TETON VILLAGE


Teton Village is situated at the base of the Tetons and is home to the largest and most popular ski area in Wyoming.  With so many activities in the village, there is truly something for the whole family.  Although Teton Village is close to Grand Teton National Park and Jackson Hole, it is a small little community within itself.  We headed to Teton Village for two nights after Jackson Hole.


We stayed at the resort a lot of the time that we were in Teton Village and only ventured out for dinner.  It was the portion of our vacation that we got to really relax, and we loved every minute!

From the looks of all the hotels and resorts, there isn't a bad place to stay.  The accommodations in Teton Village are perfect to return to after a day of exploring and some of them are so great that you'll never want to leave to go explore.  And friends, that is when you've hit the jackpot!


One thing to know when planning a vacation in the Tetons is that lodging is not cheap.  Prepare yourself for this, and then decide just how much you can spend.  A couple of options that were recommended to us were Hotel Terra at Jackson Hole and the Inn at Jackson Hole.  

The Inn is pretty nice and somewhat affordable while Hotel Terra is more of a splurge, but offers occasional deals.  Now, if having a budget doesn't matter (or you're willing to throw it out the window) then staying at the Four Seasons Resort and Residences Jackson Hole might be one for the books.  You really can't go wrong staying anywhere in Teton Village.


After all of the touring, hiking, driving, and exploring for a week leading up to our time in Teton Village, once we got there we decided to vacation.  We relaxed, we rejuvenated, we enjoyed, we were care-free, we appreciated, we laughed, we played, we rested, we loved, we vacationed.  


We even treated ourselves, a couple of times.  It was the absolute most perfect way to wrap up our entire experience of this trip.  Although it was not the norm for us, we needed this time to rest and relax after a world wind of non-stop.  Simply enjoying it was the best decision we made.


However, there is so much to do in (and around) Teton Village.  An Insider's Guide we checked out during our time there put it best.  Adventure junkies, exercise worshipers and wannabes, take note...
There really is so much and since we had spent a lot of time in Grand Teton National Park and Jackson Hole already, we didn't feel like we were missing out.


Grand Teton National Park is only about a mile from Teton Village.  You can easily drive, or even bike to the park.  If you're wanting to hike while staying in Teton Village, we'd recommend heading to the park for the best hiking.

There are also several water activities that you can do in the park.  You can paddle board at String Lake, kayak at Colter Bay Village or raft the Snake River.  Water adventures are endless and there are more hiking trails than you can count.  


In addition to all of this, there are tons of great biking paths in Teton Village and to the park.  There are several places that you can rent bikes (and helmets).  We didn't end up doing any biking because we were too busy doing all of the relaxing, but it's on our list for next time.

Since we had already indulged in hiking and kayaking, we were happy to sit out a few more adventures and sit by the pool instead.  With that said, we've still got additional hiking trails on the list for next time, too.


Aside from the 5-star lodging and ongoing list of adventurous activity, there are also great restaurant options in Teton Village.  As always, before any trip we take we (especially Dave) check out a lot of menus and read all kinds of reviews.  Each trip we have is an experience, and we do lots of planning and research beforehand to ensure that we have the very best journey.  


We've had our share of reading awesome reviews, loving what we see on the menu and then being disappointed by our personal experience, but we do our best to make sure this doesn't happen.

The best way to help with this (especially if you know people who are familiar with where you're visiting) is to ask for their suggestions and recommendations.  When you know people who value and appreciate the same kind of experiences as you, they are the very best resource.  


We've got everything from breakfast, lunch and dinner covered.  Hands down, the best place for breakfast in the entire Jackson area is Nora's... just ask the locals.  Dave had the breakfast burrito while Jessica enjoyed the french toast banana bread.  

 
This place screams everything we love.  From the bottomless cups of Nora's Special Snake River roasting blend to the line to get inside.  This place was quaint and full of people of all ages enjoying a delicious breakfast while planning out the rest of their day in the Tetons.  Nora's is located in Wilson, which isn't far from Teton Village.  We opted to drive to save on time, but you can also bike.  


For lunch in Moose, we'd recommend Dornan's if you are spending time in the Park.  This is a great little restaurant to grab lunch and then walk across the street to rent water equipment for the afternoon.  There are lots of options and something for everyone to enjoy.  


