In case you missed the Utah Arts Festival which was held this past weekend in downtown Salt Lake City at Library Square, the Park City Kimball Arts Festival is right around the corner. This year the Park City Arts Festival will take place August 1-3. It’s a marvelous time to be in Park City to take in the arts.

When most people think of “arts” they often conjure up images of paintings.

No, this festival is much more broad than that. Artists in all types of expertise from sculpting, photography, painting, woodcarving, wood prints, potters, and more will gather in this the 39th year of the art festival. In addition there will be musical talent and street entertainers with a plethora of culinary artists there to satisfy any pallet.

If you’ve got children there will be an area for young artists where they can let their creative minds express themselves. It truly is a family affair. Aside from the festival there are still plenty of outdoor activities, restaurants, and sites to visit (including the amazing art at the Kimball Art Center) so whether you’re here for the weekend or the week, you won’t lack for variety in a mountain setting.

Park City Arts Festival Lodging

Since the Arts Festival is held on Main Street it’s to your advantage to be close enough to stroll from your rented condo or home to the festival and back throughout the day. Taking in the festival is an unique experience that you’ll want to maximize. If you’re coming to town and need to find a place, Utah Vacation Homes has a number of properties close by which are still available:

The Park City Kimball Arts Festival encompasses much more than just a stroll up Main Street. We have partnered with the community to present the very best that Park City has to offer. We encourage you to spend the day, evening or weekend enjoying all of the possibilities for fun, fine dining and entertainment. Park City has something for everyone, from the stunning exhibition at the Kimball Art Center to theatres, restaurants, clubs and concerts at Deer Valley. Come for the weekend and enjoy!

Daly Avenue #2 – Located just above Main Street.
Bedrooms: 3
Bathrooms: 3
Sleeps: 10
Unit Type: Townhouse

Top of Main-B Old Town – Located at the top of Main Street
Bedrooms: 4
Bathrooms: 4
Sleeps: 8
Unit Type: Townhouse

Motherlode #4
Bedrooms: 3
Bathrooms: 4
Sleeps: 8
Unit Type: Townhouse

Park Ave – Rebuilt Old Town Home
Bedrooms: 3
Bathrooms: 3
Sleeps: 8
Unit Type: House

Last week I posted about the Jordanelle Reservoir and a few of the activities that you can do when you’re there. With temperatures in the Salt Lake Valley sitting solidly in the 90′s this week, summer may be finally in full swing.

While the decision for ski resort lodging is an easy one when it’s winter, what about summer? Go for the resort town? Plenty to do that’s for sure, but what about variety? The Salt Lake Valley is nice where you’re close to the mountains, the city, and golf but if you live in a city you may be thinking mountain getaway.

Here’s something unique – what about a lake house on the Jordanelle Reservoir? Views, water, mountains, with plenty of activities or some needed peace and quite? Bingo!

Jordanelle Lake Front Lodging

Sitting on a bluff just above the Jordanelle Reservoir, the Slopes and Shores #1 town home is one of the newest additions to the Utah Vacation Homes options for lodging in the Park City area. If summer fun is your goal in a relaxing setting with golf, biking, restaurants 15 minutes away in either direction then this spot is going to make your summer!

With 4 bedrooms and 3.5 baths this town home will sleep 10. The fact that it’s nearly brand new will make you feel pampered. Other amenities include:

• Private Hot Tub
• Gas Fireplace
• ‘Viking Professional’ Kitchen
• Direct TV Satellite Service
• Wireless Internet
• 47 Inch LCD TV in Surround Sound Theater Room
• 42 Inch LCD TV in Living Room
• 32 Inch LCD TV in Master Bedroom

Heber Valley Golf

If the lake gets windy or you’re looking for another way to enjoy the fresh mountain air, there are 3 golf courses down the hill in the Heber Valley with a combined total of 90 holes to play. Play them all and you’ll feel like you’ve played a major. Each course is unique but I have really enjoyed the links style course of Soilder Hollow Courses.

The Gold course starts out in the meadows but circles up into the foothills while the Silver course at a couple hundred yards shorter stays in the meadows. Watch the rough as it’s tall Scotland style grass that loves to eat golf balls.

Check out the Golf Wasatch website for more info on the various courses located near the Jordanelle Reservoir.

Known as a premier destination for skiers, annually ranking top 5 for service, ski slopes, on mountain food and more, Deer Valley Resort is not to be missed.

