99 Days Of Summer

There are exactly 99 days between Memorial Day and Labor Day.

That’s either 99 chances for active, discovery-filled, summertime fun or 99 opportunities for the dreaded b-word (bored).

Our vote? We say you should devote your days to fun — and we’ve got 99 ways to help you do just that.

1. Starting at Provo Canyon’s Aspen Grove or Sundance Resort, hike to the scenic Stewart Falls. The trail is well-maintained and child-friendly.

2. Live animal shows are offered daily at the Bean Life Science Museum in Provo. Check out reptiles on Monday and Saturday, adaptations on Tuesday, Utah plants and animals on Wednesday, ecosystems on Thursday, and invertebrates on Friday. Or, go on a Saturday safari, where 5-12 year olds participate in classes, crafts and games while focusing on a different topic each week.

3. Give the supermarket a break for the summer — shop at your local farmers market for fruits and vegetables, specialty food items, crafts, and books. Spanish Fork, Provo, Lindon and Lehi (Thanksgiving Point) each host a market.

4. Walk among towering sandstone cliffs or explore mazes of narrow canyons at Zion National Park — Utah’s first national park.

5. Grab an inner tube and take a refreshing float down the Provo River.

6. Watch a first-run movie the old-fashioned way — from the comfort of your car. The Redwood Drive-In Theatre in Salt Lake City also hosts weekend swap meets.

7. On the hottest of summer days, take a trip to Peaks Ice Arena in Provo and try your hand at a figure eight.

8. Does the Earth really turn? The Foucault Pendulum at the Clark Planetarium at Salt Lake City’s Gateway is the classic demonstration to answer this question. And don’t miss “Newton’s Daydream” — a two-story, audio-kinetic sculpture that combines a maze of moving balls with bells, drums and other noisemaking obstacles.

9. Utah Valley’s cities get festive all summer long with parades, fireworks, concerts, rodeos and carnivals. Here’s a list of all the city celebrations you and your family can enjoy.

Alpine Days — August 3-9
American Fork Steel Days — July 14-19
Cedar Hills Family Festival — July 26
Eagle Mountain Pony Express Days — May 31-June 7
Highland Fling — July 26-August 2
Lehi Round-Up — June 21-29
Lindon Days — August 4-11
Mapleton Pioneer Day Parade — July 24
Orem Summerfest — June 13-14
Payson Golden Onion Days — August 28-September 1
Pleasant Grove Strawberry Days — June 16-21
Provo Freedom Festival — April 29-July 4
Saratoga Splash — June 19-21
Spanish Fork Fiesta Days — July 21-24
Springville Art City Days — June 7-14

10. Visit one of Mother Nature’s greatest local creations and learn a lesson about the water cycle while you’re there. Accessible from Provo Canyon or American Fork Canyon, Cascade Springs is the place to see cool, crystal water as it tumbles down the mountain over terraced pools created naturally from the water’s deposits. Stroller-friendly boardwalks and paths make it easy to look closely at the vegetation and trout in the water, and interpretive signs make the trip an educational one.

11. Pleasant Grove’s Discovery Park is more than a playground. Funded by Novell, this one-acre park is devoted to learning and includes a dinosaur sandbox, fiber optics volcano and kaleidoscope space shuttle.

12. Round up the neighborhood kids and walk over to the nearest baseball diamond for a friendly game of kickball.

13. Head to any lake or river and catch a rainbow trout on this year’s Free Fishing Day — Saturday, June 7.

14. Utah’s steam passenger railway has a variety of summer adventures. Try Heber Valley Railroad’s comedy murder mystery, western hoedown, or day with Thomas the Tank Engine.

15. Spend a day at the beach. Deer Creek State Park (north of Provo Canyon) is a popular spot for swimming, sunbathing, boating and windsurfing.

16. Open your heart to the Highlands for the Utah Scottish Association’s Highland Games and Scottish Festival June 13-14 at Thanksgiving Point.

17. Watch some real athletes at a Real Salt Lake game.

18. Get on your high horse for new views of alpine meadows, aspen groves and mountain trails. Sundance Stables and Rocky Mountain Outfitters lead horseback riding excursions through some of the best trails systems in the world.

19. Warning: this at-home experiment can get messy, so start by laying newspaper on the floor or table. In a large bowl, mix two parts cornstarch and one part water (quantity is up to you!). Is it a liquid or solid? The texture of the concoction makes for a fun, gooey, activity.

