I once met Senator Kent Conrad from North Dakota. When I told him we would be visiting his state and asked him what were the top three things we should see, he listed them in this order, 1. Medora, 2. Medora, and 3. Medora. Well, I guess you could say Medora was not to be missed and after visiting there myself I can totally understand the Senator's response. The town of Medora is charming and beautiful but … [Read more...]
Virgin Trading Post (Fort Zion Utah)
This was a fun little stop on our way to Zion National Park. The Virgin Trading Post is a cross between a petting zoo and a Wild West park. It's a quirky little mishmash of animals and western kitsch perfect for a million photo opportunities and a great place for everyone to stretch their legs. The kids had a great time feeding carrots to miniature horses, and petting sheep and other animals-the carrots by the … [Read more...]
Valley City Fish Hatchery (Valley City)
The Valley City Fish Hatchery was one of those places where we needed a stop to break up a long car ride and there wasn't much else to see or do in the area. We checked it out and were really surprised at how unexpectedly cool, interesting, and educational it was. Apparently, fish hatcheries like this one grow baby fish to release into the lakes and rivers in the surrounding areas to help the ecosystem and to … [Read more...]
Little Hollywood Movie Museum (Kanab)
On our way to the Grand Cayon we stopped in Kanab to stretch our legs, grab a bite to eat, and explore a bit. We discovered a fun little stop called the Little Hollywood Movie Museum—This is a funky little place to explore if you are in the right frame of mind. It’s full of all kinds of western movie sets and props anything from old farm tools, wagon wheels, you name it—even a noose. It’s a great place to … [Read more...]
Backcountry Snowmobiling (Park City)
Before I get too far into this amazing and breathtaking experience, let me first mention that Backcountry Snowmobiling (click here to check out their website) really is in the back country. It's about 1 hour away from Park City on the outskirts of the tiny town of Coalville. Once off the highway and past Main street you'll head up Chalk Creek Road for about 18 miles past ranches that keep getting more and more spread … [Read more...]
Deer Valley Ski Resort (Park City)
Rated the #1 ski resort by Ski Magazine, it's no wonder everything seemed like a skiers paradise up at Deer Valley Ski Resort. The ski area itself is huge and is broken up by lodges and lifts all over the mountain and it is all just breathtakingly beautiful. Deer Valley is a "ski only" resort that does not allow snowboarding, so to best enjoy it you should do what we did and embrace the ski culture. A word of … [Read more...]
Fireside Dining at Empire Canyon Lodge (Park City)
What could be better than dinner at a cozy fireside lodge on the snowy slopes of Park City? Not much except maybe a sleigh ride to get there. There are a few places in Park City to have that kind of experience but our friends highly recommended the Fireside Dining at Empire Canyon Lodge and it definitely did not disappoint. We arrived at the lodge with fireplaces aglow and were told to meet our sleigh driver … [Read more...]
The Java Cow (Park City)
As you probably know by now, ice cream is one of our family's favorite treats and we seek it out wherever we go. Park City, Utah was no exception and so we were really excited when our friends the Sobel family and the Richmond family told us we just HAD to try their favorite ice cream place The Java Cow. What makes the Java Cow unique is that the store has two distinct sides-on one side you have the coffee … [Read more...]
Learning to Curl-Park City Ice Arena (Park City)
Have you ever heard of the sport "Curling"? It's kind of like shuffleboard on ice and it's an actual Olympic sport. When I mentioned to my crew that I'd signed us up to take a "Learning to Curl" class at the Park City Ice Arena they all groaned-"Boring!!!". Well let me tell you, after it was all said and done, everyone said it was one of the highlights of the trip...why? Because it was fun, … [Read more...]
Main Street (Park City)
Every little town seems to have a Main Street and Park City is no exception. Charming little shops and restaurants line the streets are housed in adorable little storefronts that hearken back to this towns silver mining days. It's a lively scene any time of the day or night in fact there's even a ski lift that can take you up to the Park City Mountain Resort. There are an amazing variety of restaurants … [Read more...]