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To consider yourself a true Utahn, there are certain things you need to learn about firsthand. In addition to trying fry sauce — that's a given. Complete all 10 of our Utah bucket list items and earn yourself the honorary title of Queen (or King) Bee of the Beehive State.
1. Hike in Utah National Parks
Even if you aren't an outdoors enthusiast, you'll miss out on the best of Utah if you skip our national parks. Whether it's a scouting trip to Delicate Arch in Arches or getting sand in your shorts while hiking the Narrows at Zion, Utah offers unparalleled natural wonders. And you can get there within a few hours' drive of most of Utah, so you don't have any excuses.
2. See the Utah Shakespeare Festival
Still haven't made it to Cedar City for the Utah Shakespeare Festival? That's probably because you're thinking it's all stuffy, 17th-century dialogue and puffy knee shorts. While you can certainly see some of that, the annual summer-to-fall theater season also includes 20th-century plays and modern interpretations of the Bard's classics.
3. Float in the Great Salt Lake
It may be shrinking, but you'd still be hard pressed to find anything as big, or as briny, as Utah's Great Salt Lake. At 75 miles long and 35 miles wide, the salty oasis in our western desert covers about 1,600 square miles. While you can easily float in it — the salinity is about 12% — we highly recommend keeping your mouth firmly shut.
4. Ski in Park City
Powder day? Groomer day? Even if you haven't lived in Utah your entire life, you know skiing becomes a bit of an obsession during the winter months. And who can blame us? The mountains are practically calling you out of English class. Are the slopes that are popular among the rich and famous, and several Olympians, better than the rest? You be the judge.
5. Drive the Alpine Loop Scenic Byway
Once fall arrives, this narrow, curvy, 20-mile drive takes you through some of the most brilliant color along the Wasatch Range. As it winds through American Fork and Provo canyons, you'll pass Timpanogos Cave National Monument and Sundance Resort. Open the windows and let in the crisp air. Hand surfing is optional.
6. Visit Temple Square
A Grammy-winning choir. Bronze statues galore — and one covered in gold leaf! Oh, and a 210-foot-tall neo-Gothic temple. Head to Temple Square to join thousands of other Utah families and youth church groups as an annual Christmas activity. Go during the other 11 months of the year to enjoy beautiful flowers, and maybe learn why the seagull is the state bird.
7. Ride Cannibal at Lagoon
Utah's largest amusement park is the home of some serious thrill rides. First, there was the clacking, wooden Roller Coaster. Next came Colossus, speeding you through dual loops at 55 mph. And then, the Cannibal, where you experience 4.2 g-forces as you travel over 2,735 feet of track at 70 mph. Did you just black out? Maybe. When you see the brown tower standing starkly against the blue sky, you'll know you've arrived.
8. Eat a raspberry shake at Bear Lake
Of all the things to do in Utah during the summer, the hardest may be deciding which shop serves the best raspberry shake at Bear Lake. The easiest? Deciding you need a return visit to be sure you voted correctly. Grab a spoon and head to the beach. It's sunny out there.
9. Throw shades at the Holi Festival of Colors
Held every spring at the Sri Sri Radha Krishan Temple in Spanish Fork, participants throw colored powder and water on each other as a symbol of good overcoming evil. Remember the clouds of powder when you pounded out school chalkboard erasers? Yeah, it's kinda like that. For those less inclined to getting dusty, there's also interactive dance, yoga, bands and food.
10. Talk to dinosaurs at the Quarry Exhibit Hall
Who needs regenerated dinosaurs from a certain fictional movie when you can see actual bones? At Dinosaur National Monument, about 20 miles east of Vernal, there's a wall with about 1,500 dinosaur bones on display. You can even touch some of the 150-million-year-old fossils. And it's much safer than riding around in a clear ball.
So, are you a true Utahn? If you haven't experienced our full Utah bucket list yet, it's time to get busy. You know, like a bee.
What else is a must-do? Share your favorite things to do in Utah in the comments below.
