Hi there!
We just wrapped up a joint family trip, our first in five years! We spent four days together in Jackson Hole, Wyoming and despite some atmospheric activity (aka rain, lots of rain), we had a wonderful time. A change of scenery really does the body (and brain) good. We felt beyond grateful to be together after all this time, with two additional kiddos in the mix, and lots of life lived.
We thought it would be fun to share a recap of our trip. With 5 children under 9, our itinerary was kid-friendly, which meant lots of swimming, short-and-sweet hikes, and visits to the local playgrounds. Read on, if you’d like!
Despite the aforementioned weather, we kicked our trip off with a visit to Astoria Hot Springs. These beautiful pools are perched on a bluff above the Snake River and filled with natural thermal water at varying temperatures, including a new cold plunge and a children’s pool. They are worth a visit in rain or shine, or snow! (In fact, they are even better in the snow.) We went for the 9AM session and brought breakfast from Pearl Street Bagels. The morning we visited, there was steam rising off the pools and misty low-hanging clouds above our heads, which created the perfect mood for soaking and splashing. The kids burned off steam while the adults chatted and relaxed. It was beyond lovely, and we followed it up with smoothies from Healthy Being Cafe in downtown Jackson and some shopping around the town square.
That evening we had a reservation at Il Villagio Osteria in the village at the base of Jackson Hole Mountain Resort. We ate a fabulous meal made all the better by how quickly we were served. Again, 5 kids under 9; we eat quick. Luckily, there is a playground right outside the restaurant where our kids spent most of their time after snarfing down pizza and pasta. (Just keep and eye out for moose and bears, who also call the village home!) If you time it right, you can follow up dinner with a Concert on the Commons, which features nationally acclaimed bands on several Sundays throughout the summer. We caught the beginning of The Meditations’ set, Jamaica’s legendary harmonica trio, and the kids loved grooving to the tunes.
We had a good weather window on our second day when several of us hiked the Seven Bridges trail, which features, you guessed it, seven bridges. It’s a swift three mile hike with great views, a babbling stream, and beautiful flowers. We also did a mellow walk up Cache Creek in the Bridget-Teton National Forest. You can choose to hike on the old dirt road or above it on the Sidewalk trail, which winds through sagebrush and evergreens. It smells seriously amazing.
On our last day we ventured to Rendezvous Park, located on the banks of the Snake River where it bisects the West Bank and the town of Jackson. This gorgeously-designed park is an ideal natural playground for children, with bridges, climbing hills, stepping stones, and a now legendary member of the community: Mama Mimi, the troll. Kids can climb across this work of public art by Thomas Dambo onto a little island and then back, and you can spot her from around the park, which makes meeting her up close all the more thrilling.
Afterwards, we made our way to nearby Owen Bircher Park in downtown Wilson (population: 1,492), across from the little red schoolhouse and next to the horseback riding ring (it becomes an outdoor hockey rink in the winter). Don’t miss the secret path along the creek that will take you to Hungry Jack’s (currently closed for renovations, so check out Basecamp instead. It’s a gas station with an excellent and unusual wine selection, as well as a well-stocked candy aisle.) We then hit a third park at the base of Snow King (the town ski hill). There are slides and swings, as well as rock climbing walls and a near-by miniature golf course, which our kids loved. (You can also take the new gondola up to the top of Snow King for the best view in the entire valley.) If you need a break from restaurants, do like we did and grab takeout from Cutty’s - a local bar and grill owned by Philadelphia natives and featuring the best cheesesteak in the state. (As a Philly native, you can trust me.) Bring it to one of the playgrounds with some beverages - they all have covered picnic tables - and drink in that delicious mountain air.
The last night of our trip featured an epic sunset that cast the whole valley in a rosy glow. It was a welcome reminder that storms are usually followed by renewed vitality. The end of August always feels like the end of the year to me, with the promise of a new school year just around the corner. Even as an adult, I could never shake that feeling, and now that I have kids, it is back in full force. Thanks to our trip, we feel inspired, refreshed, and reconnected. And ready to start a “new” year!
We hope you feel the same.
xx
Lindsay + Chelsea