Things To Do in Jackson Hole

Of the few communities in the Rockies that have successfully toed the line between promoting themselves as resort towns and retaining some semblance of indigenous character, Jackson is a standout. The million-dollar homes are sprouting all over the valley, but there is still open space, a memory of the cowboy past, and some resistance to letting in too much commercial glitz.

The remaining open spaces allow visitors to imagine what it was like early in the 19th century, when fur trappers first camped here. They were followed by ranchers, who soon became dude ranchers. Today, the community holds an interesting mixture of ski bums, blue bloods, nouveau riche, avid outdoor types, and even a few old-time cowboys. The cosmopolitans of this motley crew came not just with a hunger for scenery, but also with a taste for music, art, and good restaurants, too, and the selection here is unrivaled in Wyoming. The big ski hill lures a younger crowd, with the final ingredient for resort status -- celebrities -- supplied by transplants like Harrison Ford.

Especially for Kids

Snow King may not have the best skiing in the valley, but it caters to kids and families. In the summer, kids can frolic on the Snow King's Alpine Miniature Golf Course and Alpine Slide (tel. 307/733-5200). A round of 18 holes is $8 for adults, $7 for seniors, $6 for kids 6 to 13, and $3 for kids 5 and under. The Alpine Slide is the golf course's untamed neighbor. It's a wild ride down the 2,500-foot ophidian highway running from the top of the blue-and-yellow chairlift to the bottom of Snow King Mountain; it's like a water slide without the water. A trip down the slide is $15 per person.

In the winter, there are ski schools for kids with day-care options at all the ski resorts. Once again, Snow King has a few extras: a tubing hill ($21 for 2 hr. adults, $18 kids 13 and under) and an ice-skating rink, which opens in October and features skating ($6 adults, $4 kids 13 and under; skate rentals $3) and hockey until spring. For more information, call tel. 307/733-3000.

In recent years, big national chains have opened factory-outlet stores in Jackson, and among the ever-changing array of shops (rents are high; so is turnover) you can find everything from American-Indian crafts to cowboy boots to Oriental rugs. But these are what you'll find in most resort towns. The areas where Jackson excels are its art galleries and outdoor-wear shops.

Standouts in the outdoor-clothing category include Teton Mountaineering, 170 N. Cache St. (tel. 307/733-3595), also a great spot for climbing, camping, and winter gear; and Moosely Seconds in Moose (tel. 307/739-1801), where you'll find surprisingly deep discounts on quality outdoor wear.

Collectors, tired of bighorn sheep on the crags and weather-beaten cowboys on their horses, often dismiss Western art. But while Jackson has plenty of that genre in stock, some of its two dozen galleries are more adventurous and sophisticated. Cayuse Western Americana, 255 N. Glenwood St. (tel. 800/405-4096 or 307/739-1940; www.cayusewa.com), focuses on antiques of all kinds, from beadwork to spurs to belt buckles to paintings. The Center Street Gallery, 30 N. Center St. (tel. 307/733-1115; www.centerstreetgallery.com), focuses on contemporary Western art. Lyndsay McCandless Contemporary, 130 S. Jackson (tel. 307/734-0649; www.lmcontemporary.com), showcases abstract wildlife and other edgy work. A mile north of town, at 1975 U.S. Hwy. 89 (toward the park), is the Wilcox Gallery (tel. 307/733-6450; www.wilcoxgallery.com), which showcases more than 20 painters and sculptors from across the nation. The Wilcox Gallery II is in town at 165 N. Center St. (tel. 307/733-3950).

Talented musicians from well-known orchestras participate in the Grand Teton Music Festival (tel. 307/733-3050 or 733-1128 for the box office; www.gtmf.org) held in summer in the amphitheater next to the tram lift. Tickets, typically $50 or less, are usually available on short notice, especially for the weeknight chamber music performances, which are often terrific.

Wyoming's only year-round professional theatrical group, the Off Square Theatre Company, performs classic and contemporary comedies and dramas at the Center for the Arts, 265 S. Cache St. (tel. 307/733-3021; www.offsquare.org). Tickets (typically $15-$25) for all shows should be reserved.

Those less impressed with dramaturgy should head down to the Silver Dollar Bar, at 50 N. Glenwood St. in the Wort Hotel (tel. 307/733-2190), for a drink with one of the real or wannabe cowpokes at the bar. And, yes, those 2,032 silver dollars are authentic. At the very famous Million Dollar Cowboy Bar on the Town Square, at 25 N. Cache St. (tel. 307/733-2207; www.milliondollarcowboybar.com), you can dance the two-step to live bands or just mill around and check out the unique details: knobby pine, saddle bar stools, and plenty of taxidermy. For live music and DJs, the young, restless, and intoxicated congregate at 43° North, 645 S. Cache St. (tel. 307/733-0043), near the base of Snow King. If you want some high-octane dancing fun led by some talented local hoofers, head west to Wilson and the Stagecoach Bar (tel. 307/733-4407) on Wyo. 22 on a Sunday night. It's the only night there's live music in this classic Western joint, and the place is jammed wall-to-wall.