I'm sure most Americans were taught at least a little bit about the transcontinental railroad and…read morePromontory Point and I remember it from my elementary school education, but how many people can say they've been to the spot where the historic railroad was completed? I've been to the California State Railroad Museum in Sacramento and seen the start of the "west" end of this railroad and while I'm just a passive railroad fan, visiting Promontory was one of those places that is worth seeing if only once. I missed the anniversary of the railroad's completion by a couple of weeks (May 10) but at least I got to see it in the same month. It took about an hour and a half to get here from Salt Lake City and my GPS had no trouble getting a signal and leading me here and back to the city. Once you get off I-15 and head towards Corinne there are a lot of signs pointing you in the right direction. You pay the entry fee at the visitor's center and it only cost $10 for a single person. The website says entry fees are paid by credit card only but the gift shop takes both card and cash. There isn't much to do in this particular area - you can look around the visitor's center at the exhibits, browse the gift shop, and watch the locomotives roll in. During the summer season the Jupiter and the No. 119 pull in at 10am and 10:30am respectively and a park ranger gives a little bit of information about the site and the railroad's historical significance. There are also volunteers in period-specific attire to guide visitors and take pictures. The trains get moved in the afternoon but most of the visitors cleared out by 11am. Getting a picture of the marker where the last rail tie was laid to complete the railroad was pretty much my reason for visiting the site. Later in the day I went a few miles east to the Big Fill Trail. This is a walking trail that leads to a section of land where the transcontinental railroad once crossed over a ravine. It was bypassed in the early 1900s and then the remaining pieces of the railroad were cannibalized for raw materials during WWII. You can walk across Big Fill and it's hard to believe that a railroad use to be here, without the signs it just looks like a small hill. Walking across a piece of history was interesting. The views of the valley were nice and along the southern part of the trail loop is a small rock shelter (looks like a little cave) to stop and rest for a few minutes. The trail was about a mile and a half and took me a little less than an hour to hike but I didn't stop to linger for too long at any specific point, otherwise I might have been here for an hour and a half or longer. I was the only visitor at the time so it was nice to have the place to myself for a little while. Would I visit the park again? Not as my primary destination, but I would try to stop by if I happened to be in the area again. I didn't go on the west side audio tour because it wasn't open yet and I skipped the east side audio tour because I was running out of time and needed to get back to SLC. Both tours are accessible by vehicle and you can download a guide to hear about points of interest as you drive through the park.

Golden Spike National Historical Park is a captivating place to visit, especially if you're…read moreinterested in the history of the transcontinental railroad. Although the original Jupiter and No. 119 locomotives were scrapped long ago, the replicas built in the 1970s are impressive. The replica locomotives are brightly painted, beautifully detailed, and a highlight of the park. The museum's exhibits do a great job explaining the engineering challenges, cultural impact, and enormous effort involved in connecting the United States by railroad. When you stand outside in this remote, rugged landscape, it underscores how difficult building this railroad must have been. Overall, Golden Spike National Historical Park is an educational and memorable stop for history enthusiasts, families, or anyone exploring northern Utah.

My daughter is very much into airplanes these days, so when we don't see them in the sky, we go to…read morethe museum to see them on the ground. The staff here are incredibly knowledgeable and kind. My daughter loves going into the C-130 and to check out the cockpit. This is the perfect place to be on a hot day since the museum stays nice and cool.

If you are an aerospace geek or a military history dork, then the Hill Aerospace Museum is a must…read morefor you. As a kid growing up, I watched war movies with enchantment. I read up on military stories. And sometimes, I was lucky enough to meet a veteran that would share their stories. Hill Aerospace had all of that. Since my wife does the planning, I didn't think much of our visit until we pulled up and those large decommissioned military planes sitting outside in all of its glory brought me back to when I was 10 years old. But the magic continues after you walk in. Within three large hangers housed of some of the most historically iconic planes on display. Add a small platoon of veterans, many of which had personally flown some of these pieces, the stories were endless and I had the honor of speaking with a number of these veterans and listen to their stories. It was an amazing time and I could have spent the whole day there. I don't say this often, but Hill Aerospace is almost a destination museum. It was such a great experience and those veterans made it that much more special.

The staff here was super kind and super knowledgeable. I have always been a huge dinosaur nerd, so…read morewhen I was visiting the area for my nursing school clinicals I had to stop in! The price is reasonable and the many displays were a treat! You could even purchase a geode for them to cut open then and there for you as well as some minor fossils and minerals in the gift shop! Will definitely visit again if I am ever in the area!

