Saddle up to see Old West in these travel destinations

You don't have to be John Wayne or Annie Oakley to appreciate the thrill of the Old West.

California and Arizona are rich in Old West history, from ghost towns and ranches to museums. Here are a couple of Western-inspired destinations.

Museum of the American West, Los Angeles

Founded by Gene Autry, America's favorite singing cowboy, this sprawling museum offers artifacts from rare pistols to props used in Western TV shows and films (as recent as "Brokeback Mountain").

Highlights include the impressive Colt firearms collection, as well as the Cowboy Gallery, which traces the evolution of this iconic American figure.

The museum (part of the Autry National Center) is at 4700 Western Heritage Way, Los Angeles (at Griffith Park). 323-667-2000 or www.autrynationalcenter.org.

Wild Horse Sanctuary,

Shingletown, Calif.

Saddle up and witness the true "wild" west with one of the sanctuary's two- or three-day pack trips, on which visitors take trail rides to observe wild horses in their natural surroundings.

Not a fan of riding? The sanctuary, which covers 5,000 acres, is open to the public on Wednesdays and Saturdays for wild horse viewing; free. All proceeds are used to support the preservation of wild horses.

5796 Wilson Hill Road, Shingletown (in Northern California's Shasta County). Phone 530-335-2241 or see www.wildhorsesanctuary.org.

Old Tucson Studios, Tucson

This film set, built 70 years ago as a replica of 1860s Tucson, has been used as the background in more than 300 Western movies and TV shows, including four of John Wayne's most popular Westerns (such as "Rio Bravo").

Now it's also a small-scale theme park. In addition to studio tours, visitors can pan for gold, take trail rides, enjoy a "can-can" musical in the saloon, and dodge gunfight shows.

201 Kinney Road, Tucson, Ariz. Phone 520-883-0100 or see www.oldtucson.com.