Washington County Fair

Every August- Washington County in Southern Utah has their annual county fair! This is the event of the year in Southern Utah.

There's plenty of fair food (my favorite being the funnel cakes), games, and rides.

There are rodeos, concerts, markets, and lots of fun!

If you're in Southern Utah or heading that way- I suggest making a trip over to the fair. Start your day off with some hikes or antique shopping then end it at the fair once the sun has gone down.

Temple Square

When visiting Downtown Salt Lake City- Temple Square is a must see. The history of Utah is rich at Temple Square, there's no better place to visit in Utah where you can learn about our history.

Temple square is home to the Salt Lake City Mormon Temple. You can't enter unless you are a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints with a temple recommend, but there are visitor centers, tabernacles, the conference center, and the Joseph Smith Memorial Building that you can visit.

The Joseph Smith Memorial Building is my favorite. It is stunning and includes 3 different restaurants. It was once a hotel and is now used as a visitor center, reception center and office building.

While you can't enter the Temple without a recommend, you can view it from all angles on the outside. This is the most beautiful building in the world- to me.

The grounds of Temple Square are well tended to. In the spring you'll find the grounds covered in fresh blossoms.

At Christmas time it is covered in lights and a Nativity Scene.

If you go to the top of the Joseph Smith Memorial building you can view the temple from their west windows.

There are 4 restaurants in all at Temple Square, the prices vary making dining at the square possible for anyone. There's the Lion House- famous for their rolls and a great stop for that home cooking, the Navoo Cafe- fast service and great sandwiches, the Garden- a great inbetween restaurant; not too fancy but fancier than the other two, and last but not least The Roof- a fine dining restaurant with spectacular views of the temple.

Porters Place

One of my family's favorite restaurants in Utah is Porters Place. Named and themed after Porter Rockwell- a gunman from the 1800's and official body guard of the 1st modern day prophet of the LDS Church- Joseph Smith.

The restaurant is located on the old main street in Lehi Utah, a small town just 30 minutes south of downtown SLC, among other original buildings.
(as you can see- I was able to take Lauren there! She came to stay with me last week and this was first on our list)

Inside you'll find vintage wallpaper and lighting. The restaurant casts an atmosphere of an an old west saloon.

When sitting up at the bar you rest on old tractor seats (one of my favorite parts).

The walls are covered in wood that actually came from my Dad's childhood barn and the rest is exposed original brick.

At the front of the restaurant is a vintage style cash box that they still use as well as a 1900's piano where they sometimes have live ragtime music played. But when the piano isn't in use, you can count on that saloon music filling the restaurant through speakers.

The food is American. Steak, potatos, rolls (my favorite part), and hamburgers are what you mostly find on the menu, but they also have a salad bar and some simpler options.

Alcohol isn't served but they have their "signature drinks". We tried three of them- Silver Queen, Diamond Lil, and Gold Feber. Our favorite (across the table) was the Silver Queen, smooth vanilla, the Diamond Lil is similar to a pina colada- which we enjoyed, and the Gold Feber was a bit too... syrup-y for us.

When trying to get that "Utah" experience- Porters Place is a great choice.

The Great Salt Lake

Good news! Lauren and I (the authors behind this here blog) were able to have some adventures together last week! She came to stay with me and we had a blast. One of my favorite adventures was our trip to see THE Great Salt Lake.

(enjoy this obvious song choice to go with the post. i'm not sure what the video has to do with SLC though...)

We arrived as the sun was setting- one of the best times to visit a lake. The sun glistened off the water and cast stunning flares over the west mountain.

The views around the lake are incredible. Mountains in the distance and salt flats for miles.

It's a pretty dry area considering there's a lake. I am sure there are better times of year to visit, times when the lake is more full. But no matter when you visit, be prepared for the smell... Oh ya, it stinks. You kind of get used to it until you get in the car and realize it's sorta stuck around.

