Free & Cheap Things to Do in Jackson

Free Walking Tours

Jackson's central square — formally George Washington Memorial Park — is bookended by four arches built entirely of elk antlers (over 8,000 antlers, 14,000 pounds), donated by the nearby National Elk Refuge and assembled starting in 1953. Wooden boardwalks, art galleries, and shops surround the square. Every summer evening Monday through Saturday at 6pm, actors stage a free 10-minute Old West shootout — a tradition since 1957. The Memorial Day weekend ElkFest antler auction is the other annual draw, with buyers bidding on the season's antler haul Friday and Saturday morning.

Address: Town Square, Jackson, WY 83001

Tip: Show up by 5:45pm in summer for the 6pm shootout — it draws a crowd and the actors won't wait. The southwest antler arch is the classic photo angle. Sidewalks around the square are raised wooden boardwalks, so wear shoes that handle the gaps between planks. Each arch is dismantled and rebuilt every few years as the antlers decay. Jackson Hole Historical Society runs free guided walking tours from the square in summer.

Parks & Nature

Just north of Town Square, this 25,000-acre US Fish & Wildlife refuge hosts up to 8,000 wintering elk plus bison, bighorn sheep, trumpeter swans, and the occasional wolf. The auto-tour route off East Broadway is free and gives sweeping views of the herd in winter and the empty meadows in summer when the elk migrate to higher ground.

Address: 675 E Broadway Ave, Jackson, WY 83001

Tip: Wildlife viewing is best at sunrise and sunset. Winter sleigh rides into the herd are a separate paid concession (around $35) — the auto loop and visitor center exhibits are completely free. Bring binoculars.

Museums & Galleries

A world-class museum housing 5,000+ pieces of wildlife art across 14 galleries — Bierstadts, Audubons, Russells, Remingtons. The building itself is set into the hillside above the Elk Refuge with massive picture windows looking out over the refuge meadows, so you're often watching real elk graze beneath paintings of the same species. The outdoor sculpture trail is free even without a museum ticket.

Address: 2820 Rungius Rd, Jackson, WY 83001

Tip: Closed Mondays from November through April. The free outdoor Sculpture Trail is a half-mile loop with views of the Tetons and the refuge — worth the detour even if you skip the galleries.

Outdoor & Adventure

A few minutes' walk east of Town Square and you're at the Cache Creek trailhead — the most accessible entry into the Bridger-Teton National Forest's Greater Snow King area. Hike, mountain bike, or trail run a flat creekside path or push deeper for ridge-top views. Locals use it as their daily walk; visitors are surprised real wilderness starts this close to the boutiques.

Address: Cache Creek Drive, Jackson, WY 83001

Tip: Black bears are active in the drainage — make noise, carry bear spray (rentable in town), and don't run with earbuds in. Trailhead has free parking but fills up by mid-morning in summer.

Outdoor & Adventure

Jackson's hometown ski hill rises straight out of downtown — "the King" — and in summer the trails opening from its base are free to hike or run. Climb Cache Creek, Putt-Putt, or the steep direct route up to the summit overlook for one of the best free panoramas of the Tetons. Paid scenic chairlift, alpine slide, and gondola also operate in summer if you want a ride down.

Address: 402 E Snow King Ave, Jackson, WY 83001

Tip: The summit hike is short but vertical (1.7 miles, 1,500 ft of gain) — go at sunrise to skip the heat and grab the view before crowds. Bring water; there's none on the mountain.

Museums & Galleries

A 41,000-square-foot arts campus two blocks off Town Square that houses Dancers' Workshop, the Art Association, the Center Theater, rotating gallery exhibits, and a packed calendar of free or low-cost performances. Even if nothing is scheduled during your visit, the lobby galleries are open during business hours and free.

Address: 240 S Glenwood St, Jackson, WY 83001

Tip: Check the events calendar before your trip — they regularly offer free First Friday gallery openings and discounted day-of-show tickets. Free parking in the lot behind the building.

History & Culture

The town's local history museum — fur trappers, Mormon homesteaders, the dude-ranch era, and the conservation fight that became Grand Teton National Park. Compact, well-curated, and right downtown. From June through early October, they also run a Historic Downtown Walking Tour (paid separately) that turns the square into an open-air history lesson.

Address: 175 E Broadway Ave, Jackson, WY 83001

Tip: Closed Sundays and Mondays. The combined museum + walking tour combo runs $18 (June 3 - Oct 2), which is a better value than either alone if you have two hours.

Parks & Nature

The reason most travelers come to Jackson — 310,000 acres of jagged Teton skyline, glacial lakes, and front-country wildlife about 13 miles north of town. Day-hike Cascade Canyon, scan Oxbow Bend for moose at dawn, drive the 42-mile Teton Park Road for stop-the-car-every-mile views. Walking or biking in costs less than half a vehicle pass and is the budget-traveler's move.

Address: Park Headquarters, Moose, WY 83012

Tip: Several free entrance days each year (Memorial Day, July 3-5, Veterans Day, etc.). The START bus runs $3 from Jackson to Moose (the south entrance) — no rental car required. America the Beautiful annual pass is $80, breaks even at three park visits.

