Provo, UT

Confession. I’d been itching to take this boat ride since last year, when my husband flatly refused. He’s a big guy and was worried about the seaworthiness of the vessel.

From the number of cars traveling in either direction through the Alpine Loop on a typical fall afternoon, you’d think everyone already knows about this Utah Valley treasure. Assuming you’re the one soul reading this who’s not yet had the pleasure of this sublime must-do, it’s time for a road trip!

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.

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.

I was thrilled to discover Layton Commons Park, a lushly-shaded, 47-acre, city-owned park located at 437 N. Wasatch Drive in Layton. Layton Commons Park had everything I was looking for and more, including picnic pavilions, grills, a small amphitheater, heritage museum, restrooms, and a nicely paved walking path along a stretch of Kay’s Creek, which ends at a duck pond. In fact, this park is commonly known to locals as “The Duck Park”.