Startle

Jackson Hole isn’t home to any hip clubs. Here nightlife focuses on classic cowboy watering holes where western swing rules, quiet drinks at bars with amazing views and live music by local and national acts.

The Million Dollar Cowboy Bar and its saddle-topped bar stools, knobbled-pine interior, bar inlaid with 592 or 624 silver dollars (depending on who’s counting) and animal mounts have been a mainstay on Jackson’s Town Square since 1937. The bar’s neon bucking bronco might be the most photographed thing in the valley after the Tetons and the elk antler arches. Musicians from Waylon Jennings to Willie Nelson have graced its stage. Live music happens every night during the summer and on winter weekends, but don’t try any line dancing here. Real cowboys are western swingers. There are free dance lessons at 7 p.m. Thursdays throughout the summer.

Out in Wilson at the Stagecoach Bar, it’s a toss up whether the Thursday night disco parties or the Sunday night performances by the Stagecoach Band are more popular. The former is when the valley’s young and beautiful dress up in barely-there clothes; the latter is more sedate and a Jackson Hole tradition, going strong for more than 40 years. When you tire of dancing, there are pool tables, darts, a jukebox, and a full package liquor store.

Not a bar for partying, but still one of the valley’s most popular late-night hangouts is the Snake River Brewery. Not only has Snake River Brewing been twice named ”Small Brewery of the Year” at the Great American Beer Festival in Denver, Colorado, but it’s also got its own bakery and restaurant. It doesn’t just turn out great beer, but food to match. Everything on the menu is handmade; the pub even bakes its own bread. You won’t find any steaks, but there is a wide range of sandwiches, burgers, pizzas, salads and pastas. There’s even a kids’ menu. For many, the highlight of the menu, after the beer, is the S’more dessert: a homemade graham cracker topped with a melted Hershey bar and marshmallow. But back to beer: At any time there are at least seven beers on tap covering a wide variety of lagers and ales. Since 2006, there’s even been an organic beer: Organic Beer #1 (or ”OB-1” for short). It’s an English-style Brown Ale that is as good for the environment as it is for you.

Jackson Hole isn’t much of a brunch place. In fact, there are no brunch menus in the valley. There are plenty of Jackson Hole restaurants that do fabulous breakfasts though.

1. The Alpine House. Of course, the breakfast at the Alpine House is healthy considering that the inn is owned and run by two former Olympians. The daily breakfast buffet is organic and usually includes housemade granola, housemade pastries and muffins, gourmet meats and cheeses, artisan breads, fresh fruit, yogurt, juices, and locally roasted organic coffee and espresso drinks. There are usually two hot options — malted waffles, eggs benedict — to choose from daily too.

2. Jenny Lake Lodge. The prix fixe, all-you-can-eat breakfast at Jenny Lake Lodge is definitely worth the hike. The roasted buffalo hash with its finger-size hunks of meat, cinnamon roll French toast, eggs benedict topped with housemade hollandaise, and huckleberry pancakes come with sides of history (the log lodge dates from 1922) — and convenience — out of all the lodges in the park, this is closest to the big peaks and any trailhead.

3. Breakfast on a boat. Breakfast on Elk Island in the middle of Jackson Lake in Grand Teton National Park starts with a boat ride. The guides on these boats, which depart from the Colter Bay Marina, are knowledgeable and, once you’re at Elk Island, the food is great — corn-dusted trout fillets, cowboy potatoes, and some breads. The best part of this breakfast, though, is the view. There are no better views of Mount Moran than those from Elk Island.

4. Bread Basket/La Canasta del Pan. The quick-and-easy (and inexpensive) bread basket/la canasta del pan is a split personality of the best kind. You can have your pan dulce and your chocolate croissant too. There are French and Mexican influences in the bakery’s kitchen, which makes everything from scratch every day. The mild cheese-filled Danishes are the best north of the border.

5. The actual breakfast items at Jackson Hole Roasters are limited to baked goods, but local coffee snobs don’t seem to care. Not only is the coffee here roasted in a historic log cabin, which conveniently sits right next door, but JH Roasters shelled out $11,000 for a Clover, a single-cup coffee brewer which lets the barista — and these baristas know what they’re doing — brew every cup of coffee based on the characteristic of the coffee bean.

Jackson Hole’s restaurant scene is the biggest, fanciest and most diverse in the state. Within a one-block radius in downtown Jackson you can find a New York-style pizza joint serving up thin crust slices, and a walk-up eatery that, in the morning, sells breakfast burritos the size of your head, and, come dinner time, makes Nepalese-style dumplings, called momos. If the restaurant scene is lacking anything, it’s mid-priced eateries. There are plenty of sandwich and salad shops and lots of restaurants with $10 cocktails, but not so much in between.

Restaurants here come and go quickly, but locals are fiercely loyal to and supportive of the good ones. The Snake River Brewery is just as popular for its food as its beer. The Snake River Grill has been generally regarded as the valley’s best fine dining restaurant for two decades.

For a small town, Jackson Hole has many places to hear live music by both touring and local musicians. Inside the Wort Hotel in downtown Jackson, the Silver Dollar Bar & Grill is one of the most consistent venues for live, local music in the valley. The schedule is constantly changing, but Tuesday nights are often given over to bluegrass. Wondering where this place’s name came from? The bar has 2,032 silver dollars inlaid in it.

On a butte 700-feet above the valley floor, the Granary, inside Spring Creek Resort, is only a 10-minute drive from downtown Jackson, but feels much further away — in a good way. Little but the Tetons can be seen through its giant picture windows. The Granary Lounge has live music of the jazz variety most weekends.

