Where to Stay for Cowgirls at the Cowboy Bar: The Dubois Alternative to Jackson

The Cowboy festival, the only all-women's country music festival in the country, will be taking place at the Million Dollar Cowboy Bar in Jackson, Wyoming. From October 22 to 24, 2026, there are three nights of programming curated by Jenny Tolman from Nashville. Jackson sells out and has high demand during festival weekend. Dubois, located about 85 miles (one hour and 35 minutes) east of Jackson via Togwotee Pass, is the closest place offering a genuinely affordable rate. The Amoretti Hotel is a Western-style basecamp situated by the river for the duration of the weekend and provides pull-through parking for drivers. Reservations can be made directly through theamorettihotel.com

When and where is Cowgirls at the Cowboy 2026?

The festival will take place from Thursday to Saturday, 22, 23 and 24 of October 2026, at the Million Dollar Cowboy Bar. The 1937 landmark located at 25 N Cache Street in Jackson's Town Square. It is curated by singer-songwriter Jenny Tolman and presents itself as the only all-female country festival in the country. Following custom, Thursday features an acoustic, in-the-round Songwriter Showcase, while Friday and Saturday have full-band performances. Tickets are available each night via the venue. The lineup for 2026 will be announced nearer to the event date. Previous editions have been headlined by artists like Ashley McBryde and Ella Langley, which gives you a great indication of the standard. For the current year's artists and their set times, you should check the official website.

What's the Million Dollar Cowboy Bar like?

The venue is half the attraction. The Million Dollar Cowboy Bar has been situated in Jackson's Town Square since 1937 and is one of the real honky-tonks of the West. It features burled lodgepole pine shaped into twisted arches, has silver dollars embedded in the bar top, and has real leather saddles fitted as barstools so that you can sit on a ‘horse’ when ordering a drink. It's a close and intimate place, and that is precisely the reason why an all-women's country festival is suited to it. The performers are close enough to charge the incredible atmosphere. 

Why base in Dubois instead of Jackson?

Jackson is a small resort town that is in high demand, and its hotels get booked up early and at high prices. Dubois is located about 85 miles to the east, only about one hour and thirty-five minutes via the Togwotee Pass. It provides a more tranquil option at better value, with one of the most attractive routes through the Rockies if you're travelling to the festival. It becomes the usual destination when Jackson's accommodations are full. There are two reasonable points to note; first, this involves a drive over a mountain pass, so it's suitable only for people who are willing to make the round trip on the nights of the festival rather than walking home from the bar; and second, late in October the first snow of the season can fall at Togwotee, so it's important to check the condition of the pass and roads before setting off and to allow extra time if necessary.

Making a weekend of it

Taking Dubois as your starting point, the journey can be divided into two parts: spending nights in Jackson and having calm days on the Wind River side of the pass. You should do the Togwotee drive at least once during the day so as to see the Teton views when you reach the summit. When you get back to Dubois, you can fill your daytime hours with a visit to the National Bighorn Sheep Center, a look at the Whiskey Basin herd, the Wind River, and the genuinely old-west main street.

Where to stay: The Amoretti Hotel

The Amoretti Hotel is a Western-style basecamp situated at the edge of Dubois, offering 21 rooms on the Wind River, animals on the premises, a hot tub by the river and a barrel sauna. It’s a truly independent, old-west kind of atmosphere that is much more suitable for a country music weekend than any chain hotel in the valley ever could be. It features custom pull-through parking so that when you drive over the pass you simply end up parking in a spot, and if you book directly with the property you receive its Basecamp Perks. It provides a genuine value solution to the question of where to stay for the festival. Book direct: www.theamorettihotel.com