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.

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.

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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.

Cedar Breaks

Southern Utah has many famous spots, but there's one spot that isn't as popular yet deserves to be. Cedar Breaks is a State Park named for the cedar trees and the breaking away of the canyon. This place is breathtaking, The green of the trees, the red of the dirt, and the blue of the sky create so much color it's almost hard to look at.

There are lots of hiking trails here. The one my sister and I did was a beautiful trail that led to a pond. The path was lined with wildflowers and natural treasures.

I could have taken a nap in that bed of flowers.

I think "Utah" doesn't sound appealing to some- but Utah alone is home to 5 national parks (making it the capitol of national parks) and multiple state parks, plus it's gateway to many other national and state parks. We are a hidden gem and I'm excited to share more with you!