Performing every Sunday night at the Stagecoach Bar in Wilson, the Stagecoach Band first took the stage 40-some years ago. Missing only the Sunday nights that have happened to coincide with New Year’s Eve and Christmas, the Stagecoach Band is famous. Everyone from grizzled cowboys to former Olympians makes room in their schedules for dancing Sunday night at the Stagecoach. Nowadays, the band is as strong as ever. They played their 2,000th performance in August 2007. There’s a roster of over 20 regional musicians to choose from. The band’s first second-generation member joined a little over six years ago. Bob Dylan, Tom Paxton and Jerry Jeff Walker have all joined the band on stage.

Out in Teton Village, the Mangy Moose Saloon brings great regional and national acts to the valley. Medeski, Martin & Wood, G. Love and Special Sauce, Maceo Parker, Blues Traveler, Reverend Horton Heat, and Martin Sexton have all played at this intimate — but often raucous — space.

Jackson Hole isn’t so much a place for watching live sports. Locals and visitors prefer to do them. There is an amateur local hockey team — the Jackson Hole Moose — that occasionally plays matches against other teams from the Mountain West at Snow King Center during the winter. There are halfpipe competitions every so often at the Jackson Hole Mountain Resort, too.

To watch football and soccer games, Sidewinders has the biggest and most televisions of any bar in the valley. Snake River Brewery also has a handful of televisions, but the building’s acoustics make it difficult to hear. If there’s a game you need to see, try Sidewinders. They’ve got pretty good pizza and nachos too.

Packing for Jackson Hole can be complicated considering that summer days can be 80 F during the day and dip into the low 40s at night. Winter days can be many — many — degrees below zero on the valley floor, but 25 F halfway up the mountain at Jackson Hole Mountain Resort. Temperature inversions in the winter are not at all uncommon.

Year round, the key to navigating these temperature extremes is layer, layer, layer. It’s just the layers’ thickness that varies depending on the month. A warm down — or synthetic down — jacket is a good thing to have year round, as absurd as it sounds.

Although Jackson Hole has plenty of fancy restaurants and hotels, jeans are acceptable to wear anywhere in the valley. If you mention a tie, it had better be in reference to fly-fishing. Because of the high altitude, hats and sunscreen are recommended no matter what month you are visiting.

The best museums in Jackson Hole are the National Museum of Wildlife Art, the Jackson Hole Historical Society and Museum, and the Colter Bay Indian Arts Museum. These are also the only three museums in Jackson Hole. The Colter Bay Museum is in Grand Teton National Park. The other two are in Jackson.

Founded over 50 years ago, the Jackson Hole Museum is a place where you can learn about Jackson’s all-women town council, as well as the Old West. Opened in 2011, the new Jackson Hole Museum is roomier, nicer and has even more exhibits than the old building. It is also open year round, which the old museum was not. Exhibits still capture the spirit and the culture of the early days of Jackson Hole, Grand Teton and the Yellowstone region. There is memorabilia from early dude ranching days, as well as valley homesteaders. There are also wildlife exhibits and cowboy and pioneer clothing for kids to play with.

In Grand Teton National Park, the Colter Bay Indian Arts Museum is partially closing for renovations and restoration after summer 2011. While the majority of the more than 2,000-item collection of Plains Indian artifacts in Tucson, Arizona are being restored, a few artifacts will be on exhibit in a much reduced space. Though Native Americans never lived year round in Grand Teton National Park, the museum’s collection was donated to the government by the Rockefeller family with the stipulation that it be displayed in GTNP. The pieces in the collection date mostly from the Reservation Period (1850 - 1880) and come from Central and High Plains tribes.

Over the past two decades, Jackson Hole has slowly become one of the largest art centers in the West and the National Museum of Wildlife Art — with a 4,000-piece permanent collection that includes works by artists from John J. Audubon to Picasso — is the art scene’s centerpiece. In 2012, an outdoor sculpture trail and terrace, designed by noted Oakland landscape architect Walter Hood, is set to open. Another way to enjoy the NMWA is at its Rising Sage Café, which serves sandwiches, salads, soups and sweets alongside sweeping views out over the National Elk Refuge.

Jackson Hole isn’t home to any hip clubs. Here nightlife focuses on classic cowboy watering holes where western swing rules, quiet drinks at bars with amazing views and live music by local and national acts.

The Million Dollar Cowboy Bar and its saddle-topped bar stools, knobbled-pine interior, bar inlaid with 592 or 624 silver dollars (depending on who’s counting) and animal mounts have been a mainstay on Jackson’s Town Square since 1937. The bar’s neon bucking bronco might be the most photographed thing in the valley after the Tetons and the elk antler arches. Musicians from Waylon Jennings to Willie Nelson have graced its stage. Live music happens every night during the summer and on winter weekends, but don’t try any line dancing here. Real cowboys are western swingers. There are free dance lessons at 7 p.m. Thursdays throughout the summer.

Out in Wilson at the Stagecoach Bar, it’s a toss up whether the Thursday night disco parties or the Sunday night performances by the Stagecoach Band are more popular. The former is when the valley’s young and beautiful dress up in barely-there clothes; the latter is more sedate and a Jackson Hole tradition, going strong for more than 40 years. When you tire of dancing, there are pool tables, darts, a jukebox, and a full package liquor store.

Not a bar for partying, but still one of the valley’s most popular late-night hangouts is the Snake River Brewery. Not only has Snake River Brewing been twice named ”Small Brewery of the Year” at the Great American Beer Festival in Denver, Colorado, but it’s also got its own bakery and restaurant. It doesn’t just turn out great beer, but food to match. Everything on the menu is handmade; the pub even bakes its own bread. You won’t find any steaks, but there is a wide range of sandwiches, burgers, pizzas, salads and pastas. There’s even a kids’ menu. For many, the highlight of the menu, after the beer, is the S’more dessert: a homemade graham cracker topped with a melted Hershey bar and marshmallow. But back to beer: At any time there are at least seven beers on tap covering a wide variety of lagers and ales. Since 2006, there’s even been an organic beer: Organic Beer #1 (or ”OB-1” for short). It’s an English-style Brown Ale that is as good for the environment as it is for you.

