Hogle Zoo in a Whole New (Christmas) Light

No, you're not seeing things. We're back. Its been a number of months since we've posted to the Things To Do, Utah blog. Although I didn't think that many people were reading our blog, the numbers, even though small, continued day after day over the past months. So, we're back and ready to share more about Things To Do, Utah.

'Tis the season, for Christmas lights!

There are a lot of displays out there, some for free, some will cost a little to get into, but most are worth it for a family night out (or even for the parents to get away).

Those of you who've read the blog in the past know that Hogle Zoo is one of our favorite places. Well, a new tradition, Zoo Lights are back again this year and bigger and better than ever. With over one million lights and animated animal displays made of lights, this is one fantastic place to be. It may get chilly at night, but the zoo has provided areas to warm up under heaters. And of course, don't forget the real animals.

Zoo Lights is an extra feature at the zoo, so your membership doesn't get you in for free, but you do get a discount with your membership. If you don't have a membership, the cost is $6.00 for adults, and $4.00 for seniors and children. With membership, admission is $5.00 for adults, and $3.00 for seniors and children.

But here is an even better way to see the lights and save a little money. Head down to Macey's Grocery Stores and pick up a Zoo Lights voucher from the customer service desk. The voucher will get you into Zoo Lights on Thursday evenings for only $3.00 per person (zoo membership or not).

So, kick off your Christmas season with Zoo Lights at Hogle Zoo!

Event: Zoo Lights at Hogle Zoo.
Location: 2600 Sunnyside Avenue, Salt Lake City, Utah
Phone: 801-582-1631
Date and Times: November 29 to December 31st, 2009; Sunday through Thursday, 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. (grounds close at 9 p.m.), Friday and Saturday, 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. (grounds close at 10 p.m.).
Cost: Without zoo membership, $6.00 for adults and $4.00 for children and seniors; With zoo membership, $5.00 for adults and $3.00 for children and seniors; With Thursday night vouchers from Macey's, $3.00 per person.


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Distance from:
Salt Lake City (downtown): 4.8 miles
Ogden: 41.3 miles
Provo: 48 miles
Logan: 86.8 miles

Neil Diamond (Impersonator) in Taylorsville, June 28, 2008

It is, once again, Taylorsville Dayzz! My family looks forward to this great community festival every year.

The Valley Regional Park is filled with food, rides, games and auto shows. The Taylorsville Recreation Center is letting people try out the rock climbing wall, the batting cages and the gym and exercise machines for FREE. The pool is open for swimming and you can take a break and read at the Taylorsville Library.

There is music on a couple of stages throughout the day- BUT, the big show is Saturday night. Live, from Las Vegas, headlining at the Riviera Hotel and Casino, is Jay White. White is the only Neil Diamond impersonator officially endorsed by Neil Diamond (and Neil Diamond's mother). I saw him perform last year, and not only does he look a heck of a lot like Neil Diamond, when he sings, you can barely tell the difference between White and the real thing. Jay White will be backed up by his own band and our very own West Valley Symphony.

Wrapping up his performance, he will sing the National Anthem that leads into the "Fireworks Extravaganza." The fireworks show, which starts around 10:00 p.m., has only gotten better every year. It is accompanied by a great soundtrack each year. This is, in my opinion, the best FREE fireworks show in the Salt Lake Valley, and probably one of the best in the state.

Taylorsville Dayzz even extends into Monday with a performance by the Utah Symphony. Monday evenings performance by the Symphony will be ended with a performance of the 1812 Overture, accompanied by cannons from the Wasatch Cannoneers. This is an incredible way to hear this amazing work (and nearly the way that Tchaikovsky intended for it to be played).

Taylorsville Dayzz is a great community gathering and a whole lot of fun. Now, excuse me while I prepare to sing along to "Sweet Caroline."

Event: Taylorsville Dayzz
Location: Valley Regional Park, 5100 South 2700 West, Taylorsville
Phone: 801.963.5400
Hours: June 28, 2008, 11:00 a.m. to dark; June 30, 2008, 6:30 p.m. to dark
Cost: FREE, food, rides and games have individual costs associated with them.


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Distance from:
Salt Lake City: 11.3 miles
Ogden: 44.8 miles
Provo: 38.2 miles
Logan: 89.5 miles

We're Back and Traveling Once Again

Sorry, folks. It's been a little while since I've been able to post anything. That pesky day job seemed to get in the way all too often over the last little while.

Having gotten the "day job" out of the way, I've spent a few days rambling around the state with the kids looking into some new places and checking up on some old favorites. I've got a lot of new information and some great places for you to visit. So over the next little while, I'll be posting about all of them.

