Tuesday, December 5, 2017

Utah Favorites

If I haven't mentioned it already, I grew up in a little suburb of Salt Lake City, UT. I never had a desire to leave...more than that. I never thought I'd leave Utah. Sure, maybe venture to Odgen or end up in some cute tiny town in southern Utah, but the thought never crossed my mind that I would leave. Never.

Remember that boy I told you about here? Well, he came to me one day and said he'd like to apply to grad school. Sure. Of course, I'll support you. He told me it would need to be out of state so we could someday return. I agreed because that boy of mine doesn't like change. No way would he follow through!

But, he did. He was accepted to the University of Texas and off we went. I should scrounge through my old photo's because I have several pictures of the back of a moving truck in the middle of nowhere. I cried that day as I followed him out of Utah. It felt like I'd never get back and that was heartbreaking for me. It's almost been eighteen years since that day. We still haven't made it back. It's not where we are supposed to be and I try really hard to accept that. Somedays are easier than others.

Since then we've lived in Lubbock, TX, Richmond, VA, and settled in South Carolina. I love all the places we've lived and the places we've visited around them. As much as I miss our families, I'm grateful for the opportunities we've been given and the chance to explore this country. We have had some really great adventures and learned so much. A piece of my heart will always be in Utah, though. We try to get back once a year and when we do, we pack it full of things to do.

This is a great list of fantastic places to visit if you're ever there. I've done most of them and would highly recommend them all! I thought I'd fill this post with our families favorites--what they are and why they mean something to us.

1) Temple Square



Temple Square is on the top ten link above, but it's definitely one of our favorite places to visit, so I added it here, too. There is so much to do around it as well. The Beehive house, the Church History Museum, the Joseph Smith Memorial building. So. much. 

This is a family favorite because it's where I married that cute boy of mine. Kaleb was sealed to us there as well. You can learn more about temples here.

2) This Is The Place Monument. We love this place because of the history but also because of all the things to do. You really could spend more than one day here.


There are two parts to this. The above picture you can visit for free. Wander around. Enjoy the views. Then for a fee, there is another part. It's well worth the money, though. There is so much to see and do. We bring a picnic and rest partway through our visit. There is a handy-dandy shuttle that comes every few minutes to take you around, but even with that, there is a lot of walking. Rested little legs and fed little tummies make all the difference!


Pet the farm animals


Float boats down the stream


And then there's THIS! Even my teenager (it's tricky to get a picture of him these days!) went in that thing.


Pan for gold


Pony rides

There are several historic homes to tour including a school and a blacksmith's shop and MORE. So. much. fun. 

We wore them out!


3) Fort Buenaventura in Ogden is another fun place we like to visit. We've had informal family reunions here and done family photos. It's a beautiful place. This is their website. 





This portion of the park wasn't open the day we were here, but my husband and daughter got creative in their documenting to prove we were here!


4) Splash Parks! There are a ton of these in Utah. I know they are all over the country but none in our little town in SC. They are a must-do for sure!



I even got a little writing done on this day! 


6) Memory Lane! My mother grew up in Beaver, Utah and that place is so near and dear to my heart! We don't get down there every year but when we do, the riverbed road in Greenville is always on the list. So is the Cache Valley Creamery. I don't have a picture of that (well, not posted here at least), but it has the best ice cream and CHEESE! We lovingly refer to it at Beaver cheese and it's a sacred item in our house. Especially now that it's rare to have it in our home!

Greenville Riverbed Road


The old church (I believe...correct me if I'm wrong mom)



The Old Schoolhouse. I believe my grandfather rode a horse in one door and out the other when he was a boy. I definitely need to ask about that story again. I'll update here when I do!


My mother spent the first five years of her life in this cute house. While my grandmother was in the hospital giving birth to my mom, my grandfather moved her out of the house they were in and into this home with his mother...without telling my grandmother! Can you believe he lived to tell about that? :) I believe they lived here for about five years before Grandpa bought the home next to the Creamery where they both lived out there days.


To conclude this "memory lane" tour, this was our first apartment! It's in Bountiful, Utah and our unit was the top left. It's a cute little one bedroom apartment. We only stayed six months, though. At the time (I hope they figured out how to fix it) it was SO hot. We moved in in November. Hot should not have been an issue. On the plus side, we never turned the heat on that winter. We did, however, open the windows. Weird. That sounds more like SC weather than UT weather! It's hard to believe that was 22 years ago!



7) Cove Fort is a place we don't get to often but when we head to southern Utah, we definitely try to stop. It was built in 1867 as a safe spot for travelers. There is a lot of interesting history there. You can find a lot more information here. It's such an interesting place to go. (They have better pictures on their website than I do here, too!)



I loved these missionary scarecrows. So clever and so fitting since couple missionaries for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints run the place.


8) The Heber Creeper! Ok, it's not called that anymore. It's the Utah Valley Railroad, but it will always be lovingly referred to as the "Creeper Creeper," in our home. I think it was my youngest sister who called it that when she was teeny tiny. It stuck. It's located in another super cute town, Heber City, and if you get a chance to go, you should.


They did the cutest train robbery. My girls missed most of what they said because they were worried about the noise from the guns!


The actual train ride is so beautiful. They have different themes going on at different times. This time they had some musicians play and a few trivia games etc. 


There is a food car on the train where you can purchase snacks. Although, at the time they didn't mind us bringing our own. I don't know if they have changed their policy since then so I would ask or check their website to be sure.


Heber Valley Railroad also does a Christmas train ride with a very special jolly guest. We've done that one before as well and my kids still talk about it. Special memory making for sure.


There are more things we love to do but I think I'll leave you with that for now. What are your favorites? 

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