The Southwest Blend Magazine guide to attractions, activities, events, entertainment, cities and towns and visitor information of Utah.

Discover Utah!
Photo: Delicate Arch in Arches National Park, courtesy Frank Mendonca/Moab Area Travel Council

 Being strategically placed in the center of the American west, Utah has a colorful past full of explorers, trail blazers, Native Americans, mountain men, trappers, miners, settlers, Mormons--and was the birthplace of the outlaw Butch Cassidy.
  Just as colorful, are it’s five National Parks, seven National Monuments, two National Recreation areas, and six National Forests. The extreme diversity of the landscape made it a favorite place for movie makers--over 700 hundred films and television series have been shot in Utah--including Gunsmoke, the Lone Ranger, Wagon Master, The Vanishing American, the Outlaw Josey Wales and Touched By An Angel, just to name a few. This seems fitting since the famous Sundance Film Festivals are held in Park City every year and the inventor of the vacuum tube for television, Philo T. Farnsworth, was born in Utah.
  Culture & History: Dinosaurs once roamed Utah and today the state has two of the largest dinosaur graveyards in North America, the Dinosaur National Monument and the Cleveland-Lloyd Quarry--so if you are looking for a Jurassic vacation, Utah is definitely the spot. Not only are there remnants of the dinosaur age, but ten thousand year old flint points, scrapers and knives were left behind by primitive hunters.
  The Anasazi, or “Ancient Ones” were the first stationary residents in Utah, farming corn in the valleys almost 2000 years ago. In the early 1900 century the main tribes in Utah were the Utah, Paiute (Water Ute) and the Shoshone.
  There were a smattering of Spaniards and New Mexicans exploring Utah in the 18th century, looking for a short-cut or water route to the western coast. However, it wasn’t until the late 1800s, when the Mormons (seeking a place they could practice polygamy without disturbance) discovered Utah, that the territory really became a place to settle. Hundreds of Mormons from all over the world migrated to Utah and within three years they had a newspaper, a theatre, and a territorial government. By 1900 the Mormons had founded nearly 500 settlements in Utah.
  Entertainment & Shopping: In Utah you can find everything from the “one-horse” towns to the busy metropolitan cities, like Salt Lake City. With the world famous Mormon Tabernacle Choir, Utah Symphony and Opera, and Ballet West and the Capitol Theatre--to the nightclub scene--Utah offers fine entertainment of all kinds. A favorite is Historic 25th Street in Ogden, now a thriving art community. Shopping is the ultimate at the Gateway Center, one of the many malls, or at the historic Trolley Square in Salt Lake City.
  Food & Wine: From pubs, bistros, coffee houses, restaurants and bars, there is a variety of cuisine available in the cities and ski resorts alike. Since tourism is Utah’s number one private sector industry, the hospitality industry is diligent and accommodating to their guests--be they film buffs, skiers, or family vacationers.
  Nature & Adventure: Twisting canyons; massive domes; geologic columns, windows and pillars; soaring cliffs; stone arches and pinnacles--all set against the Colorado and Green Rivers or the alpine backdrop of the La Sal Mountains--make exploring Utah an unforgettable adventure. Whether you wish to see dinosaur bones left in a sandstone wall; catch a glimpse of a mountain lion, big horn sheep, mountain goat or moose--you can travel the 27 scenic byways; downhill ski the slopes; cycle through steep alpine trails; kayak the rivers or hike the back country. Utah’s Lake Powell has more shoreline than the US West Coast and offers all water sports.
  Sports: Golf courses abound with stunning views of snow-capped mountains--and it is a known fact that the balls go further due to the high altitudes. There are 11 Olympic venues open for public use. Utah is sports-loving and the spirit of the Olympics lives on in the Utah’s Olympic Cauldron Park as it does in it’s people.
"The Beehive State" has nine regions as outlined below. To visit our featured cities/towns, click here. For Utah Events, click here.

Utah State Flag
State Bird: California Seagull
State Flower: Sego Lily
State Motto: "Industry"
State Capitol: Salt Lake City
State Tree: Blue Spruce
State Song: "Utah, We Love Thee"

UTAH REGIONS: Utah has nine regions, to visit a region, click on heading of the region of your choice.

1. Golden Spike Empire: is home to the Great Salt Lake, Antelope Island, Grouse Creek Mountains, Golden Spike National Historic Site, Trappers Loop, Lost Creek State Park, East Canyon State Park, Willard Bay State Park, Fort Buena Ventura State Park, Park Valley, Bountiful, Ogden, Brigham City, Layton, Morgan and more.

2. Cache Valley: is home to the American West Heritage Center, Beaver Mountain Ski Resort, Logan Canyon, Hyrum State Park, Bear Lake State Park, Logan, Hyrum, Randolph, Laketown, Garden City, Lewiston, Clarkston, Smithfield and more.