20. Summer is about having fun and spending time outdoors. Add in “learning about our spectacular Utah environment,” and you get Sundance’s summer nature camps. Themed weeks of hands-on learning are led by naturalists who emphasize field studies and creative projects.

21. Bring a little bit of Beijing to your backyard and host a neighborhood Olympics. Events like water balloon tosses and three-legged races can be played by youngsters and adults, and a mini closing ceremony with personalized awards will make everyone a winner.

22. Using only suggestions from the crowd, improv group The Thrillionaires creates hilarious Broadway-style musicals. Catch their shows at the Covey Center for the Arts on most Tuesday and Saturday evenings.

23. Summer is no time to be short on sports. BYU sports camps, including tennis, soccer, golf, swimming and football, let your kids practice and learn techniques from BYU coaches and former players.

24. This south county landmark, built in 1901, was named after a Ute Indian leader. The Peteetneet Academy museum and arts center features 10 rooms of exhibits, a rose garden and an amphitheater. The grounds are perfect for family picnics and the west hill is popular for ice blocking and homemade slip and slides.

25. Turn the TV off, put the video games away and head to Funfinity (in Orem and Springville) to pick up a new educational toy or game. Keep your children’s minds active during the summer with activities that focus on math, science, or reading and writing.

26. Paddle down the Provo River. Rent a two-person canoe from CLAS Ropes Course, or try out their 34-foot voyager canoe — it seats 20 adults or 24 children.

27. Spend a summer evening at the theater. From May to August, you’ll have your choice of shows like “Les Miserables,” “The Unsinkable Molly Brown,” “Little Women” and “The Rivals” at Hale Center Theater Orem, Center Street Musical Theater, Valley Center Playhouse and Scera Shell Outdoor Theater. See the calendar on page 128 for specific dates and times.

28. You’ve surely seen the Provo River, but have you fished it? Grab a guide and take a course in fly fishing — the sport that provides excitement and tranquility simultaneously.

29. See Broadway at its best in the desert. This summer, the Tuacahn Amphitheatre will perform “Les Miserables,” “The Sound of Music,” “Big River,” and “Disney’s High School Musical.”

30. It’s Summer in the Village — Kids Village, that is. Weeklong programs like “Lemonade, Ladybugs and Literature” encourage interactive learning through exciting games, songs and hands-on projects.

31. Show appreciation for what you have by offering service to those who are not so fortunate. Provo’s Food & Care Coalition always welcomes volunteers to serve meals to the
homeless.

32. Introduce your kids to good old-fashioned bait fishing on Huck Finn Day. Stocked ponds, prizes and costumes are all part of the fun on June 21 at Footprinter’s Pond in Provo. Spanish Fork, Pleasant Grove and Lindon also have Huck Finn Day in conjunction with their city festivals.

33. Top-ranked lumberjacks, the world’s best speed climbers, and female boom runners will be in Lehi on June 6-7 for the 2008 Wild Outdoors Festival and Stihl Timbersports Series at Thanksgiving Point’s Electric Park.

34. Set in the time of the American Revolution, musical drama “First Freedom” tells the story of how religious freedom became a right for all Americans. This new performance, written by New York playwright Rob Lauer and composed by Emmy Award winning Sam Cardon, can be seen July 7-19 at the Covey Center for the Arts.

35. Play a new sport this summer. Five parks throughout Provo, Lehi, American Fork and Saratoga Springs have their own disc golf courses. Also called Frisbee golf or frolf, this game is a less expensive variation of traditional golf that uses Frisbee discs instead of balls and steel baskets as targets instead of holes in the ground.

36. Turn your children into clothing designers for a day of tie-dying fun. Use old cotton shirts or shorts, or buy an inexpensive pack of white tees. After rubber banding a design, follow the instructions on a package of store-bought clothing dye, then remove the rubber bands to see each unique creation.

37. Salt Lake’s Discovery Gateway isn’t your average museum. Four floors and more than 60,000 square feet are packed with interactive exhibits that encourage learning about the arts, humanities and sciences. Whether your children are playing music on a giant marimba, drawing comic strips, or participating in a rescue operation on an authentic, life-sized helicopter, they’ll discover a world of possibilities.

