Visiting Jackson, Wyoming

Thanks to a work trip, Johnny and I ventured to Jackson, Wyoming this fall. Jackson sits at the entrance of the Grand Teton National Park, and is a short drive from Yellowstone National Park. It’s a small town, and prides itself on being a true western town (the “Last of the Old West”).

Walking around town, you feel the wild west atmosphere. Jackson recently celebrated its 100th anniversary, and the whole town is proud of their history.

In the middle of the town, there are multiple archways crafted from elk antlers. Each spring, the male elk shed their antlers. They were collected and crafted into archways. While we were there, a group started to string multi-colored twinkle lights for the coming holiday season, making the archways even more festive.

Most people come during skiing season, since Jackson is a fantastic place to ski and snowboard. We got to visit in between the summer and winter seasons, which was just as delightful!

We stayed at The Lodge at Jackson Hole, which provided the perfect combination of comfort and wild west. I enjoyed the moose and bear decor.

Even cooler, I tweeted about our stay when I booked the visit, and the Lodge provided this complimentary wine in our room! Malbec happens to be my favorite red, so double win.

We spent some time in the downtown area – walking all around Jackson Square. There are tons of art galleries, handcrafted furniture stores, and kitschy stores. It was fun just perusing through all the selections.

Of course, we also ventured into the downtown area for food!

Our first night, we ate at the Wort Hotel’s Silver Dollar Grill. The atmosphere was perfect for our first night — it’s definitely a local hangout spot. We snagged a table by the window and ate hummus with veggies, and two warm sandwiches.

I hosted a dinner for a WAC alum and a local college counselor at Rendezvous Bistro. This is THE place to be on a Thursday night in Jackson. All the celebrities come here to eat when they’re in town. We didn’t see anyone, but our dinner guests mentioned recently seeing Sandra Bullock, Harrison Ford, and Dick Cheney.

While strolling through town, we stopped at Healthy Being Juicery and split a gingerly juice — romaine, spinach, cucumber, parsley, celery, pear, ginger, and lemon.

My hands-down favorite meal was consumed at Trio American Bistro. We dined here Friday night after a very eventful afternoon in Yellowstone. The complimentary bubbly and our super cool server would’ve been enough, but the mushroom risotto I ate was the best meal I had in Jackson.

A close runner-up was our last dinner in town at Liberty Burger. A super sassy place, they serve a delicious burger to meet every personality. I enjoyed the Wild West burger with a giant side salad. The restaurant has a few small tables, but most customers sit at this long farmhouse-style table. I loved it!

Next up in the Wyoming series: our memorable trip to Yellowstone National Park!