Once a rough and tumble mining town, Jackson, and its surrounding area of Jackson Hole, has grown increasingly upscale over the past decade, and now offers a range of upscale places to stay, many with full-service spas and creative restaurants (you’ll find lots of game on the menu here). If you’re in Jackson to ski, choose a hotel in Teton Village, the tiny cluster of buildings situated at the base of Jackson Hole Mountain Resort. Or stay in the charming, old-west town of Jackson, located 12 miles from Teton Village and closer to the Jackson airport, Teton National Park, Yellowstone and the area’s top attractions. Wherever you choose to stay, be sure to take time to explore the “hole” (or valley, in Old West-speak) and its gorgeous mountains and rugged charm.

1. Four Seasons Resort Jackson Hole. Tucked at the base of Jackson Hole Mountain resort with ski-in/ski-out access, Four Seasons Resort Jackson Hole manages to deliver Five-Star service with laid-back Western charm (something that’s harder to do than it looks). From the charming doormen in their 10-gallon cowboy hats to the knowledgeable ski concierges (who will warm your boots for you when you come in for lunch at the Westbank Grill), the staff here works hard to take care of guests while making them feel at home at the same time. In winter, the outdoor heated pools are attended by servers in white fur hats, who offer everything from schnapps-spiked hot chocolate and s’mores to heated robes and towels. Rooms are spacious and comfortable, with working fireplaces and leather club chairs to lounge in, and oversized bathrooms stocked with L’Occitane products.

2. Amangani. Situated just inside the southern entrance of Grand Teton National Park, Amangani is a hot-spot for the rich and famous. Atop a dramatic butte with views of the valley (you’ll want to spend some time in the heated pool taking in those amazing views), this chic, secluded resort delivers an atmosphere that’s almost hushed in its luxury (you’ll feel like you’re the only one here). This Four-Star hotel is the epitome of the après ski lifestyle. Though there isn’t ski-in/ski-out access at the hotel itself, Amangani showcases this luxurious amenity at its Ski Lounge, seated at the base of Jackson Hole Mountain Resort. The hotel offers complimentary shuttle rides to and from the mountain, which is just 20 minutes away.

3. Hotel Terra. An eco-minded boutique hotel located adjacent to Jackson Hole Mountain Resort’s new “Big Red” tram, Hotel Terra has contemporary, streamlined rooms, sixty of which were added in 2009 along with an awesome outdoor pool. The silver LEED-certified hotel flaunts contemporary, Western artwork, such as sculptures made of reclaimed barn wood, alongside its eco-friendly touches like oversize Low-E windows, which retain heat in the winter and reflect it in the summer. Sure the rooms may seem urbanized at first glance, but look closer and you’ll see the Western touches such as the cow print pedestal in the Urban Studio guest rooms. Don’t miss out on a fabulous dinner at the hotel’s restaurant, Osteria.

For an area its size — about 13,000 year-round residents — Jackson Hole showcases quite a rich cultural scene. For seven weeks every summer, the Grand Teton Music Festival performs chamber and symphony concerts at Walk Festival Hall in Teton Village. While in the fall, the two-week-long Jackson Hole Fall Arts Festival draws artists and collectors from across the country for exhibits, sales, a design conference, food events and even an art auction.

The rest of the year, the heart of Jackson Hole’s art scene is the National Museum of Wildlife Art. The museum has a 4,000-piece permanent collection that includes works from John J. Audubon to Picasso. While wildlife and western-themed art do rule both at the NMWA and in Jackson Hole as a whole, don’t expect just boring and predictable landscapes and animals at the NMWA. Recent exhibits include Great Plains: America’s Lingering Wild; Collection Spotlight: Rembrandt Bugatti and the Antwerp School; A Change of Seasons: Wildlife in Spring, Summer, Fall and Winter; and, perhaps most popular in recent times, Wild New Ways: Maurice Sendak’s Animal Kingdom.

The Jackson Hole Center for the Arts, in downtown Jackson, is home to 15 local, state and regional not-for-profit arts organizations, a performing arts pavilion with a 500-seat theater, a Music Center, and theater rehearsal space.

The Center for the Arts schedule is constantly changing. If you’re looking for a gallery show, music concert, special screening of a movie, a ceramics master class or a dance performance, you should check out the Center for the Arts first. Sometimes performers are local, other times they’re the New York City Ballet.

The best way to see Jackson Hole in two days is to spend one day in Jackson and the second in Grand Teton National Park. If you don’t mind switching hotels, go for a night in downtown Jackson. Spend the second night at some sort of lodge in Grand Teton or you can opt for the Four-Star Amangani, which is located just inside the southern boundary of the national park. If you’re visiting during ski season, maybe spend the first night in Jackson and the second in Teton Village, where the Jackson Hole Mountain Resort is. We suggest the Five-Star Four Seasons Resort Jackson Hole at the base of the ski resort.

Day 1: Start with a leisurely breakfast at the Alpine House Inn. You’ll want to fuel up fully to prepare for wandering around Jackson’s historic downtown. When you need a break from shopping and perusing the numerous art galleries, lunch is at Betty Rock Café. After lunch, make for the National Museum of Wildlife Art, which has a permanent collection of over 4,000 pieces of western and wildlife art from artists from Audubon to Picasso.