38. Since 1970, summer Sunday evenings in Provo have been celebrated with outdoor music. This year, Utah Premiere Brass will perform each Sunday in June at the summer band series at North Park in Provo. At the American Fork Amphitheater and Pioneer Park in Provo, outdoor concerts on Monday evenings feature rotating performing groups.

39. You probably won’t see celebrities at the Sundance Institute Outdoor Film Festival, but you will see seldom-watched independent and documentary films. Each Wednesday evening from July 16 to August 27, head to Sundance Resort for free screenings under the stars.

40. Create a summer service project for your family. Visit neighbors and ask for donations of canned food, dry goods, toilet paper or personal hygiene items, then make a group delivery to the Community Action Food Bank in Provo.

41. Take a state-of-the-art class at the Simple Earth Art Center in American Fork. Children, youth and adults can choose from a variety of drawing, sculpture, pottery, stained glass and bookbinding classes.

42. Bring out the blender and give your kids free reign to add ingredients to a homemade slushie. Use a mixture of frozen or fresh fruits, juice or juice concentrates, and ice cubes. Serve in small paper cups for outdoor enjoyment.

43. Athletes and non-athletes alike are invited to the SCERA Pool on August 23 for the Share A Smile Triathlon — with intermediate, novice and children’s divisions. All proceeds from the event will purchase dental supplies used to treat homeless and at-risk clients of the Food & Care Coalition.

44. Relive history at This is the Place Heritage Park in Salt Lake. Heritage Village has more than 40 original and replica homes and businesses, complete with villagers who demonstrate crafts, trades and home-making skills typical of 19th century Utah.

45. From June to October, Cedar City is the place to be for a one-of-a-kind Shakespearience. Between backstage tours, literary seminars and Tony Award-winning theater, the annual Utah Shakespearean Festival is the best tribute the Bard could ask for.

46. If six LDS Church Headquarters buildings were stacked on top of one another, they wouldn’t reach the top of the Bingham Canyon Mine. It’s the largest man-made excavation on earth. Check out the action in the mine from an overlook, then learn all about it from the interactive displays and exhibits in the visitors center.

47. Help brighten a soldier’s day. Visit www.anysoldier.com to see which things soldiers miss most about home, then send off a care package of snacks, DVDs, letters and phone cards.

48. Every summer Saturday, past, present and aspiring Olympic athletes perform in the Flying Ace All-Stars Freestyle Show at Utah Olympic Park. During the 25-minute show, skiers and snowboarders soar up to 60 feet in the air and perform acrobatic feats before landing in a 750,000-gallon splash pool.

49. A summer evening is the perfect time to visit Diamond Fork Springs in Spanish Fork. Also known as “Fifth Water,” the geothermal pools are prime for soaking and relaxing, especially after the 2.5-mile walk to get there from the Three Forks Trailhead.

50. Play the role of a pioneer for a day at Alpine’s Historic Moyle Park. Churn butter, make soap, hear pioneer stories and play pioneer games Wednesdays between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m.

51. Make it a movie night, but don’t worry about getting a babysitter. The Provo City Library plays family-friendly movies every Friday night in the young special events room — and you’re welcome to bring your own treats, blankets and pillows.

52. Discover the old West with a cowboy evening of food, drink and down-home country fun. Rocky Mountain Outfitters’ chuck wagon dinners provide a gourmet western buffet, live mountain music, cowboy story telling, western games and an authentic cowboy atmosphere.

53. Take a stroll and get art smart while you’re at it. On the first Friday of each month, art galleries are open late for the Downtown Provo Gallery Stroll. From 6:00 to 9:00 p.m., peruse fine art, meet the artists, and enjoy refreshments and live music. In Alpine, gallery strolls are bimonthly — head to Main Street on June 5 or August 9-11 to visit Alpine’s five art galleries.

54. Bring the community together for a low-key service project. Hand out trash bags and send small groups around your neighborhood or a local park to pick up litter. When everyone’s finished, celebrate with popsicles — but make sure the wrappers and sticks end up in the garbage!

55. About 10,000 years ago, limestone deposits began forming a hollowed-out, beehive-shaped rock now known as the Homestead Crater. Filled with 90-degree water, the 55-foot-tall Crater is perfect for swimming, scuba diving, snorkeling or a therapeutic soak.

56. You’ll be over the moon after a trip to Sundance Resort. In conjunction with the lunar phases, the chairlift is open two nights each month this summer for a scenic full moon ride.

