Provo, UT

My husband and I love going to the public libraries in Provo and Orem. We’ll generally go to sit and read, check out books and movies, or set up camp with our laptops and use the free wireless internet. (The internet is accessible to anyone who has a library card, and if you don’t have one you can ask at the front desk and they’ll give you a temporary guest account.)

There are always things going on at the library, for kids, teenagers, and adults. The Orem library, for example, sometimes has famous storytellers perform, as it did a few weeks ago. This link will take you to the Orem library’s monthly calendar, where you can see all the activities they have planned. There’s story time every week, and they have a program called The Big Read going on where everyone reads To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee.

Here’s a link to the Provo library’s event page. This month they have reading programs and a short story contest for teenagers (click here for the entry form), family history workshops (you have to register for this, either by calling or going to the library), blogging courses, nutrition classes, movie nights for children, and a literacy class.

Springville, Spanish Fork, American Fork, and Pleasant Grove all have public libraries too, and of course you can always go up to Salt Lake and visit any of those along the way. There are so many libraries in this area, you could make an event (or several) out of just visiting all of them and seeing what they have going on. There are tons of great free activities going on all the time, and it’s a good way to encourage children to take an interest in reading.