For an afternoon dose of culture, head to the Million Dollar Cowboy Saloon, where the bar stools are topped with saddles and real cowboys mingle with dudes. After a local brew, you’re headed to Rendezvous Bistro, a couple of miles south of town for some chichi American comfort food, for dinner.

Day 2: Because you’re headed into Grand Teton National Park today, grab a quick breakfast at the locals’ favorite Pearl Street Bagels in downtown Jackson before heading north. En route to the park, take a short detour to Kelly. Your mission is to spot bison. After you’ve seen a few members of the country’s largest herd of free roaming buffalo, head for the southern entrance to Grand Teton National Park. Make sure to stop at the Craig Thomas Discovery and Visitor Center. If it’s summer, see if there’s a scenic float trip down the Snake River that has room for you. During the snowy winter, ask the staff at the visitor center if there’s a free ranger-led snowshoe tour heading out.

Keep heading further into the park, your end destination is Jackson Lake Lodge for dinner in its Mural Room, which serves regional specialties in an elegant setting with massive picture windows looking out on Jackson Lake and Mount Moran, the highest of the park’s northern peaks.

The best way to see Jackson Hole in a day is to concentrate your energies on the town of Jackson and the southern part of Grand Teton National Park. Start with a quick breakfast — a fresh bagel and coffee —  at the locals’ favorite Pearl Street Bagels in downtown Jackson before driving north to Kelly. You’re headed to this tiny town inside Grand Teton National Park to look for bison; so make it your mission to keep your eyes peeled. If the ground’s covered with snow, you can save the drive to Kelly — you won’t see any bison out there because they’ve migrated to lower elevations — and instead take a sleigh ride into the National Elk Refuge, where thousands of elk winter alongside a few hundred buffalo.

After you’ve seen a few members of the country’s largest herd of free roaming buffalo, head for the southern entrance to Grand Teton National Park. Just before the entrance station, make sure to stop at the Craig Thomas Discovery and Visitor Center. It’ll give you a better idea of what you want to see inside the park along with some of the history and also a close look at the lives of some of the animals that live in the park. If it’s summer, see if there’s a scenic float trip down the Snake River that has room for you. During the winter, ask the Visitor Center if there’s a free ranger-led snowshoe tour heading out.

If you want to explore a bit of the park on your own, head towards the Bradley and Taggart Lakes Trailhead, three miles up the road from the southern entrance station. Trails circle the lakes year round. In the winter, the road is closed beyond this trailhead/parking area. Unusual for the Tetons, the trails here are gently rolling rather than steep climbs.

After you’ve finished in the park, head back towards Jackson. If you didn’t stop at the National Museum of Wildlife Art to catch the winter sleigh ride, stop on your way back into town.

If it’s summer, your goal is to make it back to town by 6 p.m. The Jackson Hole Shootout Gang has been pitting good against bad six evenings a week between Memorial Day and Labor Day for nearly 60 years, making it the longest running gunfight in the country. The script changes a little every year, but you can bet there will be a damsel in distress, an escaped outlaw, a few cheesy stunts and more than a little shooting (blanks, of course).

From the Shootout, walk across the Square to the Million Dollar Cowboy Saloon, where the bar stools are topped with saddles and real cowboys mingle with tourists. There’s a steakhouse in the basement, but just go for a drink in the bar. You’ve got dinner reservations at Couloir restaurant out in Teton Village. At 9,065 feet at the top of the Jackson Hole Mountain Resort’s gondola, Couloir’s views are as tasty as the food.

The best time to visit Jackson Hole depends on what you want to do. The ski season at the Jackson Hole Mountain Resort runs from late November or early December (the opening date is different every year) through the first weekend of April. For the remainder of April and into May, most hiking and biking trails are still covered with snow, so there isn’t an opportunity to get into the mountains unless you have those expert mountaineering skills. But, summer’s crowds haven’t yet descended on Grand Teton National Park, so if you want to see the park sans hiking, May is a great month. Keep in mind that if you make the trek before this, some of the park’s roads are closed from November 1st to May 1st. June can be a very iffy month in terms of weather; it can be glorious, with days in the 70s and 80s, or it can be snowing, as it did for most of June 2011.

Summer almost always has arrived by the Fourth of July. Both July and August offer the most stable weather — days in the 80s with nights getting down into the 40s — but the valley is packed. Between Memorial Day and Labor Day, an estimated 3 million cars pass by Jackson’s Town Square. There’s a reason there are so many visitors here during this time though: it’s absolutely beautiful.

Locals often say September or October is their favorite month. With the increased popularity of the Jackson Hole Fall Arts Festival, September is now almost as busy as August; but it’s a very different crowd from the earlier summer tourists. September visitors usually spend more time in Jackson and less time in Grand Teton National Park, which means that, for those who do visit the park, it’s pretty quiet. Wildlife is also fairly visible as they beef up for the upcoming winter. Jackson Hole doesn’t have a ton of fall color because it just doesn’t have that many deciduous trees, but the color that it does get comes in September.

October, when there’s an Indian Summer, is spectacular. It’s just as likely that it will be snowing and sunny though, so visiting this month is best for those who are flexible with their plans. In November, many restaurants, galleries, and shops are closed. Snow has begun to fall ending summer activities, but ski season has yet to start, putting the area in a sort of limbo when it comes to activities.

The best shopping in Jackson Hole is in the tiny ski town of Jackson, surrounding the centerpiece, Town Square. You can peruse contemporary and Western art galleries, sporting goods shops, clothing boutiques, a bookstore, candy shops, shops selling souvenirs and T-shirts, and, for when you get hungry, cute eateries. Mountain Khakis were born in Jackson Hole in 2003 and locals from skiers to ranch hands quickly took notice. Look for MK’s Original Mountain Pant or Alpine Pant at Jack Dennis Sports and Skinny Skis.

