Provo, UT

If you’re looking for a relaxing and peaceful way to spend an afternoon, I suggest Red Butte Garden, in the foothills above Salt Lake City. Located on the University of Utah campus, Red Butte is the largest botanical garden in the Intermountain West, with a focus on regional horticulture. It covers more than 150 acres, featuring 18 acres of gardens, plus walking paths, hiking trails, ponds, and a children’s garden. Throughout the year there are a variety of concerts, educational programs, family nights, art and horticultural exhibits, plant sales, and more.

Nestled at the mouth of Emigration Canyon, Utah’s Hogle Zoo is home to about 900 animals, including endangered and threatened species and several Utah natives. You’ll find all of your typical zoo favorites here, many in surroundings recreated to mimic their natural habitats.

One of my favorite things to do with my daughter is attend weekly story time at Barnes & Noble. I’ve been taking her since she was five months old. I admit that was very young, but I really believe that such early exposure to books has helped foster her interest in learning to read [...]

Attention art lovers: stop whatever you’re doing and head straight to the Utah Museum of Fine Arts. Simply put, you do not want to miss the Monet to Picasso exhibit currently on loan from the Cleveland Museum of Art. The show only runs until September 21, 2008, so make it a priority!
The UMFA touts [...]

Also known locally as the Gateway Fountain, it’s become something of a free, mini water park, and on most summer days you’ll find kids of all ages running through the fountains while adults lounge with frozen lemonades from a nearby vendor. The fountain was created for the 2002 Winter Olympics, so you’ll notice the Olympic snowflake pattern on the plaza floor. Overlooked by a stories-high clock tower, the fountains are controlled in a series of patterns and, on the hour, choreographed to shoot about twenty feet in the air to inspirational music such as America the Beautiful.

After attending the early morning balloon launch, we headed over to the Wolf Creek Resort, site of the 2008 Ogden Valley Balloon Festival. The festival didn’t start until 9 a.m. so to kill a little time between the launch (which ended by 8 a.m.) and the festival, we ate a picnic breakfast, then drove the short distance to Wolf Creek.

We watched as about 25 colorful envelopes (the uninflated balloons) covered the ground. Soon the propane tanks began hissing and the field exploded with beautiful colors as the balloons inflated. Before you knew it, they were upright, straining against the lead ropes with the same anticipation as the watching crowd. It was a breathtaking sight as the balloons lifted off one by one into the morning sun with the elegance and grace of whales dancing in the ocean. The sky filled with a kaleidoscope of magnificent colors, uplifting music filled the air, and my heart soared with the beauty filling the sky.

Kennecott Bingham Canyon Mine is the world’s largest man-made excavation, and biggest open copper pit. It measures an impressive 2.5 miles across at the top and is .75 miles deep. It’s almost twice as deep as the world’s tallest building. It’s one of those things like the Hoover Dam, or the Corn Palace, or the Largest Ball of String…you need to see it to believe it. And you should see it, especially if you live in Utah, since it’s such an important part of Utah’s mining history.

The Grand America’s Afternoon Tea is like a tea party for grownups in the most delightful and sophisticated way. From the moment we pulled up to The Grand America (Salt Lake City’s only five-diamond hotel) we received VIP treatment: valet parking, doormen, concierge. From our first steps through the front doors into the elegant lobby, we were greeted by Old World charm and grandeur. Spectacular chandeliers, fine French furnishings, and Italian marble–as well as a diverse, friendly, and largely European staff–awaited us at every turn.