Park City Museum.

Part 2 of our trip up to Park City and out of the smog took us to the Park City Museum. We didn't know much about the history of Park City and thought it was just a ski town. The museum takes you all the way from the early pioneer settlers, to the mining boom, all the way to the ski mecca that it is now. 

There are a lot of interactive displays that keep the kids entertained. You get to sit in the Skier Subway, go down into the original Park City Jail, stand in a mine shaft lift, and jack hammer through a stone wall. The kids thought the jail was cool and creepy. It was a nice change from the typical walk up and down main street that most people do in Park City.

Activity rating 0-10
Kid fun: 7
Difficulty: 0
Cost: $10/adult $5/youth

Gorgoza Park, Park City.

During the coldest months in Utah, the inversion sets in and you have to get out of the valleys to get some clean air. Fortunately, Park City is only a short drive up Parley's Canyon and is a winter sports dreamland.

For those that don't ski, but still want some winter time fun, there is Gorgoza Park. It is located about 2 miles east of Parley's Summit right next to the freeway. There are activities for all ages here. We opted to just do the mini snowmobiles for the kids this time. Our kids have never ridden on snowmobiles before, so this was a real blast. For the very little ones, there is Fort Frosty, which consists of a carousel that pulls the tubes around slowly and a little bunny hill for sledding. They also have 3 groomed tubing lanes complete with a conveyor belt style lift for the less daring and the kids under 42" tall. For everyone over 42" you have the option to continue up the hill on a rope tow type lift to the big tubing lanes. 

The park is rather busy and costs a lot more than tubing at Soldier Hollow, but the variety of activities for all ages and the convenient location are unbeatable. Visit their website for all the details and to download the waiver to save yourself time.http://www.gorgozapark.com/

Activity rating 0-10

Kid fun: 10
Difficulty: 0
Cost: Varies by activity. Visit http://www.gorgozapark.com/ for complete pricing info.

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