For lunch in Teton Village, we'd suggest The Handlebar.  This spot is casual and has a menu full of great choices.  There is outdoor seating looking up at the ski mountain in addition to having an awesome atmosphere inside.  We loved checking this place out for lunch.

If you have littles along, it would be a fun place for them to stay entertained watching everyone on the mountain.  We enjoyed the Handlebar pretzel, house-smoked wagyu pastrami and of course some local beer.  


For dinner, there are lots of possibilities.  It really depends on what you're wanting.  We wish we would have had a couple more days in Teton Village.  We were having the best time and we also had some more restaurants we would have liked to check out for dinner.

Although we received a handful of awesome recommendations on dinner spots from people, all of our dinners in Teton Village were selected based on our company... which were all still great!


Our first night in Teton Village, we went to Il Villagio Osteria for dinner with Aunt Suzie and Uncle George.  Any time that we spend with them is the best time.  Osteria serves all kinds of delicious Italian Cuisine and has a huge selection of awesome wines.  


They have spent a ton of time in Italy so it's even more fun going to an Italian restaurant together.  They shared their experiences, stories and suggestions, like finishing a meal with Vin Santo (Italian dessert wine).  We appreciate these two so much, and never take a second with them for granted.


Our second night in Teton Village, we met up with one of Dave's fraternity brothers who lives in Jackson Hole for dinner at Roadhouse Pub & Eatery.  Dave ventured out and ordered the salmon (at a pub) and check this thing out.

Since Nick has been in the area for five years, it was so fun to talk with him about what life has been like.  Aside from being super expensive, there's nothing to not love.


After dinner, he took us to another local place on our list we were told we had to visit... Mangy Moose!  We grabbed a couple of drinks and continued to enjoy the company and catching up.  It is a restaurant, so it could have also been another option for a casual dinner.  They usually have a great band playing (we love live music!) and it's a good spot for a late night drink (or snack).  

The best part of all might have been the actual moose hanging from the ceiling.  Jess especially loved that.  While catching up, we learned that he and his girlfriend were moving to Denver at the end of the summer.  Best of luck to you two, Stonecipher! 


A couple additional suggestions we received for dinner that we wish we could have tried were Calico Italian Restaurant and The Granary Restaurant.  Calico is a restaurant about a mile from the Village.  It has stunning outdoor seating on the porch.  Not getting to try this place out was tough, but we've got it at the top of our list for next time.

The Granary is another awesome restaurant space located between the Town and the Village.  Apparently the drive to get there is pretty steep, but definitely worth it.  We were told to sit upstairs in the bar area and take in the sunset views. 

We were also told to visit The Stagecoach Bar while we were there.  It's another great place for a late night.  Apparently it's the spot the local college kids go, but on Sundays there's typically an older crowd for line dancing.   We weren't able to make it, but it's another place we plan to check out the next time we visit... because there will be a next time!


When you stay in Teton Village, you practically have all of the amenities of both Grand Teton National Park and Jackson Hole.  You can take advantage of everything both of these places have to offer while you're in such close proximity.

One thing we really wanted to do, but just couldn't part with $800 dollars was fly fishing.  Hey, you've got to save something for next time, right? 

Teton Village is plain awesome.  The location is right in the middle of everything.  Aside from it being the best as far as really soaking in vacation, everything we experienced here we absolutely loved.  The laid back feel of the entire area was so welcomed.  We can't wait to go back!  Maybe the next time we visit we'll get out a little more to explore?  Then again, maybe we won't!

Next up was the grand finale of our adventure out west and we were headed to Salt Lake City for a night.  We planned to cap off an amazing vacation with who better than our sweet family.
You actually don't get very good views of the Tetons from Teton Village.  The name is a little deceiving.  You really must go into Grand Teton National Park to see those incredible mountains.

As you read in the post, this area if full of fantastic Italian restaurants... take advantage of them.

Teton Village has some of the world's best skiing.  However, you should also check out the awesome mountain biking there in the summer.

To check out more about our Family Reunion in Yellowstone, click here.
To see even more posts from our grand adventure out west, see below...
Yellowstone - Upper Loop

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