More Fun in Bear Lake | Paris | Dingle | Zipz

I know you've all heard/read about/done fun things at Bear Lake (see past Salt Project posts here, here and here) but I'm here to assure you that there are still MORE fun things to do during your visit to Bear Lake that you probably have never done before! All of the activities are located in the Bear Lake Valley, which means they cover Utah and Idaho territory. Here's the list:

Visit the Paris Tabernacle

If you take a short drive north of Bear Lake on the US-89, you'll end up in Paris.  Idaho, that is.  I wish you could take the US-89 and end up in Paris, France.  Oh well.  Paris, Idaho is charming, especially because of the amazing Paris Tabernacle. 

This architectural treasure is absolutely FREE to visit and tour.  Owned by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, the tabernacle is a piece of Romanesque architecture built by the original settlers of Paris.  It's still used as a meetinghouse today, and you can take a great tour of the building. 

Tours take about 45 minutes.  This place is well worth the short drive to Paris.

Visit Montpelier, Idaho + the Butch Cassidy Museum


If you keep driving north on the US-89 (north of Paris), you'll eventually end up in Montpelier, Idaho.  The main street is charming.  You can even visit the Butch Cassidy Museum here.  We didn't end up doing this, but it's FREE, if you're ever passing through Montpelier and need something to do.

I had no idea Idaho boasted a town named Dingle until our friends proposed driving through Dingle on our way home from our drive through Montpelier.  Here's a map of where Dingle is:

The town is tiny.  As you drive on the main road (Dingle Road), be sure to stop at Dingle Park.  It's seriously one of the most fun parks I've been to in a long time.  It's filled with old-school metal playground equipment.  The adults and kids alike loved this park.

Eat at Zipz

45 N Bear Lake Blvd, Garden City, UT 84028

Yum! Eating at Zipz was one of the best choices we made during our stay at Bear Lake! This fairly new restaurant has only been around since 2014 and it's delish! They serve hot dogs, "saucewiches" (yummy meat sandwiches you can add any number of sauces to), corndogs, salads, French fries, tater tots, Dole whips, and, of course, shakes! 

You can either order your food using the drive-through (if you're in a hurry), or you can walk up to the counter to order your food and eat on the outside patio.  They even have some boats that have been turned into seating, which my kids were excited about.  No indoor seats at Zipz.

We opted to stand in line for the outside patio eating.  Since we visited Zipz on a Saturday night, the line was pretty long, but moved fairly quickly.  My kids were thrilled when a boat table opened up, which we snagged for eating our dinner. 

The food was great!  We tried a trio of "saucewiches": smoked pork, steak, and chicken; hot dogs (you can order half hot dogs for the kids, which we did); French fries; and a couple of large shakes for sharing: raspberry cheesecake (divine!) and Nutella brownie (yum!).

The prices and portions were just right (45 per sandwich and $1.75 per half hot dog).  Plus, you get to sample as many sauces as you want for your sandwiches or fries.  They have over a dozen fun sauces to try.

Bear Lake is one of my favorite places in Utah to visit, and now you have even more reasons to make the drive and spend a few days in this lovely part of the world.

Cheers!

Camille

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