1. Shop & dine in Downtown Jackson!
We went to Downtown Jackson a few separate times to enjoy the scenery, shopping and dining options. It is best to make lunch/dinner reservations in advance because they get a lot of visitors especially during the summer months and the reservations fill up quick! Here are a few shopping/dining places that we recommend:
- Breweries/Wine Bars: Snake River Brewing + StillWest Brewery & Grill + Gather which is a wine/cocktail bar
- Lunch: Cafe Genevieve was a cute lunch spot and had a mean BLT! Sidewinders was also a good lunch choice that we ate at 2 times. They had some amazing parmesan truffle fries aka the way to our hearts!
- Dinner: We had dinner 2x at ‘Local’. It is right next to the Million Dollar Cowboy Bar in town and was really good if you are wanting a nice dinner.
- You must stop by the store, ‘Made’! It has a variety of Jackson made goods. We found several unique items! This was probably our favorite store in Jackson!
- Lee’s Tees was a great t-shirt shop and had a good selection of ball caps as well!
- Beaver Creek Hat & Leathers made all of our hat dreams come true! Highly recommend stopping in.
2. Do a guided tour in Yellowstone!
Yellowstone is over 2.2 Million Acres which is larger than Rhode Island and Delaware combined! Obviously the place is HUGE & were first timers so a tour just made sense for us! We did a full day/12 hour tour where our guide picked us up at 7am and dropped us back off at our house at 7pm. Sounds long, huh? Well, even with that long of a tour, we probably barely covered a small portion of Yellowstone. Our tour guide took us to some of the popular spots and told us which ones weren’t worth our time due to how crowded the park gets during the Summer months. It was nice to have someone that knew the area and was able to give us history and FAQ’s throughout the tour. It was a couple hour drive from our house in Jackson to there but definitely a beautiful drive and highly recommend seeing Yellowstone this way.
3. Horseback riding in the Grand Tetons!
We did a 2 hour, group horseback ride at the Heart 6 Ranch in Moran that we booked through trip advisor. It was about a 45 minute drive from Jackson – again, a beautiful drive that went quickly. The Grand Tetons are gorgeous so it was a great ride because we went up pretty high and were able to see some incredible views from the top. I’m sure there are several great options for horseback riding this is just the one we chose and 2 hours was a good amount of time because our rears did start to hurt some – haha!
4. See a show at the Playhouse!
HIGHLY recommend seeing a show at the Playhouse in downtown Jackson once night. The theatre is actually Jackson’s oldest building that was built in 1915 and originally used as a livery stable. You can choose to do dinner and the show or just arrive for the show. The dinner was just okay but definitely attend the show. They do the show Monday-Saturday and dinner is at 6pm and the show starts at 8pm. We bought our tickets prior to our trip.
Don’t forget to try some huckleberry soda at the show! It’s made local in Jackson!
https://www.jacksonplayhouse.com
5. Attend the Jackson Hole Rodeo!
We ate Bubba’s BBQ and then went to the rodeo that started at 8pm! This rodeo has been happening in Jackson for over 120 years and was a lot of fun! If you buy your tickets ahead of time you can save some $$.
6. Relax at a Hot Springs!
We visited the Astoria Hot Springs on our last morning in Jackson for some relaxation! Astoria has 5 different pools – some are hotter than others. These are man-made pools but are fed by natural hot springs. You are able to relax while enjoying some great views. Astoriaโs mineral water includes magnesium, free sulfur, calcium, potassium, sodium, chloride, and alkalinity. These minerals each have been said to have specific health benefits, including reducing inflammation, soothing skin conditions, increasing oxygen levels in blood and many, many more. We ended up staying about an hour or so which was a good amount of time to relax before we finished off our last day in Jackson!
https://astoriahotspringspark.org
The Granite Hot Springs also has good reviews if you are wanting another option!
7. Rent bikes and enjoy the many bike trails Jackson has to offer!
We rented Pededgo electric bikes in Jackson for a day and took the trails to the Grand Teton Village Resort. It was an awesome ride! There are a ton of signs/bike trails all around Jackson. We would have done this another day if we’d have had more time.
https://www.pedegoelectricbikes.com/dealers/jackson
8. Hike Jenny Lake!
We recommend parking at the North Loop entrance because it is a lot less crowded than the South Loop entrance to Jenny Lake. We went to Jenny Lake two separate mornings to do some hiking. If you want to hike all of Jenny Lake it is roughly 7 miles but make sure to atleast hike to Hidden Falls which is a beautifal waterfall!
Jenny Lake is a great place to bring your hammock, book and a picnic lunch. They have bear safe lockers for you to put your lunch in until you are ready to eat. We were there in mid-June and a lot of people were swimming, kayaking (have to bring you own to this location), and paddle boarding. We only hiked but relaxing at Jenny Lake will be top on our list for our next visit. It is so breathtaking & relaxing!
9. Visit the Million Dollar Cowboy Bar!
Wyoming’s landmark watering hole. The Million Dollar Cowboy Bar is located on the town square in the heart of Jackson. This bar was established in 1937 – countless celebrities, presidents, royalty, cowhands, as well as people from all walks of life, have enjoyed great fun within the walls of the iconic Million Dollar Cowboy Bar.
The Million Dollar Cowboy Bar is internationally famous for its western dancing and live entertainment. The Cowboy Bar provides live music and continues to feature local and nationally recognized bands. You must be 21+ to enter this bar at all times of the day. This place is really cool. We recommend at least going in for a drink before dinner – it’s a really cool vibe!
https://www.milliondollarcowboybar.com/about
10. Visit the famous T.A. Moulton Barn for some photos!
Don’t forget to stop by the T.A. Moulton Barn – it is said to be the most photographed barn in America! The barn is part of Mormon Row in Moose, Wyoming, which was established in the late 1800s. Mormon settlers came from Idaho and formed small homestead communities in the otherwise isolated land. Today, the clusters of historic buildings they built look like a ghost town, now protected to preserve the spirit of the American frontier. This is a great place for pictures and views of the Tetons!
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