Over the past decade Deer Valley has steadily added summer attractions like mountain biking, running and bike race events, and the not to be missed Deer Valley Music Festival. Yes, Deer Valley in the summer is not to be missed as a summer get away.

The Deer Valley Music Festival is an ongoing summer music festival often recognized as one of the premier outdoor venues to take in a symphony or more. The highlight for many is the July 4 Patriotic Celebration when the Utah Symphony performs “all of your red, white and blue favorites.” Like all of the

But don’t wait until July to get your tickets. They went on sale April 16 and there are still tickets available.

Although the July 4 concert is one many look forward to I’m personally excited to see the Utah Symphony on August 1st as they perform one of my favorite classical pieces – Dvorak’s New World Symphony. They will be joined by “Time for Three” for what I imagine will be an unforgettable evening. It should look a little like this:

Coming in from out of town for the Deer Valley Music Festival? Here’s a lodging option, walking distance from the concert.

Fawn Grove #3 is a 3 bedroom, 2 bath condo that can sleep up to 9. This is the view off the back deck. Hard to beat that!

As a follow up to my post the other day about the Triple Crown Girls Fastpitch World Series that is coming to Park City, I wanted to toss out a couple of lodging options.

These are larger accommodating options for families and/or teams who may want some extra space to stretch out and relax after the games:

Daly Avenue #2

Located just off of main street Park City this Daly Avenue #2 Townhome is close to the ball diamonds, shops and restaurants this is not only an affordable location but also hard to beat.

Features include:

• Sleeps 10
• Private hot tub
• 3 bath
• Washer-Dryer
• 3 TVs
• Wireless Internet

Bear Hollow #5

Located in between Kimball Junction and The Canyons Resort, Bear Hollow #5 is an easy 8 minute drive to the ball diamonds at the High School and provides plenty of space with views that will help the team wind down at the end of the night.

This home sleeps 12 with 4 bedrooms including a rare two master suites each with king sized beds. This is a great spot for a couple of families or half a team!

Other features include:

• Private Hot Tub
• 2 indoor jetted tubs
• Wireless Internet
• 2 big screen HDTV home theaters
• Foosball and Air Hockey tables in a game room
• Washer – Dryer

Regardless of where you stay for the Triple Crown World Series here in Park City, Utah Vacation Homes is sure to have a spot that will make you smile when coming home from the games, despite the final score.

I was driving into Park City the other day and it was gorgeous outside with temperatures in the mid 60′s, blue skies with a few puffy clouds. I noticed the Olympic Sports park which was the location of the luge, bobsled, skeleton and Nordic jumping during the 2002 Winter Olympics. The ski jump is hard to miss when you’re on the outskirts of Park City heading into town or passing by on I-80 as I was.

Just below the jumps I saw Bear Hollow, a new neighborhood with homes and townhomes. Taking in the view of Park City, Kimball Junction and everything in between I thought to myself what an ideal vacation rental location it would make when visiting Park City during the summer or winter. Here are some benefits of staying in Bear Hollow:

• 2 minutes to The Canyons Resort for winter skiing or summer mountain biking, horseback riding, hiking and on mountain dining
• 2 minutes to the Olympic Sports Park to watch winter or summer jumping, bobsled, or you can check out the Utah Ski History Museum
• 2 minutes to Kimball Junction where there is dining at locations like Red Rock BrewPub as well as shopping and movies
• Speaking of shopping, you’re just 3 minutes from the outlet malls
• Immediate access to the Park City area trail system, one of the best mountain trail systems in the country
• 5 minutes to Park City for dining, skiing, summer concerts and other activities.

Since it’s a somewhat secluded neighborhood there is seldom many cars driving through giving it a private feeling. On warm summer evenings you can walk the neighborhood or hop on the public trail system.

Utah Vacation Homes has a number of townhomes and individual homes in Bear Hollow that are great vacation rental options. Properties sleep from 5 up to 11 people. Just because it’s not “in” town doesn’t mean you’re on the “outs” when it comes to having a premier place to stay.

Getting to your vacation’s final destination should be the easy part, be it Park City, Salt Lake City or one of the Utah ski resorts. From the time you land in Salt Lake City until the time you leave, the transportation side of things should be your last worry. While renting a car is an option for some, for a seamless experience in getting you from point A to point B Utah Vacation Homes relies on Park City Transportation.