Rawr! Did I scare you? If so, beware of this dinosaur park in Ogden. While the dinos on display are…read morenot alive, they are life-like and some of the them move and make noise. Possibly a little too scary for some audiences-usually those that are shorter than a yardstick. The indoor area of the museum is very well done with lots of displays and exhibits that educate guests on the different pre-historic beings. There were far more than I could have named on my own with my basic "Land Before Time" dinosaur knowledge. Upstairs, you'll find rocks and gems, which is well done although maybe less interesting to some folks. However, take a peek at the dinner rocks-there's a whole display of rocks that are in the shape of food. I got a kick out of that. Outside, there's lots of wide open space with paths that wander throughout the trees. There are dinos dispersed throughout the property, and a few benches to sit on. Lots of the grounds were covered in weeds, which may have been what the dinosaurs preferred to eat. However, in modern day, it just looks unkempt. For a kiddo-or adult-that has a fascination with dinosaurs, this could be a fun place to spend an afternoon. For the rest of us, an hour or two is probably plenty.

Wow. What a treasure. The Kearns Mansion is where the Governor of Utah and his family reside. It is…read morea gorgeous home built in 1902 with free tours by Preservation Utah. Decorated for Christmas made the one hour tour even more special. The tour normally includes just the main floor with the parlor, study, dining room, kitchen and pantry. But right now they are also taking guests up the grand staircase to the ballroom. The original art is fabulous. The wood work, plaster work, murals, all gorgeous. The history shared about the Kearns family and past governors was interesting. And the Christmas decorations were the icing in the cake. Take advantage of this free tour which I believe is offered in the summer and part of November and December. Park in the free lot off of H Street and they will let you enter the East gate right on the hour.

Had an amazing tour here. The view to get up to Minnetonka was beautiful. It does get cold around…read more40 degrees year around in the cave so plan ahead and bring a sweater and pants and comfortable walking shoes. Comercial store bought water bottles like Crystal Geysers are not allowed, however, you can bring your own bottle as long as it's not a one time use. Another note, there's a ton of stairs , more than 800 round trip stairs including one flight up of 72 steps. The limestone in the cave are old, over hundred millions. Amazing how it would take a hundred years just to get to an inch of growth. My favorite in the cave were the "wedding reception" area and "Seven Dwarfs." Tour takes about an hour and there's clean restroom adjacent to the entrance with a washing basin. Really had a great time. Cheers and enjoy!

This was a fun experience and suggest anyone who is capable of climbing steep stairs to try it…read more Yes, the stairs can get steep and long, so be warned if you get winded easily. Our guide Jared had his dad jokes but he was amazing. The cave was beautiful and very cold, but you'll warm up quick breaking a sweat from the stairs. You'll have to purchase tickets at one point then drive up another mile to the staring point of the tour. It tour lasted 90 minutes which time goes by fast. Well worth the trip.

Great experience here at Antelope Island State Park. My friend and I visited in the late afternoon…read moreafter arriving at the airport around noon, and checking out Golden Spike National Historic Site. The day had been quite rainy, and the timing worked out perfectly as the skies cleared up later in the day. Just a quick heads up! At the time of writing, there is no potable water available on the island. Bring your own and bring plenty of it. Also there is an entry fee to cross the causeway to get onto the "island" which really isn't an island anymore because of low water levels. There is an AM station that provides information updates as you enter - make sure to check in out and stay in the know. Because we hadn't brought much water with, we decided to keep our hiking to a minimum. We were also just off the plane from the east coast, so decided to take it easy with hiking our first day at the elevation. Our first stop was at Ladyfinder Point - we took the short trail out to the point for some views! Then after that, we really wanted to get down to the water so we made our way over to Bridger Bay Beach access. From the parking area to the water is a bit of a hike given that the water levels are so low. We parked near the first bathouse and made our way down through the sand. I had opted for sandals, but the flipflops made navigating the san difficult, so I went barefoot which was a bit uncomfortable because the sand it quite coarse. But, as we got further out the sand is more compacted and the sandals were ok. About halfway out to the water, we noticed a bison in the distance. It was walking south quite a bit away from us, so we continued north to the water and kept a really good distance. Down near the water, be prepared for MANY bird carcasses and the brine flies got pretty thick as you near the water. Just keep going because it is worth it. We stood in the clear waters of the Great Salt Lake and enjoyed the breeze and setting sun. It was well worth it to go all the way down. After a short stay by the water we headed back. It was at this point that we noticed the Bison from earlier had headed in the direction of the trailhead near the showers. We again kept our distance and had no issues, but our concern was growing. We made a bit of a detour to give the bison a wider berth, but at this point he was clearly moving toward the same point we were headed to. Keeping eyes on him and picking up speed we made it back to the shower building and rinsed our feet. Meanwhile, the bison continued to make his way up the beach stopping occasionally and then continuing on. We had retreated a bit behind the concrete walls of the shower building as the bison continued walking toward us. At one point I finally decided that we should probably get to the car. Which we did... After getting in the car and preparing to depart, we turned our head and lo and behold - but who should appear. That bison! He popped up out of the trail and began scratching himself on the shower building walls were we had been standing moments ago. Then he stopped, stared at us and we had a moment of panic that the rental car might get some damage. Luckily, the bison was not in the mood for a confrontation and he lumbered through the parking lot acros the road and up the other side of the hill, scratching his head on some low trees. Honestly, it was a bit of a anxiety-inducing experience yet thrilling at the same time. After our little encounter, we made our way toward Buffalo Point where we hiked up to Altar Rock and back. On the drive up we saw the island's namesake - two young antelope cavorting around the open spaces like two kids without a care in the world. It was entertaining and memorable for sure! The hike to Buffalo Point was a short but rewarding little hike and it was perfect as the sun was starting to set. Not wanting to hike back in the dark, we didn't stay out until true sunset, but we did get some great photos and made our way back. Apparently the park has a Dark Sky designation, and we had toyed with the idea of staying until dark, BUT the skies had grown overcast again, and after a long day of travel we made the decision that we needed to get an In-N-Out burger for dinner and head to the hotel to rest and prepare for our long hike the next day. Antelope Island was a great choice, and I am so glad we experienced even just a small percentage of the island. It was well worth it and I would definitely go back!