When you’re feeling fancier than Mountain Khakis, Terra carries edgy skinny jeans from Genetic Denim, printed cashmere by Marika Charles, Tucker tops and skirts, and airy silks from Calypso alongside Robert Graham and B.D. Baggies items for men. It even keeps little ones styling with Under the Nile organic robes, wraps and teething toys.

If you are looking specifically for ski gear, Teton Village is overflowing with ski shops. Teton Village Sports has been around forever and has a great selection. Local resident and 1964 Olympic Gold Medalist, Pepi Stiegler, founded his eponymous ski shop, Pepi Stiegler’s Sports, which showcases the latest and greatest ski equipment as well as mountain gear and even ski rentals. In the summer, many of the shops transition to selling and renting bikes instead of skis.

In the tiny town of Wilson, at the base of Teton Pass, Hungry Jack’s General Store sells a little bit of everything, from locally-made truffles to cowboy boots. Wilson is on the way to one of the three ski resorts in the area, Grand Targhee, and makes for a great stopping point before the mountain pass.

Jackson Hole’s restaurant scene is the biggest, fanciest and most diverse in the state. Within a one-block radius in downtown Jackson you can find a New York-style pizza joint serving up thin crust slices, and a walk-up eatery that, in the morning, sells breakfast burritos the size of your head, and, come dinner time, makes Nepalese-style dumplings, called momos. If the restaurant scene is lacking anything, it’s mid-priced eateries. There are plenty of sandwich and salad shops and lots of restaurants with $10 cocktails, but not so much in between.

Restaurants here come and go quickly, but locals are fiercely loyal to and supportive of the good ones. The Snake River Brewery is just as popular for its food as its beer. The Snake River Grill has been generally regarded as the valley’s best fine dining restaurant for two decades.

Jackson Hole isn’t much of a brunch place. In fact, there are no brunch menus in the valley. There are plenty of Jackson Hole restaurants that do fabulous breakfasts though.

1. The Alpine House. Of course, the breakfast at the Alpine House is healthy considering that the inn is owned and run by two former Olympians. The daily breakfast buffet is organic and usually includes housemade granola, housemade pastries and muffins, gourmet meats and cheeses, artisan breads, fresh fruit, yogurt, juices, and locally roasted organic coffee and espresso drinks. There are usually two hot options — malted waffles, eggs benedict — to choose from daily too.

2. Jenny Lake Lodge. The prix fixe, all-you-can-eat breakfast at Jenny Lake Lodge is definitely worth the hike. The roasted buffalo hash with its finger-size hunks of meat, cinnamon roll French toast, eggs benedict topped with housemade hollandaise, and huckleberry pancakes come with sides of history (the log lodge dates from 1922) — and convenience — out of all the lodges in the park, this is closest to the big peaks and any trailhead.

3. Breakfast on a boat. Breakfast on Elk Island in the middle of Jackson Lake in Grand Teton National Park starts with a boat ride. The guides on these boats, which depart from the Colter Bay Marina, are knowledgeable and, once you’re at Elk Island, the food is great — corn-dusted trout fillets, cowboy potatoes, and some breads. The best part of this breakfast, though, is the view. There are no better views of Mount Moran than those from Elk Island.

4. Bread Basket/La Canasta del Pan. The quick-and-easy (and inexpensive) bread basket/la canasta del pan is a split personality of the best kind. You can have your pan dulce and your chocolate croissant too. There are French and Mexican influences in the bakery’s kitchen, which makes everything from scratch every day. The mild cheese-filled Danishes are the best north of the border.

5. The actual breakfast items at Jackson Hole Roasters are limited to baked goods, but local coffee snobs don’t seem to care. Not only is the coffee here roasted in a historic log cabin, which conveniently sits right next door, but JH Roasters shelled out $11,000 for a Clover, a single-cup coffee brewer which lets the barista — and these baristas know what they’re doing — brew every cup of coffee based on the characteristic of the coffee bean.

Jackson Hole isn’t home to any hip clubs. Here nightlife focuses on classic cowboy watering holes where western swing rules, quiet drinks at bars with amazing views and live music by local and national acts.

The Million Dollar Cowboy Bar and its saddle-topped bar stools, knobbled-pine interior, bar inlaid with 592 or 624 silver dollars (depending on who’s counting) and animal mounts have been a mainstay on Jackson’s Town Square since 1937. The bar’s neon bucking bronco might be the most photographed thing in the valley after the Tetons and the elk antler arches. Musicians from Waylon Jennings to Willie Nelson have graced its stage. Live music happens every night during the summer and on winter weekends, but don’t try any line dancing here. Real cowboys are western swingers. There are free dance lessons at 7 p.m. Thursdays throughout the summer.

Out in Wilson at the Stagecoach Bar, it’s a toss up whether the Thursday night disco parties or the Sunday night performances by the Stagecoach Band are more popular. The former is when the valley’s young and beautiful dress up in barely-there clothes; the latter is more sedate and a Jackson Hole tradition, going strong for more than 40 years. When you tire of dancing, there are pool tables, darts, a jukebox, and a full package liquor store.

Not a bar for partying, but still one of the valley’s most popular late-night hangouts is the Snake River Brewery. Not only has Snake River Brewing been twice named ”Small Brewery of the Year” at the Great American Beer Festival in Denver, Colorado, but it’s also got its own bakery and restaurant. It doesn’t just turn out great beer, but food to match. Everything on the menu is handmade; the pub even bakes its own bread. You won’t find any steaks, but there is a wide range of sandwiches, burgers, pizzas, salads and pastas. There’s even a kids’ menu. For many, the highlight of the menu, after the beer, is the S’more dessert: a homemade graham cracker topped with a melted Hershey bar and marshmallow. But back to beer: At any time there are at least seven beers on tap covering a wide variety of lagers and ales. Since 2006, there’s even been an organic beer: Organic Beer #1 (or ”OB-1” for short). It’s an English-style Brown Ale that is as good for the environment as it is for you.