Outdoor & Adventure

The most-loved corner of Grand Teton — a glassy, glacier-carved lake at the foot of the Teton range, with a flat 7-mile loop trail around the shore and a steeper trail up to Hidden Falls and Inspiration Point. Either is doable as a half-day from Jackson. The visitor center, bookstore, and ranger talks are all included with park entry.

Address: Jenny Lake Visitor Center, Moose, WY 83012

Tip: Skip the $20 round-trip shuttle boat across the lake unless you're short on time — the South Jenny Lake Trail walks the same shoreline for free in about 45 minutes. Parking fills by 9am in July and August; arrive early or take the late-afternoon light.

History & Culture

The two weathered barns at Mormon Row — most famously the T.A. Moulton Barn — are the most-photographed structures in the Tetons. Mormon homesteaders settled the flat, fertile valley of Antelope Flats in the 1890s; their barns still stand against the Teton skyline as the most iconic Jackson Hole image you've already seen on a thousand postcards.

Address: Antelope Flats Road, Moose, WY 83012

Tip: Sunrise is when serious photographers show up — and when you'll see bison, pronghorn, and the occasional moose grazing among the barns. Antelope Flats Road is closed in winter; access is May through October.

Outdoor & Adventure

Jackson has 60+ miles of paved, separated multi-use pathways linking Town Square to the airport, the National Museum of Wildlife Art, and even all the way out to Grand Teton's south entrance at Moose (a flat 20-mile bike with the Tetons in front of you the whole ride). All free, all maintained by the Friends of Pathways nonprofit, all gold for a budget visitor.

Address: Trailheads throughout Jackson, WY

Tip: Rent a bike from any Town Square shop and ride the Snake River pathway out toward Wilson — the riverbank, cottonwood meadows, and Teton views on this stretch are the prettiest 10 miles in town. Pathway maps are free at the Friends of Pathways office and most bike shops.

Outdoor & Adventure

A natural concrete-walled hot pool tucked at the end of a 10-mile dirt road south of Jackson — one of the best soak-after-hiking spots in the West. Surrounded by Bridger-Teton National Forest with a bathhouse, picnic tables, and steam rising into the pines. In summer you drive in; in winter access is by snowmobile, dog sled, or fat bike only.

Address: End of Granite Creek Rd (FR 30500), south of Jackson, WY

Tip: Seasonal — Granite Creek Road typically opens to wheeled vehicles around May 1, but the pool itself reopens in late May (May 22 in 2026). Check the Forest Service site before you drive an hour out. No alcohol, no cell service, no potable water — bring everything.

Markets & Food

Saturday-morning market that takes over Jackson's Town Square through the summer. Wyoming and Idaho farmers and ranchers bring grass-fed beef, bison, eggs, vegetables grown in the short Teton-valley season, baked goods, honey, jams, and prepared foods. Live music and the antler arches in the background make this one of the prettiest market settings in the country.

Address: Jackson Town Square, 85 E Broadway, Jackson, WY 83001

Tip: Saturdays 8am-12pm, summer season (typically July through mid-September; check the calendar page for exact dates). Get there before 9am — vendors sell out fast and parking around the square fills up. Pair with the 6pm shootout on the same square for a full day downtown.

Iconic Landmarks

Jackson's iconic Western honky-tonk on Town Square, opened 1937 (renamed from Ruby's Saloon to the Cowboy Bar in 1939). The interior is famous for its 1973-installed saddle barstools — actual leather-and-wood horse saddles bolted to the bar instead of regular stools. Western dancing, country live music, and a venerable list of past performers (Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson, Glen Campbell, Tanya Tucker) make it as much a music landmark as a bar.

Address: 25 N Cache Street, Jackson, WY 83001

Tip: Walk in during the day to see the saddles and decor without ordering — it's free to look around. Live country music on the dance floor most nights starting around 9pm; cover charges sometimes apply on weekend headliner nights. Two-step dance lessons happen on certain nights — call to confirm. Right on Town Square, two-minute walk from the antler arches and the 6pm shootout.

Music & Entertainment

A 1942 dive bar 5 miles west of Jackson in tiny Wilson, WY — universally called "The Coach" by locals. Famous for the World Famous Stagecoach Band that's played every Sunday 6-10pm for 40+ years (locals call going "to church"). The bar has a long wooden bar, well-used pool tables, $4-8 burgers and Mexican food, and a genuine unpretentious feel that contrasts with Jackson's polish. Pick-up country dancing on the worn dance floor.

Address: 5755 W Highway 22, Wilson, WY 83014

Tip: Sunday night between 6-10pm is the can't-miss slot — the band has played 2,500+ Sundays. Get there before 7pm to claim a table; standing room only by 8. About 20 minutes drive from downtown Jackson; cabs and rideshares run but plan ahead. The kitchen serves dinner most nights; happy-hour burgers around $7 are the cheapest filling meal in Jackson Hole.