The National Museum of Wildlife Art sits on a hillside overlooking the National Elk Refuge on the north side of Jackson, and it is one of the best art museums in the American West. The collection of 5,000 works focuses on paintings, sculpture, and mixed-media works depicting wildlife and the natural world, spanning from ancient carvings to contemporary pieces. The permanent collection is strong on Western American painters — Carl Rungius, Albert Bierstadt, and Georgia O'Keeffe are represented — and on European wildlife art.
The building itself is worth a visit for the architecture: designed to look like a ruined Anasazi stone structure, it integrates into the hillside so completely that it almost disappears. Galleries have large windows framing views of the refuge and the Teton peaks. Temporary exhibitions change several times a year. There is a good cafe and a well-stocked shop. The museum offers combination tickets with other Jackson attractions.