3. Great Salt Lake Country: is home to Great Salt Lake State Park, Jordan River State Park, Bonneville Speedway, This Is The Place State Park, Salt Lake City, Tooele, Dugway, Wendover, Brighton, Grantsville, Ophir, Vernon and more.

4. Mountainland: is home to Timpanogos Cave, Stagecoach State Park, Veteran's Memorial state Park, Utah Lake State Park, Deer Creek State Park, Rockport State Park, Wasatch Mountain State Park, Soldier Summit, Provo, Spring City, Alpine, Fairfield, Park City, Orem, Heber City, Mt. Pleasant, Richfield and more.

5. Dinosaurland: is home to Uinta Mountains, Flaming Gorge, Dinosaur National Monument, Starvation State Park, Desolation Canyon, Utah Field House State Park, Red Fleet State Park, Fruitland, Tahiona, Ouray, Bonanza, Jensen, Vernal, Roosevelt and more.

6. Panoramaland: is home to the Great Basin Desert, Capitol Reef, Otter Creek state Park, Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, Yuba State Park, Palisades State Park, Little Sahara Recreation Area, Fremont Indian State Park, Territorial Statehouse State Park, Nephi, Teasdale, Delta, Ephraim, Hanksville, Mt. Pleasant and more.

7. Castle Country: is home to Green River State Park, Goblin Valley State Park, Temple Mountain, Huntington State Park, Cleveland-Lloyd Dinosaur Quarry Scofield State Park, Price, Green River, Wellington, Sunnyside, Helnet, Helper, Cleveland, Ferron, Castle Dale, Emery, Huntington and more.

8. Color Country: is home to the Dixie National Forest, Zion National Park, Escalente State Park, Bryce Canyon National Park, Lake Powell, Capitol Reef National Park, Iron Mission State Park, Anazasi State Park, Snow Canyon State Park, Coral Pine Sand Dunes State Park, Beaver, Kanab, Panguitch, St. George, Brian Head, Escalente, Cedar City, Mount Carmen, Springdale, and more.

9. Canyonlands: is home to the Green River, Rainbow Bridge National Monument, Monument Valley Tribal Park, Valley of the Gods, Natural Bridges National Monument, Canyonlands State Park,  Edge of the Cedars State Park, Dead Horse Point State Park, Arches National Park, Moab, Monticello, Bullfrog, Hite Crossing, Mexican Hat, Blanding, Needles Overlook, Castle Valley, Thompson Springs, Green River, Westwater and more.

FEATURED CITIES/TOWNS: Regions 1-4 below. For Regions 5-8 click here.

Golden Spike Empire	Cache Valley	Great Salt Lake Country	Mountainland
Ogden		Salt Lake City	Park City
Regions 5-9
Dinosaurland	Panoramaland	Castle Country	Color Country	Canyonlands
			Cedar City Kanab St. George	Moab

 

HOME	EXPLORE BY STATE	CITIES & TOWNS
ART & CRAFTS	BODY, MIND & SPIRIT	BOOKS & POETRY
BUSINESS & PROFESSIONAL	ECO & EARTH FRIENDLY	EVENTS CALENDAR
FASHION, BEAUTY & SPA	FOOD & DRINK	HISTORY & HERITAGE
HOLIDAYS & OBSERVANCES	HOME & GARDEN	KID'S KORNER & FAMILY GUIDE
MUSIC & ENTERTAINMENT	NATURE, WILDLIFE & SCIENCE	RECREATION & SPORTS
SHOPPING & DISCOUNTS	TRAVEL DESTINATIONS	WEDDING & EVENT PLANNING
ARTICLE ARCHIVES & SITE MAPS	SUBJECT GUIDES	SITE MAPS, GLOSSARIES & FAQ
ABOUT US	CONTACT US	SUBMIT EVENT
SUBMIT PRESS RELEASE	THE BURRO EXPRESS ELETTER	CHAMPAGNE SUNDAYS RADIO SHOW
OUR BLOG	GET REPRESENTED ON OUR SITE	FROM OUR READERS
This site developed by Free Spirit Promotions™, publishers of the Southwest Blend™, no part of it may be reproduced for any reason, with out written permission. © from 1998, SouthwestBlend.com™, The Blend Magazine.com™, Southwest Blend Annual Guide™. PO Box 1256, Twentynine Palms, CA 92277 Please note opinions expressed by contributors are not necessarily the opinions of this publication or any of its staff. We reserve the right to edit submittals. All subject matter is intended for general information only and not to be take as personal advice in any matter. Although every effort is made to be accurate, we cannot be held responsible for inaccuracies or plagiarized copy submitted to us by advertisers or contributors.