A different sort of way to enjoy a full summer’s day in Jackson Hole can involve heading over to the historic and decidedly Western Town Square for hours of fun and food in and around the heart and soul of Jackson. Bring your walking shoes, your wallet and your wide grin, simply park your vehicle on or near the square, and get ready for a unique and memorable experience.
Traveler Tidbit: Originally an informal town square of dirt — first “inhabited” by cattle in the early 1900s — the area slowly emerged into George Washington Memorial Park in 1934, becoming forever known as Jackson Town Square. It became and remains the cultural, civic and mercantile heart of the Town of Jackson.
Grab Breakfast at…
… The Bunnery, Persephone, Cafe Genevieve or Snake River Roasting Cafe.
Traveler Tip: Whether or not you choose Cafe Genevieve for this morning meal, make sure to purchase a bag of the eatery’s amazing Pig Candy. Cooked in-house daily, the thick applewood-smoked bacon, coated with a blend of sugars and spices, has been featured on Food Network’s “Triple D” and "The Today Show.”
Go Visit the Jackson Hole Historical Society and Museum
Located at its brand-new location on East Broadway (as of June 2024), take in the many fascinating exhibits of the early days of Jackson Hole as well as embark on a one-hour guided tour of downtown’s historic sights and buildings beginning at 10:30 a.m. every Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. The tour cost is $10 for adults, $6 for students, people age 60-plus and students. Children age 5 and under are free. The museum itself is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday.
• Walk a few blocks north from the museum to the National Elk Refuge and Greater Yellowstone Visitor Center on Cache and explore the exhibits and view of the National Elk Refuge.
Take a Horse-Drawn Stagecoach Ride Around the Square
The Jackson Hole Stagecoach, led by two Clydesdale horses, has been circling Jackson’s Town Square for 65-plus years and is more than 100 years old. Everything is original just like in the 1800s. It’s the only stagecoach in the United States you can ride on top of (perfect for kids) and is a big attraction for our European guests. Four to six passengers can fit into the Old West stagecoach, for a 10-minute trip throughout downtown Jackson. Tickets are $6 to $10 and can be purchased in the Stage Stop Building.
RELATED STORY: Horsin' Around in Jackson Hole
Choose to Lunch at…
… Jackson Drug, Local, Pearl Street Market, Hand Fire Pizza, The Bunnery, Persephone, Roadhouse Pub & Eatery, Snake River Roasting, Snake River Brewing, Silver Dollar Bar & Grill, Cafe Genevieve, or Pinky G’s.
Indulge In an After-Lunch Goodie
Buy an ice cream treat from Haagen Daz or choose some classic or modern-day candy favorites from Yippy-IO—the sweets emporium of Jackson Hole—and bring your delicious dessert over to the square’s park for some fun people-watching.
Take the Inevitable Selfie Under the Arches
No bucket list trip to Jackson Hole is complete without having snapped a souvenir photograph of yourself under the iconic elk antler arches! Wave at the webcams set up high above and across the southwest and northeast sides of the Town Square park.
FUN FACT: Each arch is comprised of 2,000 antlers.
Enjoy Some Retail Therapy
We recommend stops at locally-owned stores such as: Teton Mountaineering, MADE, Belle Cose, Skinny Skis, JD High Country Outfitters, Valley Bookstore, Workshop, Two Grey Hills, JW Bennett, J.C. Jewelers, Jackson Hole Jewelry, DanShelley Jewelers, and Mountain Man Toy Shop.
• Maybe do an afternoon wine tasting of select Jackson Hole Winery goodness at New West Knifeworks at 98 Center St., and ogle the variety of custom-made knives that represent the cutting edge of cutlery.
RELATED STORIES: Local Makers, Shopping on Town Square
Check Out the Art Galleries
Jackson Hole is one of the top art towns in the West. Offering everything from Western to contemporary visual art and sculpture, our galleries will keep you enthralled. Pop into Tom Mangelsen’s Images of Nature, Gallery Wild, Turner Fine Art, Ringholz Studios, Altamira, Heather James Fine Art, and/or Two Grey Hills.
Let the Kids Loose
If you have kids in tow, let them burn off some steam for half an hour and enjoy the playground equipment and grassy lawn in Miller Park, located just a few blocks from the square.
RELATED STORIES: 8 Things to Do with Kids in Summer in Jackson Hole, Multigenerational Family Fun in the Tetons
Get Your “Real” Wild West on
Experience the Town Square Shootout, the longest-running shootout in the country. At 6 p.m. nightly, (except Sunday), cowboys, gunslingers and saloon girls—all actors from the Jackson Hole Playhouse—gather on the northeast corner of the square for a fictional and musical reenactment of frontier town justice. While they use real guns during the shootout (and yes, the sound is loud) please rest assured: They are shooting blanks.
Finish Your Day With a Yummy Dinner
Head over to one of our recommended restaurants: Gather, Kitchen, Kampai, Figs in Hotel Jackson, Bin22, Coelette, Orsetto, Snake River Grill, or the Million Dollar Cowboy Bar Steakhouse. Or choose dinner and show at the Jackson Hole Playhouse. This summer's musical production is "Oklahoma!".
Bonus Fun on the Square
Tim McLaurin — a.k.a. "Jackson's Biggest Rockstar" — has kept Town Square bumping for four years with sweet moves and a contagious smile. Tim, who has Down Syndrome, started daytime dancing publicly on March 31, 2020, during the COVID-19 lockdown. He has received recognition from several big names in the music biz, including Darius Rucker of Hootie and the Blowfish and fellow Jackson resident Nikki Sixx from Mötley Crüe. Tim doesn't have set hours for his daily dance sessions (he works at Vertical Harvest when he's not entertaining), but dance and rock out he does, no matter the weather. Keep an eye and ear out for him during your visit!
The Last Word
Who knew there was so much fun, food and fascination to be had in downtown Jackson? A day spent wandering and indulging in the delights on the iconic Town Square will prove to be a special memory of your visit to the Hole.
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