Events & What’s Happening
Annual celebration on Town Square featuring the Boy Scouts' famous antler auction, elk calling contests, and live music. Shed antlers collected from the National Elk Refuge are auctioned to raise funds for wildlife.
💡Kids love watching the elk calling contest and browsing the antler displays — arrive early to snag a spot near the Square.
Nightly Wild West gunfight reenactments on Town Square performed by local actors, a Jackson Hole tradition running since 1949.
💡The 6pm show is perfect for families — older kids find it thrilling, though it can startle very young children due to loud blanks.
Weekly professional rodeo held at the Teton County Fairgrounds featuring bull riding, barrel racing, calf roping, and a mutton bustin' event for kids.
💡Mutton bustin' sign-ups fill fast — arrive 30 minutes early and head straight to registration if your child wants to participate.
World-class orchestral music festival held at Walk Festival Hall in Teton Village, featuring a summer-long series of orchestral concerts, chamber music, and family programs.
💡Check the schedule for dedicated Family Concert events designed for kids ages 3 and up — they're shorter, interactive, and often free or low cost.
Annual county fair at the Teton County Fairgrounds with livestock shows, carnival rides, local food vendors, 4-H exhibits, and live entertainment.
💡The 4-H livestock barn is a highlight for curious kids — plan at least an hour there and bring sunscreen for the outdoor exhibits.
One of the top fine arts festivals in the American West, spanning two weeks with gallery exhibitions, artist demonstrations, wildlife art shows, and plein air painting competitions set against spectacular fall foliage.
💡The QuickDraw event on Town Square is a family favorite — kids can watch artists create and auction work in real time.
Month-long holiday celebration featuring the lighting of Town Square's antler arches, holiday concerts, sleigh rides at the National Elk Refuge, and festive events at local resorts.
💡The National Elk Refuge sleigh rides operate December through March and let families get remarkably close to the elk herd — book in advance as slots sell out.
Weekly story time sessions at the Teton County Library for toddlers and preschool-age children, including read-alouds, songs, and simple crafts.
💡Sessions are drop-in and free — a perfect rainy or smoky-air day activity, and the children's section has a great play area for younger siblings.
The iconic elk antler arches on Jackson's Town Square are illuminated at dusk on summer evenings, creating a scenic backdrop for family walks alongside shops, street performers, and the nightly Shootout.
💡Combine with the 6pm Shootout reenactment and grab ice cream afterward — it makes for an easy, memorable family evening without a car.
Naturalist-guided family hikes in Grand Teton National Park and surrounding wilderness led by experienced local guides, covering wildlife tracking, plant identification, and geology.
💡Request a family-specific tour when booking — guides tailor the pace and content to kids' ages and can make even a short trail deeply engaging for children.
Weekly outdoor farmers market on Town Square featuring local produce, Wyoming-made goods, artisan food vendors, and live music from local performers.
💡Pick up a snack from a vendor and let kids explore the Square — the relaxed Thursday evening vibe is much less hectic than weekend tourist traffic.
Horse-drawn sleigh rides through the National Elk Refuge operated by the US Fish & Wildlife Service, giving families close encounters with thousands of wintering elk just minutes from Town Square.
💡Dress in more layers than you think you need — rides last 45 minutes and are fully exposed to the cold; bring binoculars for the best wildlife views.
Planning Your Visit
Neighborhoods & Areas
Local Tips for Families
- 💡The Jackson Hole Mountain Resort Aerial Tram runs in summer for sightseeing and costs $45/adult and $25 for kids 6-17 — but the tram is free if you hike down rather than ride back, which makes for an achievable 4.5-mile descent on the Tram Line Trail for kids ages 8 and up.
- 💡The National Elk Refuge horse-drawn sleigh rides from the Jackson Hole and Greater Yellowstone Visitor Center run December through April and put families within 50 feet of the 6,000-elk winter herd — tickets are $25/adult and $15/child and must be booked through the visitor center, not third-party sites, to get the best availability.
- 💡Free weekly outdoor concerts happen every Thursday evening in summer at the base of Jackson Hole Mountain Resort's Teton Village — arrive by 5:30pm to claim a grassy spot before the 6pm start, bring a blanket, and let kids run on the village lawn while you listen.
- 💡Mormon Row in Antelope Flats is best photographed and visited at 6:30-7:30am when bison frequently graze directly in front of the Moulton Barn with the Tetons lit by morning alpenglow — the same scene at 11am involves dozens of other tourists and flat midday light.
- 💡The Teton County Free Library on Virginian Lane in Jackson offers free indoor programming for kids on Tuesday and Thursday mornings during summer, which is a genuine lifesaver on rainy or smoke-affected days when outdoor plans fall through.
- 💡Smith's Marketplace on South Highway 89 in Jackson is the best place to stock a cooler — groceries here run about 40% cheaper than the Jackson Hole Grocer or any Teton Village market, and a well-stocked cooler will save a family of 4 roughly $80/day compared to eating every meal at local restaurants.
- 💡Cache Creek Canyon Trail, accessed from the east end of Cache Street in Jackson, is a stroller-accessible gravel path for the first mile that parallels a creek and frequently has moose sightings — it is free, 5 minutes from Town Square, and almost entirely overlooked by tourists who drive to the national park instead.
- 💡Dave Hansen Whitewater and Snake River Kayak and Canoe School both offer 8-mile scenic float trips (flatwater, not whitewater) on the Snake River that are appropriate for kids as young as 4 — book the 8am departure to finish before afternoon thunderstorms build over the Tetons, which typically arrive between 2 and 4pm in July and August.