57. Don’t put the books away just because school’s out — kick things off right by joining your local library’s summer reading program. Most programs involve summer-long activities, including prizes and parties for those who reach their goals.

58. Utah County residents are privileged to have access to two impressive art museums, and both are featuring local artwork this summer. Visit the BYU Museum of Art for an expressive photograph collection documenting the dismantling of Geneva Steel, then head to the Springville Art Museum for the 84th annual Spring Salon — an exhibit open to all Utah artists.

59. Visit the arch that graces Utah license plates. Arches National Park preserves more than 2,000 natural sandstone arches, including the famous Delicate Arch. While you’re in Moab, make a stop in Canyonlands National Park to see some of the last undisturbed areas of the Colorado Plateau.

60. Feed your family the freshest produce of the season by letting them pick their own blackberries, cherries and raspberries at Phelps Berry Farm in Payson. Check www.pickyourown.org for driving directions and peak weeks for each crop. For strawberries, visit www.utahberries.com for details about Mapleton’s Maple Mountain Strawberry Farms.

61. Milk a cow, take a tractor-drawn wagon ride and learn about 19th century living at Wheeler Historic Farm in Salt Lake City.

62. Root, root, root for the home baseball team — whether it’s the BYU Cougars, UVU Wolverines or Orem Owlz.

63. Learn all about helictites and anthodites during a guided tour of Timpanogos Cave.

64. Get your fair share of carnival rides, livestock shows and demolition derbies at this year’s Utah County Fair on August 13-16.

65. During the month of August, every Monday night is a chance to watch classic movies at Rock Canyon Park in Provo. If Springville is a little closer to home, head to Arts Park for outdoor movies Monday nights from June 30 to August 11.

66. Lace up your bowling shoes and get ready to throw a few strikes at one of Utah County’s five bowling alleys.

67. After paint became available in transportable tubes in the 1870s, artists began working in a variety of outdoor environments. On June 20-21, witness painters and sculptors working “en plein air” at the 2008 Plein Air Art Festival at Thanksgiving Point.

68. If summer has your kids bouncing off the walls, let them get their wiggles out at Pleasant Grove’s Kangaroo Zoo, Springville’s Jumpin Jacks or Lindon’s Jump On It. With trampolines and giant inflatable slides as far as the eye can see, these three fun centers are the perfect place for kids (and parents!) to expend their energy.

69. Thursdays are all fun and games at the Orem City Library. From 4 to 6 p.m., volunteers are on hand for kids’ chess. Open chess is from 6:30 to 9 p.m.

70. Get to know the pride of the Andes at the 14th annual Llama Festival. On July 19 Spanish Fork’s Krishna Temple will be home to spinning and weaving demonstrations, food, music, dance, and competitions between llamas and their handlers.

71. Young Living Lavender Farms — the largest lavender farm and distillery in North America — will celebrate the beauty of 120 acres of lavender in full bloom on June 27-28. The Lavender Days festival in Mona offers paddleboat rides, pony rides, a jousting tournament and a 5k run.

72. Lions and tigers and bears … and giraffes and gorillas and penguins, oh my! The Hogle Zoo offers close-up views of all your favorite animals, plus one you’ve probably never seen before — the zoo’s rare white alligator is one of only 10 in the world.

73. Sundance’s newest monthly bike race series caters to kids 12 and under — the non-intimidating environment lets young ones push the limits on their mountain bikes while having fun.

74. For 60 years, the Tracy Aviary has been home to many unique feathered flocks. On eight acres of Salt Lake City land, the aviary maintains a collection of about 400 birds, including toucans, pelicans and peacocks.

75. Summit Mount Timpanogos — all 11,749 feet of it.

76. There’s no better way to spend a summer day than zipping down water slides or floating on the Lazy River at Provo’s  Seven Peaks Waterpark.

77. Help Provo’s downtown landscapes look their best — adopt a flowerbed with your family. Contact Provo Parks and Recreation for details.

78.This summer, take your family to the world’s largest dinosaur exhibit — it’s right in Utah Valley! The Thanksgiving Point Museum of Ancient Life takes a hands-on approach to our prehistoric pals, and guests are invited to touch actual fossils and feel real dinosaur bones and eggs. There are 50 interactive displays throughout the museum, including the popular Erosion Table — a large, waist-high sand and water display with plastic dinosaurs and trees — that makes learning about erosion extra fun. If you go on Museum Monday, you’ll find special activities for families and reduced admission rates.