For a small town, Jackson Hole has many places to hear live music by both touring and local musicians. Inside the Wort Hotel in downtown Jackson, the Silver Dollar Bar & Grill is one of the most consistent venues for live, local music in the valley. The schedule is constantly changing, but Tuesday nights are often given over to bluegrass. Wondering where this place’s name came from? The bar has 2,032 silver dollars inlaid in it.

On a butte 700-feet above the valley floor, the Granary, inside Spring Creek Resort, is only a 10-minute drive from downtown Jackson, but feels much further away — in a good way. Little but the Tetons can be seen through its giant picture windows. The Granary Lounge has live music of the jazz variety most weekends.

Performing every Sunday night at the Stagecoach Bar in Wilson, the Stagecoach Band first took the stage 40-some years ago. Missing only the Sunday nights that have happened to coincide with New Year’s Eve and Christmas, the Stagecoach Band is famous. Everyone from grizzled cowboys to former Olympians makes room in their schedules for dancing Sunday night at the Stagecoach. Nowadays, the band is as strong as ever. They played their 2,000th performance in August 2007. There’s a roster of over 20 regional musicians to choose from. The band’s first second-generation member joined a little over six years ago. Bob Dylan, Tom Paxton and Jerry Jeff Walker have all joined the band on stage.

Out in Teton Village, the Mangy Moose Saloon brings great regional and national acts to the valley. Medeski, Martin & Wood, G. Love and Special Sauce, Maceo Parker, Blues Traveler, Reverend Horton Heat, and Martin Sexton have all played at this intimate — but often raucous — space.

The best museums in Jackson Hole are the National Museum of Wildlife Art, the Jackson Hole Historical Society and Museum, and the Colter Bay Indian Arts Museum. These are also the only three museums in Jackson Hole. The Colter Bay Museum is in Grand Teton National Park. The other two are in Jackson.

Founded over 50 years ago, the Jackson Hole Museum is a place where you can learn about Jackson’s all-women town council, as well as the Old West. Opened in 2011, the new Jackson Hole Museum is roomier, nicer and has even more exhibits than the old building. It is also open year round, which the old museum was not. Exhibits still capture the spirit and the culture of the early days of Jackson Hole, Grand Teton and the Yellowstone region. There is memorabilia from early dude ranching days, as well as valley homesteaders. There are also wildlife exhibits and cowboy and pioneer clothing for kids to play with.

In Grand Teton National Park, the Colter Bay Indian Arts Museum is partially closing for renovations and restoration after summer 2011. While the majority of the more than 2,000-item collection of Plains Indian artifacts in Tucson, Arizona are being restored, a few artifacts will be on exhibit in a much reduced space. Though Native Americans never lived year round in Grand Teton National Park, the museum’s collection was donated to the government by the Rockefeller family with the stipulation that it be displayed in GTNP. The pieces in the collection date mostly from the Reservation Period (1850 - 1880) and come from Central and High Plains tribes.

Over the past two decades, Jackson Hole has slowly become one of the largest art centers in the West and the National Museum of Wildlife Art — with a 4,000-piece permanent collection that includes works by artists from John J. Audubon to Picasso — is the art scene’s centerpiece. In 2012, an outdoor sculpture trail and terrace, designed by noted Oakland landscape architect Walter Hood, is set to open. Another way to enjoy the NMWA is at its Rising Sage Café, which serves sandwiches, salads, soups and sweets alongside sweeping views out over the National Elk Refuge.

Jackson Hole isn’t so much a place for watching live sports. Locals and visitors prefer to do them. There is an amateur local hockey team — the Jackson Hole Moose — that occasionally plays matches against other teams from the Mountain West at Snow King Center during the winter. There are halfpipe competitions every so often at the Jackson Hole Mountain Resort, too.

To watch football and soccer games, Sidewinders has the biggest and most televisions of any bar in the valley. Snake River Brewery also has a handful of televisions, but the building’s acoustics make it difficult to hear. If there’s a game you need to see, try Sidewinders. They’ve got pretty good pizza and nachos too.

Once a rough and tumble mining town, Jackson, and its surrounding area of Jackson Hole, has grown increasingly upscale over the past decade, and now offers a range of upscale places to stay, many with full-service spas and creative restaurants (you’ll find lots of game on the menu here). If you’re in Jackson to ski, choose a hotel in Teton Village, the tiny cluster of buildings situated at the base of Jackson Hole Mountain Resort. Or stay in the charming, old-west town of Jackson, located 12 miles from Teton Village and closer to the Jackson airport, Teton National Park, Yellowstone and the area’s top attractions. Wherever you choose to stay, be sure to take time to explore the “hole” (or valley, in Old West-speak) and its gorgeous mountains and rugged charm.

1. Four Seasons Resort Jackson Hole. Tucked at the base of Jackson Hole Mountain resort with ski-in/ski-out access, Four Seasons Resort Jackson Hole manages to deliver Five-Star service with laid-back Western charm (something that’s harder to do than it looks). From the charming doormen in their 10-gallon cowboy hats to the knowledgeable ski concierges (who will warm your boots for you when you come in for lunch at the Westbank Grill), the staff here works hard to take care of guests while making them feel at home at the same time. In winter, the outdoor heated pools are attended by servers in white fur hats, who offer everything from schnapps-spiked hot chocolate and s’mores to heated robes and towels. Rooms are spacious and comfortable, with working fireplaces and leather club chairs to lounge in, and oversized bathrooms stocked with L’Occitane products.

