Utah is known as a place of families so it only makes sense that it’s also a popular destination for family reunions. From the southern part of the state with the many National Parks to northern Utah with the Wasatch Mountains, there are so many options when it comes to activities.

If you’re going to be bringing together a large family and are looking for something in the Salt Lake Valley that will give you good access to the mountains, to Thanksgiving Point, to downtown Salt Lake or nearby golf and other recreation, then one of the premier Utah Vacation Homes properties that is a great fit for large family reunions is the Jordan Valley Estate.

The Jordan Valley Estate in the Salt Lake Valley gives your family a great place to house everyone with the closeness of everything Salt Lake has to offer while having enough space and things to do on site that you may never leave.

Consider the pool where your family could stay all day and all night. From the property description:

Enjoy the huge Las Vegas style swimming pool with 7 water falls, 30 ft water-slide, a grotto (cave) that you can swim inside, hot tub inside the grotto, mood lighting, and kiddie pool. This amazing pool will give you and your guests days of amazing pleasure.

Add to that the six bedrooms, 2 dining rooms, 2 living rooms and 2 kitchens and this estate will not disappoint. The master bedroom alone is bigger than many condos and will have you dreaming of a remodel when you get home!

Additional Jordan Valley Estate Features

Some of its features include:

• Game room with pool table, air hockey, foosball, indoor basketball game and more
• Theater room - state of the art projector and sound system
• Multiple outdoor living spaces with grills
• Outdoor pool with 30′ water slide and seven foot waterfall
• Outdoor fire pit
• Central location to a wide variety of outdoor

For a Family Reunion in Salt Lake that you’ll not soon forget, the Jordan Valley Estate is worth checking out.

A few weeks ago I wrote about the Park City Farmers Market (which I missed yesterday). Markets of this nature are to local growers, bakers, craft creators, artists, etc what the internet is to companies like Utah Vacation Homes - an outlet where even the small business can have a large presence. And these markets are growing in popularity and size.

So it shouldn’t surprise anyone that Salt Lake City also has a Farmers Market which happens each Saturday morning from 8am to 1pm in the historic Pioneer Park in downtown Salt Lake City. If you’re visiting Salt Lake, Pioneer Park is located at 300 South and 300 West.

Over 80 farmers from Utah are at the market each week in addition to the many bakers, food providers, plant growers and honey producers to name a few.

The market runs until October 18th so there is plenty of time to check it out. But don’t wait as the array of vegetables and locally grown fruit will change regularly with the seasons.

I’m looking forward to fresh corn and watermelon but I know that raspberries and some squash are already in season.

I mentioned in a previous post that one of my favorite things to do is to hike in the Albion Basin at Alta Ski Resort. With the 3rd snowiest season on record, the summer flowers that are so vibrant and the resident moose may not be in full bloom until mid August.

When they are, this is what it can look like: (click image for larger version)

— Image use by permission from AstroPax.com

The time has come. The painted SUV’s with license plates from Arizona, California, Colorado and Utah to name a few have descended upon Park City. Softball is in the air.

Although this morning didn’t feature any games the 2008 Triple Crown Softball tournament held here in Park City is under way.  The weather couldn’t be any better with highs in the low to mid 80’s and sunny skies.

I stopped by the fields at Quinn’s Junction this morning as the gals were doing skills competitions and generally prepping for play. If you’ve ever wondered just how big of a deal this is, the looks on the faces of the gals and the painted autos are a sign that this is all business…and a lot of fun too.

The gal pictured below who plays for the Tooele County Thunder was trying to pitch 10 balls into that target within 30 seconds. She got 7 of them in! Nice work!

Park City has done their best to have the fields in great condition for the tournaments that will follow in the next few weeks. At just 4 miles out of town near the junction of Highway 40 and state road 248, Quinn’s Junction Sports Complex is top notch! The views aren’t too bad either.

Good luck to all the teams at this year’s tournament! If’ you’ve got questions about parking, the field locations or about lodging in Park City just drop a comment on this blog post and we’ll reply. Welcome to our piece of paradise.

