After living here four years, we needed to hit up these famous spots.
I had a week off of work (Hooray!) so we decided to spend a week fulfilling our Utah Bucket List before Taz starts school in two weeks. None of these places are in Southern Utah, sadly, since the weather would be unbearable during August. Taz and I planned 8 days of fun, relaxation, and a lot of adventure! I’m convinced we went on the best dates in Utah!
Day 1: Snuggle Sesh
This day we only left the house once. This may sound boring to some people, but it was absolutely heavenly! I also tried Sonic for the first time of my life. (I know I’m behind…) We cuddled and started watching Fixer Upper. Who could be sad about that?
Day 2: Friend Time
We went to church and had a pretty chill day. A couple of our friends came over that night after being away for the summer and it was fun to catch up.
Day 3: Homestead Crater
This is when the excitement truly begins! We slept in, got Chick-fil-A for lunch (which I LOVE), and made our way to Midway to swim in the Homestead Crater. The Crater is AMAZING! There’s a huge hole in the top that shines the light down into the water. The Crater is 65 feet deep and 97 degrees. We stayed for only 40 minutes to swim and snorkel which was more than enough time. You can’t see anything under the water which is disappointing, but thankfully there were no animals! Since we are from Florida, we were trained since birth to be afraid of deep water, but our fear quickly went away. There’s tons of Groupons for this place so you can usually always get a deal.
Day 4: Park City + Camping
This day felt like the busiest for me and also super fun! Taz has never been to Park City during the summer so I thought it could be a fun day trip. We left Provo and had the most beautiful drive through the canyon. We ate at Burgers and Barley which is a delicious little restaurant/bar right off the highway. We then drove over to the Alpine Slide and got a chocolate milkshake after our way down the mountain. After Park City, we ended the day camping at Deer Creek. The fire burnt our food and we broke our back from our air mattress but it was still a good time!
Day 5: Deer Creek
We spent almost the entire day by the water and I LOVED it! Taz cooked up a couple hotdogs, I ate pasta salad and we just loved to be in the sun. We were going to float on our inner tube, but the water was FREEZING! After the lake, we made our way home and rested for the night.
Day 6: Grotto Falls Hike
It rained ALL. DAY. LONG! We ate lunch at Cafe Rio AKA my newest obsession. Then, we hiked to Grotto Falls in Payson. It was a quick ½ mile hike with a cute little waterfall at the end. I heard it is usually PACKED with people but thankfully we were the only ones there. I would suggest going on a weekday to get the best pictures! It’s easily one of the best dates in Utah.
Day 7: Downtown Salt Lake City
Friday was more chill than the other days. I spent the morning cleaning and then we left for Salt Lake City in the afternoon. We stayed at the Hyatt House next to City Creek Center, because sometimes it’s nice to spend a day away from home. I love being downtown! I was an intern on Main Street last summer and I miss it sometimes. Taz took some pictures and we made our way to the mall. We ate dinner at the Cheesecake Factory and brought dessert back to our hotel room where we ate cheesecake in bed while watching Stranger Things. It doesn’t get much better than that!
Day 8: Day of Fails
Sleeping in has quickly become my favorite thing! I know the name of this section isn’t the best date, but I’ll explain why. We tried to hike Donut Falls, our lunch wasn’t the best and the pool closed on us, but you know what? That’s what made the day so interesting. I love when Taz and I can just spend time today and that’s the best part of this entire adventure. I love the quote: together is my favorite place to be and that could not be more true for this week. The best dates in Utah are the ones I have with him. I can’t wait to finish our Utah Bucket List in Southern Utah!
XOXO Kayla