In the last three days, we have been to:

The Hutchings Museum- Lehi
Timpanogos Cave- American Fork
Cabela's- Lehi
Golden Spike National Historic Site- Promontory
ATK Thiokol Rocket Garden- near Promontory
Marble Park- Bothwell
Bear River Wildlife Refuge- near Willard
BYU Earth Sciences Museum- Provo
BYU Museum of People and Cultures- Provo
Springville Art Museum- Springville
Krishna Temple- Spanish Fork
Bean Life Science Museum- Provo

Besides the gas for all this traveling (1 tank for $73.00), the total cost of entrance to all of this locations- $30.00 for myself and two of my children. The only place we visited that would have raised the cost if we'd had all the kids with us was Timpanogos Cave. Everything else was either free or a set entrance fee per car.

The locations above that have links are places that I've reviewed before and the ones without links are places that I will be reviewing shortly. All my travels around the state of Utah just continue to prove one thing- We have a lot of amazing places, within a short drive, that are either free or inexpensive, and are lots of fun for kids and adults alike.

Events for Saturday, June 7, 2008

Kids are out of school (at least mine are) and summer programs really begin to rev-up this weekend. There are a lot of great events happening around the state and here are a just a few that have got me excited. For more, check out the "Things To Do, Utah" calendar.

The Museum of Anthropology at Utah State University in Logan is holding an "Indiana Jones" marathon. All three movies will be shown and you can also see an exhibit of Petra, one of the locations in "Indiana Jones
and the Last Crusade" (it's where the Knight Templar was hiding).
Movies start at 10:00 a.m. Old Main, Room 252, Utah State University,
Logan, Utah. Admission is FREE.

Cottonwood Heights Parks and Recreation will be holding their movie in the park night. Festivities begin at 7:00 p.m. with inflatable bouncy rides (there is a small fee for these). At 8:00 p.m., a reptile show, "Scales and Tales" will begin. Then at dusk (about 9:00 p.m.), "Shrek the Third" will be shown on a giant 30 foot inflatable movie screen. 1651 East Fort Union Boulevard, Cottonwood Heights. Admission to the reptile show and movie is FREE.

Join the Ogden Astronomical Society and Weber State University on Antelope Island for an evening under the stars. Participants can expect to enjoy beautiful celestial views (weather permitting), and stellar conversation with local astronomers. Meet at White Rock Bay at 9 p.m. If you bring a
flashlight, please make it a red-colored lens. For more information
please call (801) 721-9569. Admission to Antelope Island is $9.00 per car (go earlier and make a day trip out of Antelope Island).

A Park Somewhere In Time

If there is a public park in Utah that is my sentimental favorite, it has to be Copperton Park. It is not nearly as large as Murray Park or have the interactive playground that Discovery Park has, but it has that old fashioned feel of lazy summer days, sipping lemonade in the shade of a large tree. It's like a park from somewhere back in time.

The park is in the center of the township of Copperton at the mouth of Bingham Canyon. It was a town built by Kennecott Copper in the early twentieth century for the employees of the mine. The town is on the National Historic Register and is filled with homes that make you feel that you've walked into another era. At one time, Copperton used to be the gateway to the Kennecott Copper mine visitors center, but, no more. The entrance moved several miles south of town.

I remember as a kid going to Copperton Park with my parents on family outings, numerous parties with different organizations (church, Boy Scouts, etc.) and later on as a teenager, just hanging out with friends on summer evenings.

The park has tennis courts, playgrounds, horseshoe pits, and restroom facilities at the south end of the park. The playground has swings and big slides to play on and includes massive tires from the large dump trucks that work in the mine. My own kids love to play here.

There is a more or less circular path that winds through the park, making its way through and around groves of large trees that are fifty to eighty years old. South of the playgrounds and in the center of the pathway are large grassy areas for kids to run and play. I used to play tag, hide and seek and Frisbee, among other games.

The park has a very quiet and relaxed nature, and I don't think I have ever seen the park overly crowded.

If there was one park I would ever want to own a house next to, it would be Copperton Park. So, if you're planning a picnic, a family get together or a church outing, check out Copperton Park. Just don't forget the lemonade.

Place: Copperton Park
Location: 8731 W 10305 South, Copperton
Phone: 801.483.5473 (Salt Lake County Park and Recreation)
Hours: Dawn to Dark
Cost: FREE



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Salt Lake City: 24.0 miles
Ogden: 56.7 miles
Provo: 41.7 miles
Logan: 101 miles