Family time is what I live for. Really to me it’s what this life is all about. Last month we were able to go on a family staycation with Explore Utah Valley, and goodness did we all enjoy it! Staycations are truly where it’s at for me. As my children have gotten older it’s become more and more difficult to try to schedule full fledged vacations that work for everyone with all the individual work, school, and extra-curricular schedules that float around our home. Being that, we knew with this one we’d only have 2 days to see, do and be together. So we packed it in! Here’s a little video with snippets of all that we did! But you’re going to want to read on for the full details and breakdown of our trip.
Since my husband and oldest son had work commitments and wouldn’t be joining us until around lunch time the rest of us left bright and early to head down to Utah Valley. It’s a quick 55 minute drive from our home. Really just enough to feel like you’re far away, but close enough that if there were an emergency we could get right back home super fast and easy. A staycation perk I personally appreciate!
Our first stop, was Thanksgiving Point where we headed straight to Ashton Gardens. I had no idea the most beautiful gardens I’ve ever been to were here! We all loved walking around exploring all the different gardens, and taking in the pretty scenery. My very favorite gardens were the Secret Garden and the Italian Gardens, it really felt like I had left and went straight across the sea to Italy!
After the gardens we headed over to the Museum of Natural Curiosity. My kids spotted it on our way in and were so excited just at the sight of it. The minute we walked in the door they were off exploring and playing in it! What a fun interactive museum full of all kinds of things that truly make you curious. It was perfect for all ages, even my two older kids got in on it and fully enjoyed it!
By the time we were done with the Curiosity Museum our tummies were growling. We headed over to the Tower Deli for lunch where my husband and oldest son were able to meet up with us. Its a little casual restaurant that is right on site at Thanksgiving Point. They have a great menu with plenty of fresh options that are conservatively priced for children and adults alike.
Once we were all refueled we headed to the Museum of Ancient Life. This family of ours loves history so this museum was super fun for us. We spent a lot of time in here exploring and reading all about the various dinosaurs and creatures that used to live before our time. Liam and Liliana especially enjoyed the erosion table and digging for fossils in the quarry dig.
Thanksgiving Point offers such a wide variety of activities it would be easy to spend a full day or two there and still not explore it all! I appreciated how everything was on site, from restaurants to all the fun attractions making it easy to access it all!
After a fun filled day we headed to The Shops at Riverwoods which is a cute outdoor mall full of great little boutiques and restaurants. We stopped into Called to Surf, which is a darling clothing store that had something for everyone in our family. One of my very favorite stores that I often shop online with, Soel Boutique. And Blickenstaff’s, a great amazing toy store full of games and toys for the whole family!
We then headed to dinner at La Jolla Groves restaurant where we dined under lemon trees! It was pretty magical and we all enjoyed the most wonderful dinner there. The ambience and presentation as well as the taste of everything we had was beyond perfection, truly the best in experience we’ve had in a very long time and the perfect end to a very busy day!
After a great nights rest, we got up bright and early on the second day and stopped in to Enliten Bakery & Cafe, located in Downtown Provo for some breakfast on the go. It the cutest little coffee shop that offers yummy pastries and quick breakfast options that worked great for us since we needed to make our breakfast pretty quick in order to head right up the canyon to Sundance Resort.
The mountains at Sundance Mountain Resort truly take my breath away every time I see them. The reason we needed to get up there early was because all of the boys were heading out on a zip line tour from the top of the mountain all the way down while us girls went and saw a pottery class and then had the opportunity to make some candles of our own in the art studio that they have there on site. Sundance offers so many fun things to do in the summer for your whole family, plus the mountain scenery isn’t too bad either, from the amazing mountains to the pretty rivers with scattered wild flowers; it’s a real dream.
Once we were all done with our activities we met back together at the Foundry Grill for lunch. This restaurant was incredible and truly offers you the full Robert Redford Sundance feel and experience. The rustic mountain decor + the delicious food wrapped up our Sundance Resort experience perfectly.
Next stop was the Provo River Trail and Bridal Veil Falls. We rented some bikes from SBR Cycles and all together road along the provo river. The trail is paved which makes it a fun easy ride that’s great for all ages. It follows right along next to Bridal Veil Falls so we were able to see and experience both scenic areas. We love being outdoors together as a family so this day was packed full of the outdoor things we love.
After our bike ride we decided to do something relaxing so we headed back to Downtown Provo and went to The Soap Factory where we each got to make our very own soaps. It was so fun for us all to choose the shape, colors, scents, and even mix-ins. I think my favorite thing was that we all did something different that suited each of our personalities just right.
Once we were done making our soaps we walked around the corner to dinner at the Black Sheep Café also located in Downtown Provo. You guys! The food was so good! My boys said that they had the best burgers of their entire life that night! Not only was the food was amazing, but the service was too which made the overall experience even better.
Of course everyone wanted a little dessert after dinner, and since we weren’t quite done exploring Downtown Provo we walked from the Black Sheep to Oteo. I’d been to Oteo before at their other location and so I was excited to be able to share a bit of one of my favorite restaurants with my family. We enjoyed some authentic desserts of pan seared plantains and then the most scrumptious cream filled stuffed cronut that everyone said was insanely good in all the best of ways!
There is soooo much to do in Utah Valley! I truly had no idea! And to think we are so close to all of these fun places & amazing restaurants just makes us want to schedule another staycation down there soon! Spending time together as a family always brings us closer and creates the best kind of memories. Even if it’s just for a quick staycation. Make sure to head to ExploreUtahValley.com to schedule and plan out your Utah Valley vacation! They’ve got everything there in one easy place from lodging to activities and restaurants. And if you do head there for a fun day trip or a full vacation make sure to come back here to tell me all about it!
xoxo
Miko
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