We are excited that our older son from Canada will be visiting. He is bringing Gloria-his girlfriend he has been with for about 9 months. He wants us to meet her and told his dad that he may propose around the holidays. Truth be told-we didn't like his previous girlfriend he was with for 3 years. He saw the light on his own and broke up with her, but then shortly after started dating Gloria. She sounds very put together and much different than the other "psycho" girlfriend, but I am a bit nervous. They will be at our home in Utah from July 17-21. Any ideas of some things to do while they are here would be helpful as well.
Thanks for all of your advice. I enjoyed reading your responses and being reminded of "things to do". I will share with the hubby and we will narrow it down. I will let you know how the actual visit goes as well. We are very happy to see our older son after a year and half. I am excited to meet the girlfriend/so-to-be fiance as well...
Temple square is always a big hit, whether you're LDS or not. Then there's the Bingham copper mine, Thanksgiving point, Lagoon, Hogle Zoo, and if you want a day trip you could go down to Cove Fort. You can probably find all this stuff online and I'm sure there is a website somewhere that if you google "utah tourist sites" you could find some other things that I didn't mention. Have fun with your son! and good luck with his girlfriend!
My husband had a lot of great ideas for what we could do in Utah when I came to visit during our courtship months. We were a long distance relationship, so whenever we did get together in Utah he would usually have a lot of things planned. Here are a few things we did:
1) Hike to the Mount Timpanogous Cave. It's not a very long or difficult hike. I loved the view of the valley. Here's a link for more info: http://www.nps.gov/tica/
2) Wheeler Farm. It's a beautiful historic site located in Murray which you can visit free of charge. There are great spots for picnics, a historic farmhouse you can tour, and lots of farm animals. Here's a link for more info: http://www.wheelerfarm.com/
3) Desert Star Playhouse. Located in Murray, this is a great theater to go to if you want a few laughs. Their shows are always entertaining and fun, and very unique. http://www.desertstarplayhouse.com/
4) Hike to Ensign Peak. This historic Mormon site offers a great view of Salt Lake City and the entire valley. The hike itself is short and not very difficult. It's a very popular date idea in the Salt Lake area. I love hiking up and taking photographs of the valley. Beautiful! For more info: http://www.utah.com/mormon/ensign_peak.htm. For directions: http://www.mormonhistoricsitesfoundation.org/projects/ens...
5) This is the Place Heritage Park. A pioneer village full of replicas and original pioneer homes and buildings. They always have fun and exciting things going on in the summer. It's definitely a must see! http://www.thisistheplace.org/
6) Kennecott Mines: http://www.kennecott.com/?id=MjAwMDA5Mg==
7) Temple Square: http://www.lds.org/placestovisit/location/0,10634,1890-1-...
8) Other ideas: http://www.utah.com/saltlake/
Ask her what her favorite restaurant is and take her to lunch. My mother in law has never actually done this, but my sisters' mother in law takes her to lunch all the time and has been known to see a really cute purse or handbag and buy it for my sister. It just makes my sister feel welcome and loved. There's some fun touristy things to do around Utah. This is the Place State Park is interesting, or Hogle Zoo. Try finding some fun family games to play in the evenings, too. This can be a great way to break the ice. Good luck!
Go to the Days of '47 Rodeo at the Energy Solutions Arena www.daysof47rodeo.com. There are also many other festivities that are centered around the Days of '47 Celebration. It only happens in July of each year so you need to take advantage of it while you can.
Look up on the internet "SLC Connect Pass." You can buy the pas for 1, 2, 3, days, etc. With the pass you can see several attraction - Alpine Slide, Red Butte, This is the Place Village, Art museum @ the UofU, etc, plus lunch at the Lion House downtown. Very fun, good use of money, and gives you ideas about where to go!
This is what we did for our "vacation" last summer!
Hi,
Depending on where you live in Utah, you could take them to
the caves (mt tipanogas's caves) sorry not sure of name. They
are in American Fork Canyon, the Alpine/Highland exit off of South I 15. You do have to pay a small fee to get into the canyon and also I belive to go in the cave, but it is a fun actitivity. It is a fairly decent hike to the cave, then you get a tour of the cave (very very cold in there,I usually bring a small sweater around my waist)Then hike back down, maybe takes 3 hours. I haven't been in about 5 years or so, but it is something fun and different.
You could also go to Thanksgiving Point in Lehi. They have a beautiful flower garden, also costs a small fee, then you can stroll around the gardens, there is a beautiful waterfall there. Also they have cute little shops, and a little ice cream shop and deli.
Speaking of shopping, you could go to Garndner Village. I have also taken visitors to park city to check out the olympic stuff, ride the rides, and browse the expensive shops.
Hope this helps!
If they like fun and games, Boondocks is a lot of fun. Park City - it's nice to get up in the cooler mountain air, maybe eat outside at a restaurant along Main Street and then do a little shopping (or window shopping).
A great, fun place to eat is Buca di Beppo (Italian food - 2 locations: Fort Union and downtown), but make reservations so you don't have to wait. Or if you want to spend a lot more for a really nice dinner, try The Melting Pot (fondue restaurant) or Ruth's Chris Steakhouse (downtown) (reservations recommended).
