Saturday, May 10, 2008

Free Event of the Day- May 11, 2008

The Madeleine Festival of the Arts and Humanities presents Red Rock Rondo.

Folk musicians Kate MacLeod and Hal Cannon join chamber folk music ensemble blue haiku (Phillip Bimstein, Charlotte Bell, Flavia Cervino-Wood and Harold Carr) in performing Red Rock Rondo. Drawing upon an array of musical styles and a lively assortment of instruments, the group celebrates in song the life and history of Zion National Park.

Event: Madeleine Festival: Red Rock Rondo
Location: 331 E South Temple, Salt Lake City, UT
Phone: 801.328.8941
Time: 8:00 p.m
Cost: FREE


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Distance from:
Salt Lake City (downtown): 1 mile
Ogden: 37.4 miles
Provo: 45.1 miles
Logan: 82.1 miles

Hidden Falls- You Can Find It

One of the great things about Utah is the number of walking and hiking trails all over the state. There is everything to easy walks on urban trails to very difficult hikes in some of the most remote areas of the United States. Of course, there are many walks and hikes in between these two extremes.

One of my favorite easy hikes is one that even my youngest children can go on without difficulty. The Hidden Falls Trail is an extremely short trail, only about 0.25 miles long and has only about a 40 foot climb in elevation. The biggest obstacles on this trail are crossing over some rocks and boulders and the small stream. At the end of the trail you find yourself in a small box canyon with a beautiful waterfall that is about 40 feet tall.

At the base of the waterfall is a small, shallow pool that kids love to play in. There is an old, abandoned mine shaft just down from the falls that is gated up, but kids love to yell down the shaft and hear the echoes. Hidden Falls is a nice cool spot to visit during the hot summer months and is also a great place to start more strenuous hikes on one of the nearby trails.

Place: Hidden Falls, Mill B North Fork Trail
Location: Big Cottonwood Canyon, Parking Lot at the "S" Curve
Phone: None
Hours: Dawn until Dusk
Cost: FREE


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Distance from:
Salt Lake City: 20 miles
Ogden: 55 miles
Provo: 44 miles
Logan: 100 miles

Friday, May 9, 2008

Reminder- Happening Saturday, May 10, 2008

Just a reminder so you don't miss out on some great activities:

Saturday, May 10, 2008 is the opening of Timpanogos Cave National Monument. All 1.5 miles of the paved trail to the cave have been cleared of snow (yeah, that's right, they had to shovel the snow from the trail) and is ready for visitors.

Also on Saturday, the Golden Spike National Historical Site in Promontory, UT is offering free admission to the park. This is the anniversary of the driving of the final spike that finished the transcontinental railroad and there are all sorts of activities going on, including a reenactment of the Golden Spike Ceremony.

Take the opportunity to get to some of these great places in Utah this weekend.

Have a great Saturday!

Memberships- Choose Wisely, Then Have Fun

Do you or your family have a favorite place you like to go? Do you go, or want to go, again and again? One of the best ways to enjoy a venue like Hogle Zoo or Thanksgiving Point is to purchase a membership. Here are a few reasons why you might consider a membership, and a few things to consider before forking out the dough.

Memberships Might Save You Money

Buying a membership may be a wise choice if it will save you money. This depends on a couple of factors.

  • Will you go enough times to pay for the membership?

  • Do you live close enough to take advantage of the membership?


  • If you're a couple with no kids, going to Hogle Zoo once will cost you $16. You could buy a one year membership for $50, but you would need to go to the zoo four times for the membership to pay for itself.

    If you're a family, two parents, a 14 year old and two kids ages 11 and 8, one trip to the zoo will cost you $36. You could purchase a yearly membership for $65. Two trips to the zoo will more than pay for the membership.

    Distance is a factor as well. If you live in Logan, is the money spent on gas for the car and the two hours you will travel to the zoo worth the price of the membership? Can you make it to the zoo enough times for the membership to pay off? You might be better off going to the zoo once during the year and taking the extra money and using it for another activity.

    Memberships May Have Other Benefits

    Often, but not always, memberships to one attraction may also offer you entrance for free or for a reduced price at another attraction. Take this into account when purchasing a membership. What else might you be able to do with this membership?

    Some examples:
  • Hogle Zoo's membership offers a reciprocal agreement with many other zoo's around the country and a few in other countries. How often are you going to be in another state that is part of this reciprocal agreement? What you may not realize is that one of the places that has a reciprocal agreement with Hogle Zoo is the Tracy Aviary. Membership at the Hogle Zoo will allow you to visit the Tracy Aviary for FREE, but only on the first Thursday of each month. If the zoo is the place you like to visit most, but a visit or two to the Tracy Aviary would be nice- get a membership at the zoo.

  • On the other hand, if you purchase a membership to Tracy Aviary, their reciprocal agreement allows you to visit Hogle Zoo for FREE on the first Thursday of the month as well. But, hold on. Take a closer look at the Tracy Aviary membership. With your membership at the Tracy Aviary you can enter the Ogden Nature Center, Thanksgiving Point Farm, Hogle Zoo, and the Utah Museum of Natural History for FREE on the first Thursday of every month. You also get HALF PRICE anytime at the Living Planet Aquarium, FREE entrance to the Ogden Eccles Dinosaur Park on any weekday, and FREE entrance to the Willow Park Zoo in Logan. If you want to visit Tracy Aviary the most and make an occasional visit to these other 6 places, the Tracy Aviary membership is for you.


  • Reciprocal Membership Agreements may include FREE admission, reduced price admission, or have admission restrictions (Please check each membership agreement carefully):

    Hogle Zoo Membership- Tracy Aviary

    Tracy Aviary Membership- Hogle Zoo, Ogden Nature Reserve, Thanksgiving Point Farm, Utah Museum of Natural History, Willow Park Zoo, Living Planet Aquarium, and Ogden Eccles Dinosaur Park.

    Ogden Eccles Dinosaur Park Membership- Tracy Aviary, Union Station Museums in Ogden (Utah State Railroad Museum, Eccles Rail Center, John M. Browning Firearms Museum, and Browning-Kimball Classic Car Museum).

    Union Station Museums Membership (in Ogden)- Ogden Eccles Dinosaur Park and the Odgen Nature Center.

    These are just a few of the reciprocity agreements that I've found. Other attractions may have additional agreements. When looking at purchasing memberships, ALWAYS ask about the benefits and if those benefits include reciprocity agreements with any other local attractions.

    Now find your special place, get a membership, and have a whole lot of fun.

    Feedback Fridays - May 9, 2008

    Each Friday I will post a poll with a question. Some will be entertaining and some are intended to help me create great posts for Things To Do, Utah. Here then, is the first poll for Feedback Fridays:



    Thanks for your input!