Deer Valley Mogul Freestyle ski World Cup.

We have never been to any skiing event or Deer Valley before, so this was the perfect opportunity to experience both. We arrived early and were glad that we did. Parking was insanely full, so most people had to park really far away or take the bus in from Park City. 

Most people arrived for the finals, but getting there before the qualifiers gave us a chance to meet the teams. They were all really friendly and seemed as excited to be there as we were. We didn't realize how young some of these athletes are until we saw them up close. One of the female competitors is only 15 years old. 

We were able to get a spot in the front right against the fence. We met one of the athlete's family and quickly made friends with them. Having someone to cheer for made it even more fun. All of the athletes would give us five as they would ski by to talk with their coaches and get down to the lift. Seeing these incredible competitors flying down the mountain, bouncing between the moguls at 40 miles per hour, and pulling off amazing jumps makes you appreciate how talented they really are. 

It was really cold, especially when we would get sprayed with snow as they stopped at the bottom of the hill, so we are glad we brought hand warmers. After the presentation of the awards, we got to see a fireworks show that they set off the top of the mountain. We are definitely going again.

Activity rating 0-10

Kid fun: 10
Difficulty: 0
Cost: $0

Midway Ice Catles

The Ice Castles are a must see winter attraction in Utah. Last time we went, we went too early in the season to see them at their full size. They are continually growing the size of the castles, so the best time to see them is around the end of January or beginning of February.
These backlit ice sculptures look like something you would find growing inside Carlsbad Caverns. There is a fountain, tunnels, slot... canyons, and this year they built ice slides.

We all had a blast, but boy was it cold. Night time is the best time to visit to see the castles lit up, but the temperature is regularly in the low 20s so dress accordingly. Good snow boots are probably the most important thing to wear since you are going to be in ankle deep snow in a lot of places. Parking is really busy and full, so give yourself at least an extra 15 minutes before your scheduled time to make sure you can park and get to the entrance.
Activity rating 0-10
Kid fun: 10
Difficulty: 0
Cost: see pricing at www.icecastles.com (buy online for cheapest prices and a guaranteed entrance)

BYU Night at the Museums

#terrysweekendadventures

This was the 3rd annual BYU Night at the Museums. All of the museums at BYU are always free, but most of them are only open during the day. Night at the Museums opens all 5 museums on campus from 7PM - 10PM. They also bring in all of the staff, which gives you a chance to ask questions about the exhibits. Shuttles between the museums are also provided so you don't have to look for parking at every building. Another bonus was the live music and the baked goods.

The art museum was the most popular, by far. The Norman Rockwell collection is currently on display, which drew a huge crowd. This kids, however, found this to be one of the most boring. They also weren't huge fans of the Education in Zion either, until we got to the brownies. If you have younger kids, make sure to hit the Museum of Paleontology, the Life Science Museum, and the Museum of Peoples and Cultures. We skipped the Life Science Museum since we have been there several times, but you can read about it here: http://terrysweekendadventures.blogspot.com/2016/01/bean-life-science-museum-on-brigham.html. The Museum of Paleontology has some great dinosaur skeletons that were found in Utah. Kids + dinosaurs always = fun.

Our favorite was the Museum of Peoples and Cultures. They had crafts available for kids, about a dozen displays with 1000 year old artifacts and people to explain their origins and uses. They seemed to really enjoy the simple curiosity of the kids and answered all of their questions. Their goal seemed to be to get kids interested in history.

Overall, it was great fun and we plan on doing this again.

Activity rating 0-10

Kid fun: 7

Difficulty: 0

Cost: $0

Pictures

Grizzlies Game. Maverik Center, West Valley City, UT.

‪#‎terrysweekendadventures‬

We have never been huge hockey fans, but we still enjoy the occasional game. The Utah Grizzlies are a local minor league team and 4 times a year, Pass of all Passes holders get to go for free. Parking is $6 cash only, so come prepared.

We got there early so we could see them warm up and couple players tossed pucks over the glass to the kids. We got our tickets as early as possible, so we were able to get 4th row seats. Maybe it was just because they knew that it was a family day, but they seemed to do a lot more to get the kids excited. There were tons of giveaways and promotional activities.

They also keep medical staff nearby since the occasional slap shot ends up in the stands. Its best to keep your eyes off your phone and on the game. This game went into overtime and that was the best part. 4 on 4 sudden death hockey is insanely fast and keeps you on the edge of your seat.

We fell in love with it and plan on going to as many games as we can now. Go Grizzlies!

Activity rating 0-10

Kid fun: 10
Difficulty: 0
Cost: $0 with Pass of all Passes, $6 parking

Pictures

New Year's Celebration at Canyon's Resort. Park City, Utah.

When you have kids, it can be difficult to find a way to celebrate New Year's Eve that doesn't involve sitting in front of a TV. Fortunately, Park City had families in mind when they planned their New Year's event.

The fun starts in the afternoon with free concerts at the Canyon's Resort and goes all the way into the evening. They don't wait too late for the fireworks. Head over to the Ski Beach just before 7:30pm to see a spectacular fireworks display. Any later than that and everyone would have been frozen. The temperatures we in the single digits, so dress appropriately.

Since it ends so early, there is time to get the kids to bed and head out to go dancing.

Activity rating 0-10

Kid fun: 8
Difficulty: 0
Cost: $0

Pictures

Soldier Hollow, Midway, Utah.

There's tubing and then there's tubing. The former usually takes place on a hill in park near your house. The latter takes place on a monstrous groomed area on the side of a mountain.

Soldier Hollow is a recreationarea best known for golf during summer and cross country skiing during winter, but also offers the best tubing we have ever experienced. There is a rope tow that attaches to your tube to pull you up the hill so you don't have to wear yourself out. Once at the top, there is a small line, but it moves quickly. They created 4 1200 foot long groomed lanes with several large bumps along the way down. It's about a 45 second ride, so quite a bit longer than the neighborhood park.

Another benefit is you get up in the mountains and out of the inversion. The view is beautiful and makes us wish we lived up there. You have to purchase tickets and they only allow so may people at a time, so it's a good idea to buy them online well in advance.

Activity rating 0-10

Kid fun: 10
Difficulty: 2
Cost: $22/person 7 yrs+, $12/person 3-6 yrs

Please check their website for most updated info.

Pictures

North Pole at Seven Peaks. Provo, Utah.

Water parks aren't normally open for business in winter, but Seven Peaks transforms into the North Pole in December. It is free for all Pass of all Passes holders and it includes 3 rides down the giant slide, the carnival swing ride, and a visit with Santa. This Santa was obviously not the real Santa, as the kids pointed out, since he was so grumpy and didn't even have his beard on right.

The slide is tons of fun and we made sure to go as much as we could. You can purchase tickets that will get you more rides down the slide, but we opted to go around the lazy river in the bumper boats. We also took a train ride around the park and watched a movie that included free cookies.

Overall, it was a great time. Just make sure you check the forecast so you don't get rained on like we did.

Activity rating 0-10

Kid fun: 10
Difficulty: 0
Cost: $0 (with Pass of all Passes)

Pictures