I'll be taking a trip to my husband's home state next week, so I thought I'd share with everyone why it's a fun place to visit.
Also-- (in regards to my 6 month challenge) I am sticking to my goal of posting once a week but I fell a little short on my daily goal. My daily goal was to login each day and comment and like others' posts. I didn't have quite as much time to do that over the weekend because I had family visiting. Wow-- taking care of guests (plus two kids) is a real challenge!!
But back to my post... here are my top reasons to visit Utah!
Utah?! I know few of you have put this state on your “Must See” list, but seriously it is a pretty amazing place. When I was 18 I moved from Pennsylvania the whole way out to Utah to start college. People in my home town asked me if I was going to take a Conestoga wagon out west to get there. I guess they joked so much about it because it is a state that is so foreign and far away to them.
Well, I did take a plane to Utah and have actually driven across country to get there several times in my life. It is a place I called home for about 8 years and now is one that we visit often.
So what is so great about this western land? Well I’ll give you 10 reasons (in no particular order) for why you should make a visit.
1. They have the BEST fast, casual restaurants in the country! These places are great when you have babies as most moms know. You must try Rumbi, Cafe Rio and Kneaders, just to name a few. Cafe Rio has the best salads and burritos and Kneaders has killer all-you-can-eat french toast. I promise you will not regret it!!
2. Skiing- Clearly you can not ski there now, but we have spent many a winter day on the slopes there! Utah is known for its snow, light and powdery and their resorts convenient locations (most just 20 minutes from the international airport)
3. Lake Powell- This place is a boater’s and sun worshiper’s paradise. My husband’s family has a boat and travels to Lake Powell each summer. It is always hot, extremely sunny and there is sooo much to see. The lake is massive and would take days to explore the whole thing.
4. Recreation- People in Utah are pretty outdoorsy. Many love to hike and Utah has so many options. From Moab (where the iconic arch is) to Bryce Canyon to colder mountain hikes in northern Utah.
5. Easy to Navigate- For those who are visiting you will notice that all the roads don’t have names, but instead numbers. All the streets are laid out on a grid system making it easy to find your way around.
6. Temple Square- Ever heard of Mormons? Well of course Utah has a lot of them and Temple Square is the center for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. See the magnificent Temple, grounds and visitor center here in downtown Salt Lake City. Go to http://mormon.org to learn more.
7. City Creek- This new mall is gorgeous. A hybrid of outdoor and indoor shopping with all the shops you can possibly think of. So if you love shopping this place has it all. Seriously it even has a Rolex and Tiffanys.
8. Sunshine and dry heat- I’m a huge sun worshiper and always fret about the weather when I vacation. Utah is almost always sunny, I mean it is a dessert, so you don’t have to worry about having your vacation activities rained out!
9. Antelope Island- The Great Salt Lake is some weird anomaly that you just have to experience. It is not an ocean, but a lake that is filled with salt. You can basically float in the water due to the high salt content. Never drink the water! Anyway, there is a cool island in the middle that you can drive to where bison live wild and free. You can even get pretty close to them, but not too close.
10. Last but not least, I think the people are just friendly. Most people smile and say hello to you!
If you are really interested in taking a trip to Utah, I am happy to answer any questions and give any tips. Let me know if I can help!