2. Amangani. Situated just inside the southern entrance of Grand Teton National Park, Amangani is a hot-spot for the rich and famous. Atop a dramatic butte with views of the valley (you’ll want to spend some time in the heated pool taking in those amazing views), this chic, secluded resort delivers an atmosphere that’s almost hushed in its luxury (you’ll feel like you’re the only one here). This Four-Star hotel is the epitome of the après ski lifestyle. Though there isn’t ski-in/ski-out access at the hotel itself, Amangani showcases this luxurious amenity at its Ski Lounge, seated at the base of Jackson Hole Mountain Resort. The hotel offers complimentary shuttle rides to and from the mountain, which is just 20 minutes away.

3. Hotel Terra. An eco-minded boutique hotel located adjacent to Jackson Hole Mountain Resort’s new “Big Red” tram, Hotel Terra has contemporary, streamlined rooms, sixty of which were added in 2009 along with an awesome outdoor pool. The silver LEED-certified hotel flaunts contemporary, Western artwork, such as sculptures made of reclaimed barn wood, alongside its eco-friendly touches like oversize Low-E windows, which retain heat in the winter and reflect it in the summer. Sure the rooms may seem urbanized at first glance, but look closer and you’ll see the Western touches such as the cow print pedestal in the Urban Studio guest rooms. Don’t miss out on a fabulous dinner at the hotel’s restaurant, Osteria.

For an area its size — about 13,000 year-round residents — Jackson Hole showcases quite a rich cultural scene. For seven weeks every summer, the Grand Teton Music Festival performs chamber and symphony concerts at Walk Festival Hall in Teton Village. While in the fall, the two-week-long Jackson Hole Fall Arts Festival draws artists and collectors from across the country for exhibits, sales, a design conference, food events and even an art auction.

The rest of the year, the heart of Jackson Hole’s art scene is the National Museum of Wildlife Art. The museum has a 4,000-piece permanent collection that includes works from John J. Audubon to Picasso. While wildlife and western-themed art do rule both at the NMWA and in Jackson Hole as a whole, don’t expect just boring and predictable landscapes and animals at the NMWA. Recent exhibits include Great Plains: America’s Lingering Wild; Collection Spotlight: Rembrandt Bugatti and the Antwerp School; A Change of Seasons: Wildlife in Spring, Summer, Fall and Winter; and, perhaps most popular in recent times, Wild New Ways: Maurice Sendak’s Animal Kingdom.

The Jackson Hole Center for the Arts, in downtown Jackson, is home to 15 local, state and regional not-for-profit arts organizations, a performing arts pavilion with a 500-seat theater, a Music Center, and theater rehearsal space.

The Center for the Arts schedule is constantly changing. If you’re looking for a gallery show, music concert, special screening of a movie, a ceramics master class or a dance performance, you should check out the Center for the Arts first. Sometimes performers are local, other times they’re the New York City Ballet.

The best time to visit Jackson Hole depends on what you want to do. The ski season at the Jackson Hole Mountain Resort runs from late November or early December (the opening date is different every year) through the first weekend of April. For the remainder of April and into May, most hiking and biking trails are still covered with snow, so there isn’t an opportunity to get into the mountains unless you have those expert mountaineering skills. But, summer’s crowds haven’t yet descended on Grand Teton National Park, so if you want to see the park sans hiking, May is a great month. Keep in mind that if you make the trek before this, some of the park’s roads are closed from November 1st to May 1st. June can be a very iffy month in terms of weather; it can be glorious, with days in the 70s and 80s, or it can be snowing, as it did for most of June 2011.

Summer almost always has arrived by the Fourth of July. Both July and August offer the most stable weather — days in the 80s with nights getting down into the 40s — but the valley is packed. Between Memorial Day and Labor Day, an estimated 3 million cars pass by Jackson’s Town Square. There’s a reason there are so many visitors here during this time though: it’s absolutely beautiful.

Locals often say September or October is their favorite month. With the increased popularity of the Jackson Hole Fall Arts Festival, September is now almost as busy as August; but it’s a very different crowd from the earlier summer tourists. September visitors usually spend more time in Jackson and less time in Grand Teton National Park, which means that, for those who do visit the park, it’s pretty quiet. Wildlife is also fairly visible as they beef up for the upcoming winter. Jackson Hole doesn’t have a ton of fall color because it just doesn’t have that many deciduous trees, but the color that it does get comes in September.

October, when there’s an Indian Summer, is spectacular. It’s just as likely that it will be snowing and sunny though, so visiting this month is best for those who are flexible with their plans. In November, many restaurants, galleries, and shops are closed. Snow has begun to fall ending summer activities, but ski season has yet to start, putting the area in a sort of limbo when it comes to activities.

The best way to see Jackson Hole in a day is to concentrate your energies on the town of Jackson and the southern part of Grand Teton National Park. Start with a quick breakfast — a fresh bagel and coffee —  at the locals’ favorite Pearl Street Bagels in downtown Jackson before driving north to Kelly. You’re headed to this tiny town inside Grand Teton National Park to look for bison; so make it your mission to keep your eyes peeled. If the ground’s covered with snow, you can save the drive to Kelly — you won’t see any bison out there because they’ve migrated to lower elevations — and instead take a sleigh ride into the National Elk Refuge, where thousands of elk winter alongside a few hundred buffalo.

After you’ve seen a few members of the country’s largest herd of free roaming buffalo, head for the southern entrance to Grand Teton National Park. Just before the entrance station, make sure to stop at the Craig Thomas Discovery and Visitor Center. It’ll give you a better idea of what you want to see inside the park along with some of the history and also a close look at the lives of some of the animals that live in the park. If it’s summer, see if there’s a scenic float trip down the Snake River that has room for you. During the winter, ask the Visitor Center if there’s a free ranger-led snowshoe tour heading out.

