spoken to a lot of people who would truthfully like the Wyoming style of living,” he said. “Just the way people treat each other, the way you have space and the ability to go do whatever you want.”
On top of that, though, Wyoming also has so many places where epic adventures are so close to hand, and, of them all, Casper is his favorite.
“It’s pretty rare to have a place where you can live and just drive 10 minutes to go hike or drive 30 minutes to go to a lake and boat and fish or hunt,” he said. “There’s just not many places where you can be within driving distance like that.”
Wilson has had a great time showcasing this for fans, talking about his home state and his hometown. And his fans have loved it, too. His campaign has reached more than 136,000 people in all, and delivered close to 180,000 total impressions, with a new audience and a wider demographic than traditional tourism advertising could reach.
That reach is why Visit Casper sought the partnership with Logan, according to Visit Casper CEO Tyler Daugherty.
“Not only is Logan a great football player with a vast following that allows us a national reach, but Logan is a Casper native and a tremendous person,” Daugherty added. “He embodies the code of ethics and what it means to be from Wyoming.”
Wilson recently signed a four-year contract with the Bengals and said he plans to stay with the team for the foreseeable future. But he also plans to play spokesman for his home state again and keep showcasing his hometown to the world.
“Wyoming has always been a part of me, and I always want to be part of it in some form or fashion,” he said. “Having the opportunity to rediscover some of the activities I’d do, or restaurants I’d eat at growing up has been a lot of fun. This partnership with Visit Casper has really opened eye yes to how much Casper has grown and changed over the last few years. Every time I go home, there’s something new to do or somewhere new to eat. I love seeing that.”
Contact Renee Jean at renee@cowboystatedaily.com
Renée Jean can be reached at renee@cowboystatedaily.com.
