Our Trip To Utah

When I found out that my nephew and his fiancée were planning to get married in Utah, I was super excited. I had never been there before, and I'm always game for traveling to a new destination. I didn't have a whole lot of expectations going in to the trip. I knew we'd be busy with wedding activities, so I wasn't sure how much time we'd have to explore beyond that and what we'd be able to see.

Since I'm not a skier, I probably would never have visited the Alta area of Utah, but I am soooo glad this wedding took me there. It is absolutely breathtakingly gorgeous (as is Salt Lake City) and there is so much to do even in the summer months. We flew out to SLC last Thursday and returned home late Sunday on a red eye flight. Although we were only in town for a few days, we did manage to squeeze in enough to give us a feel for the local flavor.

The view of Bingham Canyon as we made our descent into SLC.

Our first night was spent in downtown Salt Lake City at my sister-in-law's suggestion so that we could adjust to the change in altitude before we headed further up into the mountains. We met my husband's family at Wasatch Brew Pub for dinner and drinks. I had the Snowbird Session IPA, and it was delicious. We ordered tater tots and breaded pickles to share. For dinner, I had the Pub Salad and the hubs had a cheeseburger. Emma had the Steak Salad, and Harper ordered the BLT. The food was excellent. The salads were large but not overwhelmingly so. I'd recommend getting the dressing on the side as I thought mine was a tad overly dressed.

Side note: Utah has some of the strictest DUI laws in the country. All the beers top out at 4% alcohol content, and the liquor is measured before being added to the cocktails (which are very small in comparison to other states).

On Friday morning, we explored a small section of downtown SLC on foot. We hit the City Creek section for a stop at Starbucks. There were other retail shops located in this section of town as well. We stayed at the AC Marriott, which is gorgeous. It's a new property (only 5 months old), so it was pristine and very contemporary. We walked to City Creek and also checked out Temple Square, 10-acre complex, owned by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

On Friday before we headed to Alta Lodge for the wedding festivities, we made a pit stop at In-N-Out Burger because DUH!

After lunch, we made the 40-minute trek into the mountains to Alta Lodge. The drive was as scenic as any drive gets. The mountains are truly majestic. I was in complete awe of the natural beauty that surrounded us.

This was the view from our room at Alta Lodge. As much as I wanted to sit on the bed and stare out the window, we had to get ready for the welcome BBQ on Friday night.

On Saturday morning, there was mountainside yoga (which was moved indoors because it was too chilly) and breakfast. Afterwards, the girls and I did a short hike up the mountain and over to a nearby ski resort.

Another view from our walk.

When we came back to the room, the girls headed to the hot tubs while the Hubs and I took another walk. This was the amazing view from the hot tubs.

While on our walk, the Hubs and I impulsively decided to ride a ski lift to the top of a mountain (9,540 ft.) and back down again. The Hubs has a fear of heights, so this was quite an accomplishment for him. He was totally out of his comfort zone, but I'm proud of him for facing his fear.

We returned to the room to get ready for the wedding. It was held outdoors with the mountains forming the most beautiful backdrop.

All dressed up with somewhere to go!

On Sunday after brunch, we headed to Snowbird's Oktoberfest. It's one of the most popular Oktoberfests in the country. It was really crowded and probably would have been a really great time if we had more time. But we were heading back to Salt Lake City to catch our flight home later that night, so we took it easy.

It was truly a memorable trip. I'll bet it's breathtaking in the winter when it's snow covered. If I ever return during the cold weather months, you'll find me cozily tucked in the lounge in front of the fireplace!