If you want to explore a bit of the park on your own, head towards the Bradley and Taggart Lakes Trailhead, three miles up the road from the southern entrance station. Trails circle the lakes year round. In the winter, the road is closed beyond this trailhead/parking area. Unusual for the Tetons, the trails here are gently rolling rather than steep climbs.

After you’ve finished in the park, head back towards Jackson. If you didn’t stop at the National Museum of Wildlife Art to catch the winter sleigh ride, stop on your way back into town.

If it’s summer, your goal is to make it back to town by 6 p.m. The Jackson Hole Shootout Gang has been pitting good against bad six evenings a week between Memorial Day and Labor Day for nearly 60 years, making it the longest running gunfight in the country. The script changes a little every year, but you can bet there will be a damsel in distress, an escaped outlaw, a few cheesy stunts and more than a little shooting (blanks, of course).

From the Shootout, walk across the Square to the Million Dollar Cowboy Saloon, where the bar stools are topped with saddles and real cowboys mingle with tourists. There’s a steakhouse in the basement, but just go for a drink in the bar. You’ve got dinner reservations at Couloir restaurant out in Teton Village. At 9,065 feet at the top of the Jackson Hole Mountain Resort’s gondola, Couloir’s views are as tasty as the food.

The best way to see Jackson Hole in two days is to spend one day in Jackson and the second in Grand Teton National Park. If you don’t mind switching hotels, go for a night in downtown Jackson. Spend the second night at some sort of lodge in Grand Teton or you can opt for the Four-Star Amangani, which is located just inside the southern boundary of the national park. If you’re visiting during ski season, maybe spend the first night in Jackson and the second in Teton Village, where the Jackson Hole Mountain Resort is. We suggest the Five-Star Four Seasons Resort Jackson Hole at the base of the ski resort.

Day 1: Start with a leisurely breakfast at the Alpine House Inn. You’ll want to fuel up fully to prepare for wandering around Jackson’s historic downtown. When you need a break from shopping and perusing the numerous art galleries, lunch is at Betty Rock Café. After lunch, make for the National Museum of Wildlife Art, which has a permanent collection of over 4,000 pieces of western and wildlife art from artists from Audubon to Picasso.

For an afternoon dose of culture, head to the Million Dollar Cowboy Saloon, where the bar stools are topped with saddles and real cowboys mingle with dudes. After a local brew, you’re headed to Rendezvous Bistro, a couple of miles south of town for some chichi American comfort food, for dinner.

Day 2: Because you’re headed into Grand Teton National Park today, grab a quick breakfast at the locals’ favorite Pearl Street Bagels in downtown Jackson before heading north. En route to the park, take a short detour to Kelly. Your mission is to spot bison. After you’ve seen a few members of the country’s largest herd of free roaming buffalo, head for the southern entrance to Grand Teton National Park. Make sure to stop at the Craig Thomas Discovery and Visitor Center. If it’s summer, see if there’s a scenic float trip down the Snake River that has room for you. During the snowy winter, ask the staff at the visitor center if there’s a free ranger-led snowshoe tour heading out.

Keep heading further into the park, your end destination is Jackson Lake Lodge for dinner in its Mural Room, which serves regional specialties in an elegant setting with massive picture windows looking out on Jackson Lake and Mount Moran, the highest of the park’s northern peaks.

Packing for Jackson Hole can be complicated considering that summer days can be 80 F during the day and dip into the low 40s at night. Winter days can be many — many — degrees below zero on the valley floor, but 25 F halfway up the mountain at Jackson Hole Mountain Resort. Temperature inversions in the winter are not at all uncommon.

Year round, the key to navigating these temperature extremes is layer, layer, layer. It’s just the layers’ thickness that varies depending on the month. A warm down — or synthetic down — jacket is a good thing to have year round, as absurd as it sounds.

Although Jackson Hole has plenty of fancy restaurants and hotels, jeans are acceptable to wear anywhere in the valley. If you mention a tie, it had better be in reference to fly-fishing. Because of the high altitude, hats and sunscreen are recommended no matter what month you are visiting.

The best shopping in Jackson Hole is in the tiny ski town of Jackson, surrounding the centerpiece, Town Square. You can peruse contemporary and Western art galleries, sporting goods shops, clothing boutiques, a bookstore, candy shops, shops selling souvenirs and T-shirts, and, for when you get hungry, cute eateries. Mountain Khakis were born in Jackson Hole in 2003 and locals from skiers to ranch hands quickly took notice. Look for MK’s Original Mountain Pant or Alpine Pant at Jack Dennis Sports and Skinny Skis.

When you’re feeling fancier than Mountain Khakis, Terra carries edgy skinny jeans from Genetic Denim, printed cashmere by Marika Charles, Tucker tops and skirts, and airy silks from Calypso alongside Robert Graham and B.D. Baggies items for men. It even keeps little ones styling with Under the Nile organic robes, wraps and teething toys.

If you are looking specifically for ski gear, Teton Village is overflowing with ski shops. Teton Village Sports has been around forever and has a great selection. Local resident and 1964 Olympic Gold Medalist, Pepi Stiegler, founded his eponymous ski shop, Pepi Stiegler’s Sports, which showcases the latest and greatest ski equipment as well as mountain gear and even ski rentals. In the summer, many of the shops transition to selling and renting bikes instead of skis.

In the tiny town of Wilson, at the base of Teton Pass, Hungry Jack’s General Store sells a little bit of everything, from locally-made truffles to cowboy boots. Wilson is on the way to one of the three ski resorts in the area, Grand Targhee, and makes for a great stopping point before the mountain pass.