THE CHIC AND EASY GUIDE TO JACKSON HOLE SUMMER AND FALL
Since starting this blog, one of the main requests I receive is for travel advice to my hometown of Jackson Hole. While it has been ages since I last lived like a true local (year-round), I visit home frequently and do my best to stay connected with what is really at the heartbeat of our little ski town (dude).
I’ve always said that every day in Jackson Hole is a good day (another version: if you wake up in Jackson Hole, you’ve already won the jackpot), so it’s hard to go wrong. However, Jackson is a very different place in the summer and fall than in the winter. While some of my mainstays transcend all seasons, my favorite things to do and places to eat are totally different when snow is on the ground, so if you visit during the summer, you’ll have to come back during the winter.*
*While this is absolutely the honest truth, the line about “come back during winter” is imbued upon generation after generation of locals by the time we are barely able to talk—which is usually sometime after our parents first put us on skis. So, I’m pretty sure this is also just a great marketing tactic started by the mountain resorts… but you’ll have to see for yourself, and you’ll have to read my winter guide!
One more footnote: if you read my Shamelessly Stylish Packing List For Jackson Hole, you know that I don’t sleep on the ground and I don’t sleep in tents. I just don’t, and I stopped feeling bad about this a long time ago. While my competence for outdoor activity extends beyond drinking spicy margaritas on a patio, I assure you that this is no Outside magazine guide to Jackson Hole. If you can raise a rosé to that, please read on. We’re keeping it chic and keeping it easy here.
Persephone Bakery
DINE
Basic needs first.
Breakfast.
Persephone Bakery. (If GOOP and Vogue loved it, nothing else I say could possibly matter.)
Lunch. I have little patience for a sit-down lunch during the nice summer months (especially when I’ve decamped from Dallas heat). Would much rather pack a light picnic from one of these and enjoy a hike instead.
Pearl Street Bagel (Mine is the everything bagel with veggie cream cheese.)
Dinner and cocktails. There are so many good options for dining that it’s almost impossible to narrow it down (and I’m no restaurant critic), but simply put, here are my tried-and-true picks where I go without hesitation:
Calico (my mother swears by their spicy margarita)
Deck at Piste (a summer-only delight for cocktails and apps on top of the Bridger Gondola—check the dates before you go, and for dinner make other plans or get a reservation inside)
Caldera House
STAY
Where to stay? Because my family home is here, I have never been at a loss for lodging, so I am not the authority when it comes to accommodations in Jackson Hole. I just do not have enough experience overnighting at any of these places to make a true endorsement, but relying on the word of others and my own experience as a guest of their other services, (i.e. restaurants and spas), these have an excellent reputation.
Caldera House (also the home of Old Yellowstone Garage… and, Indre Rockefeller of cult luggage brand Paravel stayed here recently, and what’s good enough for Indre is good enough for me)
Four Seasons (again, my family jokes that this is where I “camp,” which is only partially true during the winter)
Four Seasons Jackson Hole
SHOP
Honestly, I don’t do a lot of summer shopping in Jackson Hole. The weather is too nice to be indoors, and I have a low threshold for the touristy crowds around the town square (winter shopping is another story and I can’t wait to share). However, I can always find something special at one of these two favorites.
Rodeo Jackson Hole (super chic and très cher, Rodeo saw me coming from a mile away. Think favorites like Moncler, Herno, and Golden Goose—plus, a friend recently hosted the valley’s first-ever Le Lion trunk show there.)
Belle Cose (tabletop, home decor, and gorgeous gems are just a few of the offerings at Belle Cose’s multiple shops around town and on the Westbank. Herend probably doesn’t pack well in a suitcase, but all of their other beautiful items are in similarly excellent taste.)
PLAY
This is a very abridged version of the list I would like to write. Whilst exchanging messages with a Jackson-bound acquaintance via Instagram, it dawned on me that I’ve included no truly kid-friendly ideas, omitted golf and fishing entirely, skimmed over wildlife-watching, and have barely scratched the surface when it comes to all of the life-giving experiences one can have in the Tetons. That’s all for a future post, but for now we’re still doing chic and easy.
A perfect summer day for me starts with coffee at Persephone and yoga on top of the Bridger Gondola at Jackson Hole Mountain Resort. There’s no head rush like a down dog head rush at 9’095 feet. And the views are breathtaking—literally. Truly, though, this is absolutely one of my favorite things to do each summer. If you’re feeling extra sparky afterwards, skip the gondola ride and hike down. You will discover muscles in your legs that you never knew were there… but be prepared to be weak in the knees for the next few days. The wildflowers and wildlife are worth it, though.
Surely you have planned at least one day to hike or sightsee in Grand Teton National Park. If you do nothing else, pause for bite or a refreshment at Jackson Lake Lodge if only for the unbelievable views. Unfortunately, the Lodge no longer has quite the same glamour and ambience of eras past (even in my memory), but the awe-inducing views remain unchanged. Do a light lunch and cocktails on the patio of the Blue Heron Lounge plus a quick hike on the adjacent trail, and make other plans for supper time.
Orchestra at Grand Teton Music Festival
As soon as I wrote the words “music” and “festival,” I started to cringe a little. Don’t let it scare you—the Grand Teton Music Festival is not what you’re thinking. The summer-long series of world-class orchestra, chamber, and jazz music at the base of Jackson Hole Mountain Resort is in its 58th season this summer, and is a relaxing (and unpretentious) way to end a busy day outdoors. Dress up or come as you are—anything goes.
If you have the extra good fortune to be able to visit Jackson Hole during early September, the Fall Arts Festival is a 10-day event at the end of summer that is not to be missed. Leaves are already falling, the air is crisp and cool, and the weather is exceptionally perfect. The numerous events throughout the festival include plein air painting, gourmet food and wine, an interior design showcase, and an art auction featuring works from renowned names such as Albert Bierstadt, Thomas Moran, and Carl Rungius.
The best part about summer in Jackson Hole? When it’s over, ski season is coming. I can’t wait.
Check out the Scout Guide for more ideas here.
Rendezvous Bistro