79. At the close of each summer, the ancient art of storytelling comes to life at the mouth of Provo Canyon. For this year’s Timpanogos Storytelling Festival, 10 master storytellers — including a storytelling mime — will venture to the Beehive State to share humorous tales, musical legends, and narratives influenced by Japanese, Cuban and African-American cultures. Eight potters will also be on site to help children form their own creations, and local food vendors, including Magleby’s Fresh and Tucanos, will provide festival fare.

80. Picnic on white sand beaches, look for wildlife or watch a sunset from Antelope Island State Park, the largest island in the Great Salt Lake.

81. For a refreshing summer treat, think “fruit.” Peel a few bananas, cut each in half, then insert a popsicle stick into each cut end. Place the bananas on a tray or cookie sheet and freeze for a few hours. Pour melted chocolate into a tall drinking glass and dip each  banana into the chocolate. Serve immediately or freeze the bananas to snack on later.

82. On August 2, cherry lovers will unite for the second annual western regional “pit spit,” hosted by South Ridge Farms in Santaquin. The rules of the game are simple: pick a cherry from the bowl, step up to the line and let that pit fly! Prizes will be awarded for longest distance, most creative pit spit and best sport.

83. Take your family on a summer field trip to the local fire station (be sure to schedule ahead). Learn about fire safety, meet a few firefighters, and tour the fire trucks you see driving around your city.

84. Put on your hiking shoes, grab your camera and visit Bridal Veil Falls in Provo Canyon.

85. Get in touch with your artistic side at Color Me Mine in Provo. The paint-your-own ceramics studio has more than 400 different pottery items for you to adorn with your personal style. Got a budding artist? Send your little ones to Art Adventures Kids’ Camp in June, July or August.

86. Send your 8-11 year olds back in time to learn about Utah’s ties to the Civil War. At Camp Floyd History Camp for Kids, youngsters will play 19th century games, set up a soldier’s camp, and see muskets and a cannon fired.

87. Stroke a southern stingray or watch a white-tip reef shark at the Living Planet Aquarium in Sandy.

88. Celebrate summer temperatures at the Burraston Ponds in Mona. Just a few minutes south of Utah County, this hot spot is known for its rope swing, but the fishing, swimming and camping are equally enjoyable.

89. Saturday, June 7 is the 26th annual Children’s Celebration of the Arts at Pioneer Park in Provo. After a $2 entrance fee, kids can spend the day making crafts and creating artwork at 50 different booths. Attendees will also enjoy meeting guest artists and watching children’s groups perform.

90. The first time you hear the words “I’m bored,” send the kids on a neighborhood nature scavenger hunt. Give each child a list of things to spot — a dandelion, something a bird might eat, a bicycle, a stop sign — and have them draw a picture or take a photo (with a disposable camera) of each item they find.

91. Visit sites of Native American massacres, ambushes and gun fights on a historic Lehi bus tour along the original Pony Express and Overland Stagecoach route.

92. Celebrate Pioneer Day! Provo City’s festivities at North Park include a farmers market, antique car show, pioneer camp and museum, Native American village and mountain man encampment.

93. Whether your kids are afraid of the water or they swim like fish, sign them up for swimming lessons at the local pool. Beginners will become comfortable in the water, and more advanced swimmers can improve their strokes.

94. Where a bustling mill industry once stood, Gardner Village in West Jordan is a cluster of specialty retail shops in restored cabins, houses and buildings. Shopping and dining are the premier activities here, and the day spa is a must-visit if you’ve left the kids at home!

95. Search for a Sego Lily or take a gardening class at Red Butte Garden in Salt Lake City.

96. If you’re in high school or middle school, the ball is in your court on June 21. The Summer Shoot-Out at The Center in Provo lets teams show their skills in a three-on-three basketball tournament with prizes for winners in each bracket.

97. Laugh it up at ComedySportz in Provo. Shows are Thursday, Friday and Saturday each week and are appropriate for all ages.

98. Some of the world’s most unique geology formations are on display in Bryce Canyon National Park. The whimsical hoodoos provide plenty of photo-ops.

99. Practice your putting at one of Utah Valley’s two miniature golf courses — Cascade Golf Center and Trafalga Family Fun Center. Got a young Tiger Woods or Michelle Wie on your hands? Try one of the area’s dozen golf courses, including the Links at Sleepy Ridge, pictured here.