Earlier this week I posted about the Wednesday night concerts each week held at Deer Valley. In addition to the Deer Valley concerts, Mountain Town Stages has put together a slew of FREE concerts this summer in a variety of locations in and around Park City.

Here’s a quick run down of the more popular locales but be sure to check out the rest of the possibilities at the Mountain Town Stages website.

Frontier Bank Local Summer Concert Series at Deer Valley
Wednesday nights on the lawn at the base of Deer Valley Resort are a treat. This is the same venue that the Utah Symphony uses for their annual 4th of July Patriotic celebration concert where tickets go for $25. You get to enjoy the same venue for FREE (although the Utah Symphony is well worth the cost)

Summer Concert Series at The Canyons
Saturday evenings are not to be missed in the village center of The Canyons Resort. Long known for both winter and summer concerts of national talent, this is one of the best venues for outdoor music I’ve been to. The view looking to the east of the Snyderville Basin and the distant Uinta Mountains is one of a kind.

The exception to the Saturday evenings is tonight’s show (July 3) featuring the Disco Drippers followed by fireworks in celebration of our nations birthday. I’ve seen this show a number of times and am looking forward to it tonight along with the firework display! This is what it looked like last year.

Concerts in the Miners Park in Park City
Where else can you enjoy friends, a true local feel, shopping, dining and more all at 7000′ above sea level? Main Street Park City of course.

Concert in the park sounds good doesn’t it? But this is not your typical park. It’s the miners park on Main Street in Park City. Seating is limited but if you’re going to sit, bring a lawn chair or the likes. In the late afternoon the park is often in the shade.

–The Canyons Summer Concert Images by Terese DeWilde, courtesy of The Canyons Resort

Earlier this week I posted on how to beat the summer heat by going to Park City and Big Cottonwood Canyon.  The activities in those areas are not limited to what was in the post and you can easily spend more time in either place. 

One thing I love about Big Cottonwood Canyon is the wildlife.  On several occasions I’ve seen moose, deer, and beavers.  This photo of a moose crossing a driveway was taken from Bear Trap Lodge.  

Bear Trap Lodge is a 5 bedroom cabin located approximately 13 miles up Big Cottonwood Canyon not far from Guardsman Pass which takes you into Park City and the Heber Valley.   It is close to hiking, biking, fishing, and Frisbee golf and also has an abundance of activities on site including a game room with Pool Table and Ping Pong.  This cabin is ideal for a weekend getaway and works well for Family Reunions, Girlfriend Getaways, and Man-cations.

Another reason to stay at Bear Trap Lodge this summer is the hot deal running for the rest of the summer, which is $100 off the nightly rate.  This makes the nightly rate, $499,  hard to beat on accommodations for 24 people.

Perhaps you’re staying in one of the many Bear Hollow townhomes or homes that Utah Vacation Homes has available this summer. Or it’s likely that you’re in old town Park City. Regardless, be sure that before you arrive to town that your Wednesday afternoon is booked with a visit to the Park City Farmers Market. You won’t regret getting a feel for local culture, art and of course the fantastic home grown food.

The Park City Farmers’ Market is located at The Canyons Resort in the Cabriolet lot adjacent to Highway 224 that goes from Kimball Junction to the town of Park City. The Market takes place each Wednesday, June - October. 12:00pm - 7:00pm and is a favorite of mine to get fresh fruits and vegetables as well as a fresh slice of pizza or even a pastry.

Volkers Bakery is one of the local merchants who can be found there is a must visit for fantastic breads and brick oven pizza baked on the spot. I’m a fan of the Asiago Cheese Focaccia and the Walnut Cranberry which with cream cheese in the morning is a delight.

(Speaking of delight, this past Saturday I stopped by the Volkers stand in Kamas while on my way home from a 60 mile road bike ride and picked up a large piece of Apple Strudel. This is the real deal, from Austria, and oh was it so good.)

Aside from Volkers there are plenty of fresh vegetables and fruits, many of which are picked the morning of the market. Perhaps you’ll find some local art, photography or crafts to take home with you. Music adds to the festive and casual atmosphere.

So check out the Farmers Market the next time you’re in Park City on a Wednesday afternoon.  Rain or shine, it’ll be there.

– images credit to Park City Farmers’ Market