I haven't been out to Antelope Island yet, but that is on my goal list. But just visiting the marina is a good time and a great place for photos.

Be aware that this isn't a lake you go to swim in, or fish, or lay on the beach... This is more of a- look how pretty it is but don't touch anything and plug your nose- kind of trip... Ok, doesn't sound appealing when I put it that way, but trust me, it's worth seeing. I guess we didn't visit the right spot, further north is the place to be- apparently.

Some fun facts about The Great Salt Lake:
- It's the largest lake West of the Mississippi, it's 75 miles long and 35 miles wide
- It has the highest salt content next to the Dead Sea, it's salty because it doesn't have an outlet
- You can float in the GSL because of all the salt
- If you head about an hour north of SLC you can visit the Spiral Jetty (I'll try to do a post on that soon)
- There used to be lots of fun things to do at the GSL, including a roller coaster
- The GSL is the remnant of Lake Bonneville, a great ice age lake

Reaching the lake from Downtown SLC only takes about 20 minutes, unless you're looking for more of a recreational beach. Then it'll take longer.

I fully plan on returning to the lake and getting the full experience. Maybe one day I'll be brave enough to test the waters (to see what it's like to float without trying)... Or maybe I'll just take everyone's word for it.

Stone Mountain

This last February I was able to visit my sister and her family in Atlanta, GA. One morning, my sister, oldest niece, and I went out to hike Stone Mountain.

This is an easy hike that almost anyone could do. The hardest part is at the end where it gets steep. But they do have handrails to make it easier. My sister (pictured below) is climbing without the handrails and was 5 months pregnant with her 4th child. She's a champ.

The view is amazing. It's pretty much the only spot IN Atlanta where you can have a view like this. 

I know, I know, we're awesome.

I loved being able to see the city and then on the opposite side you could see the Appalachians through the clouds.

Stone Mountain is a great hike for those visiting Atlanta who want to get away from the city, plus I know there's a lot of other things to do inside the park as well.

Gaston's Tavern

Disney World (as many of you know) has been expanding their "Fantasyland". They've added some new things and as far as I know, haven't finished! I was able to visit WDW this last February with my sister and her family. We had a blast and enjoyed every minute.

One of our favorite stops in the new Fantasyland was Gaston's Tavern. They serve pork shanks, gooey cinnamon rolls, and their signature "La Fou's Brew". This is supposed to be what the characters are drinking in the movie (we all know what it REALLY was). It's an apple cider- toasted marshmallow mixture with a passion fruit foam on top.

I plan on trying some recipes to see if I can come up with something similar. It was amazing! I will let you know if I can perfect it!

Exit Glacier

One of my favorite spots in Alaska was Seward, and just outside of there is Exit Glacier. There's a specific trail that leads right up to the glacier, the hike has a few difficult spots/ a few spots where you want to hold the hands of little ones, but overall it's a hike that most people could do.

There are little signs along the trail that teach you about Exit Glacier and glaciers in general, which makes the hike interactive for kids.

Then after you've hiked to the glacier, there's just a short drive back to town where they have restaurants and other things to do.

It's about a 2 hour drive from Anchorage, but completely worth it if you have the time.

Multnomah Falls

One of the highlights of Portland, Oregon would be Multnomah Falls. The Falls stand at a total of over 600 feet, trails climb up along the side of the falls stopping at the bridge and continuing onto the top of the waterfall. There are also trails that venture off from the falls in every direction, most are paved, and there's a variety of lengths- something for everyone.

Out of everything I saw in Portland, Multnomah Falls was my favorite. It's one of the only (if not the only) tourist traps I found. The Lodge has a restaurant which I wasn't able to try, but I'll tell you, the smell was amazing. Below the restaurant on the ground level is a souvenir shop with a variety of treasures. I am still in love with the things I brought home.

I recommend Multnomah Falls to everyone that finds themselves in Portland, Oregon.