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.

La Bonne Vie

La Bonne Vie means "The Good Life." Located in the Grand America Hotel in Salt Lake City Utah. It is a must visit if you find yourself in the area.

&

For someone who's ultimate dream would be to own a bakery of her own...well this really is the good life!

Below you will clearly see more reasons why....

Not only do they serve some seriously delicious macarons...they serve all kinds of pastries and gelato and covered strawberries. HERE is a link to everything they serve and all the different delectable flavours of the treats!

 Fun Fact: La Bonne Vie was named "Best Bakery" by Salt Lake magazine in the 2012 Dining Awards.

Oh did I mention that I got to visit the bakery while visiting ms Gentri! We had such a fun week together! Here she is enjoying some seriously tasty hazelnut gelato.

& Here I am enjoying my pistachio macaron which was so good it was hard not to order 10 more...or ....100.

When I like something I REALLY like something!

So if you find yourself in the Salt Lake area pop on over and order up some treats! They even have adorable and beautiful packaging for their treats, which makes it a great gift! That is if you can handle not eating it all on the way to deliver the treat! So probably order for you and your loved ones! And maybe one for me?!

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.

Waialua Bakery

Ya ok, I know what you are thinking. "another Hawaii post?". But let's be real here..you aren't even mad. The answer to your other question is.. Yes I am trying to convince all of you to move to Hawaii.
So I figure I can win you all over with food. I know it would work for me.
This bakery is well..scrumptious. The sandwiches are as big as your face {as shown in the picture above}. They are fresh and amazing and well lets just say I will not eat all day so that I can finish the entire thing.

As you can see...the fam agrees! When we go to Maui we even say we would fly over to Oahu just for a sandwich!

Oh and then once you have eaten your weight in delicious goodness...you of course have to "force" down one of their homemade ice cream sandwiches. I mean you really just have no choice in the matter once you get a look at them.

So you are gonna meet me there right? I figured! Oahu -> Haleiwa -> Waialua Bakery -> Heaven on earth.

Bon appetite!