Although the company name is Park City Transportation, Utah Vacation Home guests have used PCT on many occasions in and out of Park City from their signature airport transportation to day trips to any of Utah’s world famous ski resorts like Snowbird, Snowbasin or The Canyons. They utilize a fleet of new and well maintained Chevrolet passenger vans. Having been in these shared ride vans from the airport to Park City I can attest that they are clean and comfortable in addition to being driven by courteous drivers.  It was also rewarding to know that aside from my personal car not being in use that a number of others who were in that van with me were also sparing the roads and the atmosphere one more vehicle in use.

If you are looking for something a bit more private for a family or group, check out their Elite service. Utilizing Cadillac Escalade’s for this service, you’re sure to enjoy a private and very comfortable ride wherever your final destination may be.  Bling included!

Utah Vacation Home customers can get Free Taxi service when booking a round trip service to Park City from Salt Lake International Airport just 35 minutes from Park City. Once in Park City you’ll have no need for additional transportation.  That way you’ll focus on the fun…your vacation!

–Check out all of Park City Transportation’s rates to determine what service you’ll book for your next trip to Utah.

It’s the “off season” for ski resorts here in Utah but most of them are very busy preparing for next season. Park City Mountain Resort announced today that it’s making some big improvements for the 2008-09 ski season. For the many Utah Vacation Home customers who choose to rent a Park City home like the Empire Cabin or a home on Park Avenue (seen to the right) this is good news. Having skied Park City Mountain Resort a number of times this past year all of the upgrades are welcomed to making the vacation experience all the more enjoyable.

The most visual impact will be the addition of the Crescent high speed quad lift which will replace the existing Ski Team lift. As is the Ski Team lift starts up hill from the base area where the PayDay six pack is found but the new lift will stretch downhill towards the base. Adding a high speed quad to the base lift options will be fantastic for all levels of skiers.

Beginners will easily access Claim Jumper while Intermediate skiers will will be able to get to the King Con “blue dream” runs that are found there.  And don’t forget the black diamond signature runs in the Ski Team area which offer some great east facing powder among some of the best gladed aspen skiing.  This new lift is going to be awesome!

Additionally the Mid Mountain Lodge found near the base of the McConkey and Pioneer lifts will see a major face lift. One that is needed.

One of the seldom seen but not to be missed impacts will be the resorts’ commitment to offset 100 percent of its power consumption by using renewable energy sources. This commitment starts in June 2008. It’s estimated that this move will avoid producing nearly 19 million pounds of CO2 emissions annually, which is equal to removing 1,853 passenger vehicles from the road or powering 1,100 average American homes for a year. (details about Park City’s commitment to the environment is found at saveoursnow.net)

Weather you visit Park City Mountain Resort this summer for mountain biking or next winter for skiing and snowboarding it’s nice to see a resort committed to keeping the environment a priority when it comes to opening up the coffers.

– Press Release on Connect-Utah.com

Most of us at Utah Vacation Homes are passionate about skiing and snowboarding.  Part of the reason I got in the industry was to share my passion of the sport and the ski resorts in the area with visitors. 

The downside to working in this industry is our busy season is the ski season, which has limited the time I spend snowboarding.  To help combat this downside Utah Vacation Homes scheduled a company day at Park City Mountain Resort. 

This year we had a few newbies to the sport and few who didn’t want to ski or snowboard.  So we choose to spend the day Park City Mountain Resort.  Park City Mountain Resort has a variety of terrain to appease every skiing & snowboarding level, and activities to entertain those who don’t “snow ride” .   An alpine coaster is located at the resort (check out Kendall’s post on the coaster), and there are tons of shopping and  dining options near the resort.

The trip to Park City Mountain Resort was a success.  The first time skiers had such a great time they committed to go more next season and  those who didn’t ski met up with us for lunch at Legacy Lodge.  Everyone was happy!   We’re putting it in our calendar to have several company days at the resort next ski season.   

The Town Lift is like the road less traveled, or in this case the lift less ridden.

Correct me if I’m wrong (comment below) but aside from the Gondola at Telluride, Park City is the only town that has a lift which leaves from within the town and ascends to the slopes above. It seems all other resorts I know of have a base area that is separate from the town where lifts begin.

So it was that this past Monday found me headed to ski the afternoon at Park City Mountain Resort  with family. Since they were already on the mountain I considered my options of how to meet up with them.

Since they were skiing the upper mountain area of Thaynes and McConkeys and said that Payday was quite busy in addition to the parking lots looking full, I schemed up a plan.

