Following our time in Grand Teton National Park, our family headed to Jackson, Wyoming, our home for the next few nights during our Summer 2019 Road Trip. Jackson, which is located just outside Grand Teton National Park, is the perfect gateway town to enjoy when in the area, and offers an incredible cowboy culture, fun entertainment, and amazing food and activities.
Our family’s first order of business was finding a locksmith.
You see, just two days earlier I had broken a key while opening a cabinet under the RV, and Justin and I quickly realized that we had no second set. The most unfortunate part about me breaking this key was that it was the key to EIGHT of the cabinets underneath, including the one housing all of our equipment for dumping our tanks.
Knowing that it was urgent that we figure out a way to get into the cabinets, we set out to find a locksmith in Jackson, the closest town to where we had been in the Tetons. After some exhaustive research (it quickly became clear that there aren’t too many locksmiths in Jackson, WY), we found the sweetest little locksmith duo in town, Jim and Dave.
Jim and Dave SAVED us. We quickly discovered that our key was a very unique one (OF COURSE!), but they helped us pick the locks on all the cabinets, and rigged them to give us access from then on out on our journey. We were so grateful to them for their help.
Following the lovely snafu with our locks, our family hit the town of Jackson, and we all loved our time in this quaint little town. We enjoyed dinner at Snake River Brewing the first night, and the kids really enjoyed playing cornhole and foosball before and after our meal. I really enjoyed not cooking in the RV!
Our lodging in Jackson was the Virginian RV Park, which we would highly recommend for its location, and the proximity to town, just a short walk or bike away. The RV park also had a wonderful pool, which we all really enjoyed using.
The next morning, we slept in before heading into town for some pastries and coffee. If you visit Jackson, make sure to visit Cowboy Coffee Company for some coffee, and the Bunnery for some pastries – both are not to miss! We enjoyed checking out some of the shops on the main square also.
That afternoon, our family headed out on a half-day whitewater rafting trip on the Snake River, that we had arranged ahead of time through the local outfitter Barker-Ewing. What a thrill!
On our trip, Brady and Grace rode in the front of the raft, and Hayden, Quinn, Justin, and I road near the middle of the raft. The kids HOWLED going over the rapids, frequently screaming, “We are going to die!” We had a few chances to jump in the river during the quieter parts of the venture, and Brady even did a flip off the front of the raft. SO MUCH FUN. Our favorite rapid of the day was “The Lunch Counter,” where our escapades were captured on film.
We swam in the pool that evening, and hit the hot tub before dinner.
On our next day in Jackson, we rode our bikes into the town square, a quick ride from our RV Park, to have breakfast at The Bunnery, and then spent some time in the main square. We then rode our bikes to the Snow King Ski Resort, where we rode the Alpine Slide and Mountain Coaster, and the kids enjoyed finding their way through a huge maze. The Snow King was a great place for some good, old-fashioned family fun, and the kids really enjoyed the break from the hiking trails.
That evening, we visited the Jackson town square for the nightly reenactment of an old Western Shootout, as well as a quick visit to the Cowboy Bar, a Jackson icon. It was the perfect end to our stay in this quaint, warm town.
