Whoa there. It’s been awhile. It’s been a crazy few months. It’s already October and I am knee-deep in pumpkin spice season (aka the greatest time of all) but I’m going to update the few readers i have with the conclusion of this amazing adventure. Please don’t hate me for neglecting it. The California vibes got me feeling all kinds of things. But now let’s get on with it. If you recall, last time we met I was reminiscing about the magic of Jackson Hole. It’s still magical. So let’s continue this convo.
So now that you know how immensely I love Jackson Hole let’s get down to food and stuffs. Jackson Hole has some really amazing restaurants, I’m sure, but we didn’t actually go to any of them. Instead I took Steve to all my favorite places and we tried some new ones. I’m a little reluctant to share them here as I love that my experience in Jackson Hole is very different from most people’s, but as I’m sure you get, I’ve had amazing times here. And you can definitely eat well even if you don’t go to the restaurant in the Snake River Lodge in Teton Village.
Food
Dornan’s Chuckwagon. Would you like to eat inside a tee-pee? Are you also forever a seven-year-old. This place has great breakfast with an insane look at the Tetons and you can eat inside a tee-pee, which is fun. Is the food Oh.My.Gawd. amaze-balls? No, it’s typical diner-ish breakfast, but it hits the spot before a day of national park exploring and it’s just really fun. They also have a fun dinner complete with chili dogs and burgers.
Dornan’s Market. This is a typical corner store-type deli with essentials for adventures in the park but their sandwiches are huge and amazing. They also make and sell delicious cookies. We decided to buy 3 but never got around to eating them, but only because Ella decided she would like to have them. So yes, our dog ate 3 6” cookies. Parents of the year, right here.
Snake River Brewing. Was there any doubt that we would find the beer? Of course not. This is actually one of my brother’s favorite breweries ever. Since I will always be on a perpetual high from the beer in Colorado, it’s not my favorite. But I do like that these breweries seem to keep bringing as much beer as I probably don’t need. Which makes me happy too.
Persephone. As much as I hate to embrace the “new Jackson” this small bakery is delicious. They have amazing food, amazing coffee, and giant chocolate cookies which are insanely delicious. I actually spent a few days there since they have pretty good wi-fi and I did some work while I drank cappuccinos and ate cookies. So you know, not a bad life.
The Bunnery. This small bakery-restaurant has great sandwiches and salads but what they really do well is their bread. The used to have Moose Muffin Bread, which is essentially an English muffin but in bread-form and it was our favorite. It is a sad day because they do not make that anymore but their food is still delicious. Including their delicious sandwiches or salads.
Nora’s Fish Creek Inn. If you go to ONE restaurant in Jackson Hole, go here. It’s actually in Wilson, which is closer to Idaho than Jackson but it is iconic and still amazing. It’s a popular spot so if you go on the weekend or in the summer expect to wait. But it is worth it. They have amazing trout but also their pancakes are not to be missed. It is also very old-school Jackson and almost like stepping back in time; people are nice and the servings are huge.
Adventures & Stuffs
Grand Teton National Park. Jackson Hole is full of things to do but one of the biggest draws in National Parks. And Grand Teton is incredible. It’s not huge and you will probably see some animals, mainly bison, but there are gorgeous hiking trails, and creeks to swim in. Since we had a dog, we had to just drive through the park which is still incredible. And we did see a moose which is probably the highlight of my day. If you happen to run out of ice, make sure you stop in Kelly to pick some up. Actually just buy some beer because if you do that, ice is free.
Yellowstone. Now this park is incredible. From huge forests to plains of geysers, Yellowstone really is an amazing place. We waited a solid 40 minutes to see Old Faithful, which was neat, except I definitely remember it being way more impressive that it actually was. Maybe witnessing it at age 7 changes the perspective. Mammoth Hot Springs is also a must-see. It almost looks fake, but it’s definitely not and it’s definitely amazing to see. Mammoth Hot Spring-so hot right now – and you know, all the time.
Slide Lake – Since dogs are not allowed in national parks we took a little detour to the Bridger-Teton National Forest so Ella could go swimming. Of course this trip was successful and we had a happy puppy. Slide Lake is gorgeous and also not crowded which is a nice change from lakes in GTNP. You definitely don’t need hundreds of people to have an amazing time.
Bicoastal Surf 