- Why didn't anyone forewarn me about the pungency or abundance of carcasses at Bridger Bay Beach…read moreDx - Just as you're starting to drive in to the State Park, you're already hit with a powerful poopy odor. Yuck. - It's a 10-20min walk from parking to the water. Coarse sand. May wanna wear shoes. Little rocks will sneak into your sandals. - The sight of dead birds and millions of flies, dead and alive, throughout the beach and the stench of what I thought was ubiquitous decomposed bison dung but likely was actually the sulfurous odor of detritus (still revolting though) discouraged me from fulfilling the bucket list goal I came here for: to prove the rumor that the human body really is unsinkable in the hypersaline water of the Great Salt Lake. I couldn't bring myself to lie down. Only let the water up to my calves. Ain't no way I'm risking full skin infection within the 1st day of my vacation. Still had 7 days to go. Begrudgingly, I simply took a picture from where I stood, then slowly backed away from the omnipresent death around me. . On my way driving out I asked the lady at the entrance booth about the water quality. She said the sight of those many flies and the dead animals is normal around the super salty water and that it's still safe to float in it. She may be right (as the Internet also agrees), but I couldn't bring myself to go through with it, especially since there weren't many other people there doing the same thing to help me feel reassured. + Glad the showers by the parking lot are fully functional though. + And a hose next to the restrooms next to the showers. . Just gotta bring your own soap. + Sources say pronghorns live on this island. * Fun fact: Pronghorns are the 2nd fastest land animal on Earth, just after the cheetah! - Didn't see any pronghorns or bison during my visit though. Granted, I didn't visit as far deep in as Fielding Garr Ranch. You might have better luck. . $15/car. A bit expensive for me since as you can see, my experience came up short. And as it's a state park, it's not covered by the $80 America the Beautiful annual pass. . Only a few people were at this State Park when I visited early Saturday evening. - VC still under maintenance.

Great place to stroll around and learn about Mormon history! You can see the beautiful mountains…read morebehind the Mormon buildings. Definitely worth stopping by for a quick self-guided tour of the historical spots in this area!

As you approach Temple Square, you'll find this spectacular monument that was dedicated in 1897…read more Way at the top of the stone column is a statue of Brigham Young pointing with an outstretched left arm. On the lower pedestal are more statues and sculpted panels of a frontiersman, an American Indian, and a pioneer family. Some of the inscriptions read: In Honor Of Brigham Young and The Pioneers The names of the PIONEERS who arrived in this valley, July 24, 1847. *Signifies those now living. The unmarked ones are all deceased. The names of 143 men (including 3 colored servants), 3 women, and 2 children. 27 of those listed are marked as still amoung the living at time of dedication, 50 years to the day from the initial arrival in the valley. The entire company and outfit consisted of 143 men, 3 women, 2 children 70 wagons, 1 boat, 1 cannon, 93 horses, 52 mules, 66 oxen, 19 cows. This monument erected by public subscription. Was unveiled July 24, 1897.

So much fun and highly recommend visiting! Admission and train ride is free. The only thing you're…read morepaying for are the activities available at each station. There's a petting "zoo" you can ride ponies, pan for gold then exchange them at a bank and cross the street to redeem candy. You can also break your own geode or pay $5 to dig one up yourself. Even if you just hop on and off the train, the adventure alone is so cool! It also looked like they were filming a movie with everyone dressed up unless that's what they wear everyday to work.

This was one of the destinations from our tour bus. Unfortunately, the tour guide only gave us 20…read moremins to explore the area. A historic place with many statues on site. They were definitely worth the photo op. I saw other family going on train rides that would take you from one place to another. If you want to enter the zoo, there was an admission fee. Also there were pony rides for the kids to enjoy. Once you are done, there was a gift store available to shop for soverniers. If you want to spend most of your time here especially when you have kids or enjoy a family fun, I would avoid booking a tour. I believe the vistors parking is free.