National Elk Refuge & Greater Yellowstone Visitor Center

The National Elk Refuge and Greater Yellowstone Visitor Center at 532 N Cache Street in Jackson is one of those places that should be on every family's first-day Jackson Hole itinerary, and yet it's often overlooked in favor of immediately heading to the big attractions. The 4.7-star rating across 1,885 reviews suggests that visitors who do find it consistently love what they discover.

The visitor center serves as the information hub for the National Elk Refuge — 24,700 acres of protected land just north of downtown Jackson — and for the broader Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. The interpretive exhibits inside explain the ecology, history, and current status of one of North America's most remarkable wildlife landscapes. For families just arriving in Jackson Hole, a 30-45 minute stop here provides context for everything they're about to see: why there are so many elk, what the relationship is between the refuge, Grand Teton, and Yellowstone, and where to go to find specific wildlife.

The staff are exceptional — federal Fish and Wildlife Service employees who often have decades of experience with this specific landscape. Ask them where the moose are this week, what's happening at the refuge right now, and what the best family wildlife stops are given current conditions. You'll get better information than any guidebook.

In winter (December-March), the visitor center is also where families book the famous horse-drawn sleigh rides into the elk herd — one of Jackson Hole's signature experiences. The elk antler displays inside the center give kids a sense of the scale of the herd before they experience it from the sleigh.

Free admission, stroller-friendly, restrooms on-site, and right downtown. This is the definition of a high-value, zero-cost stop.