I had the idea to try the Town Lift, the only lift of any of the three Park City area resorts (The Canyons, Deer Valley and Park City Mountain Resort) that I had not ridden. I’d driven under the town bridge hundreds of times but never slid across it nor ridden above the houses of Old Town. Today would be the day.

Getting to the Town Lift is easy. You can walk if you’re fortunate to be staying in town, particularly if you’re at the Empire #1 3 bedroom home that sleeps 8 which is nearly ski in ski out to the town lift.  If you’re elsewhere in the Park City area take one of the many free town buses that service all of the Utah Vacation Homes’ Park City lodging options.  Or if you’re driving in like I was you could be lucky enough to score a great parking spot on Park Avenue just a block from the lift.

As I walked up the lower main street plaza there were a handful of skiers and snowboarders with a few more skiing across the bridge from the mountain. It felt like a private ski resort and the afternoon sun had many sitting on restaurant decks enjoying a respite from the skiing.

Rising above the streets and houses of Old Town, the Town Lift starts from lower Main Street and terminates near the bottom of the Bonanza Lift. It’s a “short cut” to the upper mountain for those in the know. At 10 minutes the ride goes by quickly enough to enjoy the unique vistas and old mining relics along the way.

When your day is done, head down the mountain on runs like Creole and Quit N’ Time which descend from the Payday area. They are east facing runs so on sunny days when the sun has set behind the hill they may be a little icy. On snowy days your chances are good that you’ll score one last powder run before sliding across the bridge into the plaza.

The Sundance Film Festival has once again come and gone from Park City. But not to worry, the dates for the 2009 Sundance Film Festival have been announced – January 15-25, 2009.

This year, like last, seemed like it was bigger and more widely attended. Crowds were big, parties even bigger and the stars were seen throughout the festival. True to form, it also snowed like crazy during the festival which is something locals look forward to each year as Sundance seems to usher in a solid string of storms.

Although Park City is still the headquarters for the festival, some screenings have migrated to Salt Lake City where the Beehive Cafe acts as the HQ for Salt Lake screenings and festival info. The Kimball Art center (known as the Sundance House during the festival), located on Heber Avenue just steps away from Historic Main Street in Park City, is the place to be to get all the info.

Lodging for Sundance

One of the things that can make or break your visit to Utah during the Sundance Film Festival is getting the right lodging, especially if you’d like to catch some films in addition to some time on the slopes. Of course booking early is ideal but booking the right spot is key.

Many of the homes and condos through Utah Vacation Homes are on the public bus system in the town of Park City with a few of the homes like 459 Woodside Avenue which has 4 bedrooms and sleeps 8 (seen on the right) or the Park Avenue home which is a stones throw from a couple of film venues. With a complete renovation including a private hot tub in back it’s bound to be the ideal spot to host your own Sundance party.

Giving Suite

A standout of the festival this past year was the Giving Suite. Rather than the typical “Gifting Suite” where starts and film makers walked away with tons of stuff they likely didn’t need, the Giving Suite was set up by Joe Tomlinson of Re:volve which is a local clothing company. Of the Giving SuiteENN said:

It [Giving Suite]is not the title of a fledling film, but rather an exclusive boutique of eco-friendly goods where companies that would potentially have given away mountains (no pun intended) of schwag to Sundance-going celebrities, chose instead to sell it. 100% of the profits went to one of seven charities.

History of the Sundance Film Festival

In 1981, Robert Redford, one of Utah’s resident celebrities, helped to form the Sundance Institute which is an organization dedicated to enhancing the artistic quality of films. He has since been instrumental in one of Park City’s major annual events, the Sundance Film Festival, which is based in Park City, Utah.

What is the Sundance Film Festival?

Each year, the Sundance Film Festival team reviews thousands of independent films from all across the world. These films are made in many different languages and span any and all topics one could imagine, representing many different genres — from animation to documentaries to cult films. The mission of the Festival programming team is to find features and documentaries that “inspire, challenge, delight, startle, move and thrill” viewers.

Each year, thousands of fans and artists alike eagerly greet a lineup of films. Many of these may make their way into mainstream society.

The Sundance Film Festival is a great way to take in the world of independent film regardless of if you’re an aspiring writer, actor, director or simply a fan of good cinema. It’s a great time to be in Utah to catch a film, a powder day at a nearby ski resort or if you’re lucky, both!