Tourism Brandon

Summer is coming! Finally! And we all know that when summer comes, vacation starts calling our names…loudly and constantly. So have you decided where you are going this summer for your yearly vacation? If you have, please share them with us (so we can steal your great ideas, of course). And if you haven’t decided yet, take a look at my top ideas for my personal summer vacay (If you really want, feel free to steal mine. It is all for the taking!).

•  Road trip: Who doesn’t love a road trip? You can make this a long across the country trip or just a few hour trip to your favorite spot. To make it the best trip ever, make sure you pack yummy snacks and fantastic music. And of course, take some people you get along with and actually enjoy being with. That is going to make all the difference. Also, before you go, make sure you discuss and plan out your trip, including how to pay for gas, food, and lodging. Splitting it up evenly is probably your best bet.

• Camping: This is always a summer favorite. This takes just as much preparation as a road trip–usually. Again, bring great food and great friends and family. Have fun, enjoy nature, and enjoy each other. If you get bored easily, make sure to pick a spot that has things to do (lake, hiking opportunities, and anything else that could be fun).

• National Parks: There are so many to choose from, it will be a tough decision. First, decide if you want to stay near your home or travel across a few states in order to get the whole experience. Find a state that has many to offer that are relatively close by. One state that is brimming with great things to do is Utah. Utah parks and recreation is great for the whole family because of the diversity of landscape. If you decide to go to Utah for your vacation, try Goblin Valley in Southern Utah. It will blow your mind.

So again, please share your summer vacay ideas. We would all love to hear them (and maybe pilfer them). Whatever you choose to do this summer, just make sure that you have a blast.

Spring is just around the corner, which means the yearly commencement of outdoor activities! Along with my outdoor staples of biking, hiking, and camping (naturally), I have discovered another sport I have become quite fond of: Utah canyoneering. Canyoneering means traversing a canyon by any means possible, whether swimming, hiking, repelling, etc. Utah, or more specifically Zion National Park (located in southern Utah) is the United State’s most concentrated center for canyoneering. Every year, millions of tourists make the trek to see the spectacular Zion Narrows, one of the world’s most well-known slot canyons. The Narrows provides some of the country’s most breathtaking scenery, with massive red cliffs, hanging gardens, and a canyon that at times is only 10 to 15 feet wide.

Who wouldn’t want to experience this?

Whether for the holidays, or just a weekend away, everyone needs a little time away from work, the house, and the kids. A great way to get away is to book a luxury cabin or inn at a bed and breakfast. You can travel stateside or to a nearby state if you need to get out of the city and into the country.

My husband and I found a world-renowned Arizona bed & breakfast that was in the peaceful Northern Arizona mountains. It was the perfect romantic getaway from the weekly stresses of work and life. I would definitely recommend taking an extended weekend away. You won’t believe how rejuvented you feel afterwards!

If you couldn’t tell, all of us at Tourism Brandon love living in Utah! If you live near Utah, or if you just like outdoor activities, Utah has a great variety of topography to suit your needs. Nearly 80 percent of the state is contained in blocks of land administered for public use by federal and state agencies. These Utah parks and recreation areas are enormous and welcome visitors throughout the year. Find out why we rave so frequently about this great state!

With October just a few days away, Halloween plans are starting to take shape.   So where are the best haunted houses in the country?  One place may surprise you…

Colorado!  Surprised?  I’ll admit I was too, but Colorado haunted houses are known to be some of the most popular in the states, especially with the folklore and ghost stories of the old mining towns from the 19th century. 

So if you are looking for an adventure this Halloween season, consider some Colorado fun!

If you love to mountain bike, Utah may be your dream place. Utah has plenty of places for biking, from the ski slopes in Wasatch Canyon amongst the wildflowers to the slickrock trails in Moab surrounded by red rock formations. So next time you plan a vacation, remember Utah mountain biking, because Utah is so much more than just snow!

Travel and vacationing is what I love to do, and I do a lot of it. My goal is to explore, at some point, each of the continents. I’ve been to 3 so far, and I’m hopeful to increase that number soon.

My latest adventure lead me to Switzerland. Realizing that I really don’t know the Swiss Alps very well, I decided to hire a guide. I’m an adventurer, but I didn’t want to get in trouble in a place I didn’t know much about.

Hiking is one of my passions - I’ve been all over the United States, but this was my first hiking adventure in Europe. Switzerland is a beautiful country, and had always been at the top of my list. The guide that lead me on my adventure took me to two of the top Swiss hiking destinations - Zermatt and the Jungfrau. Not only did I have a superb guide, but my meals, accommodations, and transportation were included in the great price.

I think one of my favorite parts of Swiss hiking was the fact that the air was so pure, and the terrain was so untouched. Being with a guide that knew the area so well really made the trip worthwhile, since I was able to see so much more than I would have on my own.

If you’re looking for a grand adventure in Switzerland, consider taking a swiss hiking tour. It is one of my top travel spots. Perhaps next time I’ll attempt to conquer the Matterhorn. No, not the Disney version with the snow monster - the real thing.

At any rate, you can’t go wrong going hiking in the Swiss Alps. The beauty is unsurpassed, and the adventure is once in a lifetime. Or twice for me, I hope!

So I’ve heard the question asked a lot, “You live in Utah? What is there to do there?”

My answer was always the same - skiing and snowboarding. Other than that, I wasn’t really sure, because I’m a California transplant, and with no beaches, I wasn’t really sure what to do! I love snowboarding, but I wanted to figure out what else there was to do in such a beautiful state.

I’ve come to find out, I’ve been missing out on a lot of really cool things! There is so much Utah outdoor recreation, it almost made me cry when I realized how long I’ve been here, and how little I’ve done.

Since I wanted to find out more about things to do in Utah, I decided to do some research, and take an impromptu vacation. It quickly became one of my favorites, simply because it reminded me of my former home, California. That place is Bear Lake. I’d heard about it, but never really knew where it was, or even what it was.

This past summer I took a trip there, and was totally blown away. The color of the lake is a tourquoise blue that is unmatched by any water except maybe the Caribbean ocean. It is stunning, and totally unexpected.

We took our boat there this summer, and enjoyed every second. The wakeboarding was fabulous, although the water can get choppy in the afternoon.

Another fun thing to do there is try out some of the raspberry milkshakes at the local stands. It’s to die for! Absolutely delicious.

We only stayed a few days, but we constantly had something to do, and we had so much fun trying to do everything!

Bear Lake is definitly one of the top desitinations in Utah - however, I’ve learned to never say that Utah is boring, because I know there are many more hidden gems here!

Utah is a state that is known for its natural beauty and abundance of parks and outdoor activities. One activity I stumbled across is that of canyoneering, which just referrs to crossing canyons through many means, such as climbing, hiking, boating, and more.

Since I enjoy travelling to Utah, I decided to find out some more information in this Utah canyoneering guide, which mentions different places to go, things to do, and companies to hire to take you there.

I’ve booked a trip in September to try out my skills. I’ve done a lot of outdoor things, however, I haven’t tried canyoneering before, so I’m excited to try it out. I’ll write more after my adventure in Utah.