Snow tubing is far more fun than rain tubing. Tubing: We actually got dressed up to go tubing…but then the snow changed to rain. And both outdoor rinks had partially melted because of the warm temperatures. On Sunday when we had free time, however, there was no public skating at Snow King. Ice Skating: As far as I could determine, Jackson Hole has three places to skate – an indoor rink at the Snow King Sports and Events Center, an outdoor rink in the town square, and another outdoor rink in Teton Village. And there was no snow on the Elk Refuge anyway, so the sleigh ride actually would have been a wagon ride. Our second night in Jackson they were closed for the big game. The first night, however, they were closed for a private party. It sounded perfect – a sleigh ride over fields of snow through the Elk Refuge followed by a Western-style dinner. The Sleigh Ride: We tried to book a sleigh ride dinner. If you read my planning post, I mentioned all sorts of things that we wanted to do, like a sleigh ride, ice skating and tubing. Picking out salt water taffy at Yippy I-O Candy What We Didn’t Do Plus it rained on us – not what we were expecting in early February! I’d love do another safari with Jody on a future visit and hopefully see a lot more. There wasn’t much snow, so fewer animals had come down from the mountains this year to graze, and there were low clouds the entire morning, so I never saw the magnificent Tetons. The weather unfortunately worked against us. There weren’t many animals close to the roads, but Jody was great at seeing them in the distance and setting up the spotting scope. We saw bison, elk, bighorn sheep, moose, a fox, and several types of birds. Jody with Jackson Hole Wildlife Safaris picked us up at 7:30am sharp our first morning, and just a few minutes later we were in the park. My daughter wanted to see animals, and I wanted to see Grand Teton National Park and specifically the Teton Range, so a half-day wildlife safari through the park seemed perfect for both. My daughter thought it was great that we had a (gas) fireplace in the room, and she camped out in front of it with a book several times during our stay. Our room was perfect – comfortable beds, a gorgeous bathroom, and same rustic feel as the lobby. The coffee in the mornings off the lobby, and the apples throughout the hotel, were nice touches as well. I loved that at check-in they gave my daughter a stuffed bison! I wish all hotels did that – little check-in gifts always make kids feel welcome. And the front desk and concierge staff had answers to all of our questions. A valet was always standing by when we pulled up, and it never took more than a couple minutes to get the car when we wanted to go somewhere. The wood throughout the hotel was all recycled from old barns – so cool! We loved the location, only a block from the main square, and the rustic luxury vibe. Our first two nights were at Hotel Jackson, which we found through. We picked up our car and drove the one mile or so to our hotel. It was REALLY off-site! Half the rental car companies have their locations in town, which I didn’t expect but it works out well – instead of driving between the airport and town, and paying for the fuel, the rental companies essentially do it for you. We didn’t see the company we booked with at the airport, so we went outside to catch the shuttle to their off-site location. We picked up our luggage and went to find the rental car agency. So easy! It was snowing when we landed (perfect), and near the baggage claim there was a stand with free mimosas for adults, juice for kids, and stickers. We departed Santa Barbara early, connected in LA and arrived in Jackson Hole by noon. If I was going to travel with my 7-year-old daughter for an extended weekend, I didn’t want to spend too much time on planes. With two National Parks nearby, the landscape looked stunning. It was time to fix that! And Jackson Hole has had more snow this year than a lot of the US. Living in Southern California, my kids aren’t growing up with that same experience. First, growing up in Colorado I loved traveling to the mountains when I was a kid and skiing/playing in the snow. Why did we choose Jackson Hole for this trip? A few reasons. And I continue to love Capital One Venture for earning miles and for booking hotels. I’m therefore deleting information about the deal, but keeping this post up since we loved Jackson Hole, and everything else here is still relevant. Note: Capital One and sent us to Jackson Hole, Wyoming to promote their 10x miles hotel partnership – which unfortunately expired January 31, 2020. At the summit of Jackson Hole Mountain Resort Jackson Hole with Kids
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |