Melinda

This was our family's first time visiting the gardens at Thanksgiving Point. We really had no idea what it would be like or what to expect, so I'll be sharing those things with any of you new comers today. When you arrive you will receive a map of the grounds. Tip #1 read the map. We didn't. And it turns out we missed a lot of cool stuff. So, it looks like we will be headed back again (children cheering in the background)! It was also windy, I lost my hat a few times, I'm pretty sure it's always windy

If you had half a day in Zion National Park...what would you do? Even with the snow on the ground, there is still plenty of hiking to be done! I found myself asking that question on Halloween Day. We were down visiting family and really wanted to visit Zion. My husband and I hadn't been to the main entrance of the park for years and years, so we felt it was the perfect time to go since it wasn't blazing hot. We thought it was going to be cold, so we all packed long sleeves and jackets. Luckily, it ended

Southern Utah University | Garth and Jerri Frehner Museum of Natural History 351 W. University Blvd, Cedar City, Ut My husband and I met during our college days at Southern Utah University. As such we knew we needed to take our kids on a tour of campus while we were in town and reminisce about ‘The Good ‘Old Days.’ There is something about sharing stories with our kids about our lives before they were born that they really gravitate to. I think kids have a hard time seeing their parents as having lives outside of parenthood so they always get

We decided a trip out to the country farmland would be the perfect quintessential end of summer activity. I grew up with parents that always had a garden going in the backyard and learned a lot about where food comes from and how to grow and harvest my own food and wanted to pass that along to my kids. There are tons of pick your own fruit farms around Utah, so we did some research and came across Perry’s Berries just outside of Payson, Utah. They were very affordable (only $3 for a full pound of raspberries) and best of

I recently heard about Provo's FREE Pioneer Village and knew that it would be one of those great 'learning-without-even-realizing-it, while having so much fun' kind of moments for my kids. Thus, while we were down in Utah County last week we made a quick stop to check out the little log village. (We discovered they have limited hours, so make sure to plan ahead of time!) We were welcomed at the front gates by a couple of volunteers all decked out in authentic pioneer garb. They looked amazing, especially the guy playing the part of the blacksmith. One of the

When you go to Southern Utah, you have to go on at least one hike while you are there, it is a rule I think. Those red rock mountains are just too beautiful to pass by without making a stop. Having gone to college in Cedar City, we’ve done tons of hiking around the area and the Kanarraville Falls hike was always a good one. I love Angel’s Landing and The Subway and some of the big ones in Zion National Park, but this one is a little shorter and less of an undertaking with kids in tow, is just

With temperatures in the triple digits we decided a cool treat was a necessity. So we dug around a little to find a fun new place to take the kids and came across Sip’n Swirl in Bountiful. They offer sort of a smorgasbord of delicious treats and drinks with a few savory dishes to balance things out. Picture the frozen yogurt bars you see everywhere, on steroids! Seriously, so many options it took me awhile to narrow down what I really wanted. (Which ended up being a couple of different things, because I am indecisive and couldn’t settle on one

We had a chance to get together as an extended family for a quick weekend getaway. Trying to please a crowd of individuals ranging in age from 1 to 56 proved to be a bit of a challenge. We found our final please-all destination at the Thanksgiving Point Gardens. The Tulip Festival is in full swing right now and everyone in our group found something to enjoy. The kids soon discovered that there was so much more than just tulips for them to see and do. They started out picking up a scavenger hunt that required them to find little