Salt Lake City is the capital of Utah, in the United States of America.  It was founded in 1847 by Brigham Young, who led a group of Mormon pioneers to settle there – away from their previously hostile home in the Midwest.  Many people know it because of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and the worldwide fame of the Osmond brothers.  If you’re lucky enough to be visiting this beautiful city, there is so much to do.  Here are just a few ideas…

#1.  Family History Library

Genealogy is an increasingly popular hobby and many people visit the Family Search website (popularly known as the IGI amongst family tree nuts) which is run by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  The Family History Library at 35 North West Temple Street was founded in 1894 to help members of the Church to trace their family trees.  This has now grown to be the largest collection of genealogy records in the world, with the names of more than 2 billion deceased people on their files.

The Library covers 142,000 square feet and there are 2 million reels of microfilm, 700,000 microfiches and over 280,000 books.  Genealogy heaven!  It’s little wonder that the Library is so popular and has over 2,500 visitors every day!

Opening Hours

• Mondays from 7:30 A.M. to 5:00 P.M.

• Tuesday through Saturday from 7:30 A.M. to 10:00 P.M.

• Closed on Sunday and certain holidays.

#2. Museum of Church History and Art

This stunning museum is at 45 North West Temple just west of Temple Square and is almost next door to the Family History Library.  It tells the story of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints from its lowly beginnings in upstate New York  to the incredible hardships suffered by the Mormon pioneers as they crossed the plains to their new home in Utah.  It’s hard to believe that it has become such an amazing church which now has a membership of over 10 million people.

There is so much to see.  There are displays, art galleries, tours, videos, photographs and many significant historical artifacts related to events in the Church and its’ history, including an original 1830’s copy of the Book of Mormon.  It’s a special treat to see a real covered wagon and imagine travelling in it, just like the pioneers.  You can also see a ships bunk in which many European immigrants would have travelled.

In between the Museum of Church History and The Family History Library you will find the Deuel Cabin.  It was built in 1847 by one of the first Mormon families to arrive in the Valley.

The museum is a wonderful place for children because it has so many interactive displays and activities that they can enjoy, including puppet shows, films, and actors in costume.  There is also a small gift shop for postcards, books, music, videos and other small items to take home as souvenirs.

Opening Hours

• Monday through Friday from 9:00 am to 9:00 pm

• Saturday, Sunday and most holidays from 10:00 am to 7:00 pm.

#3.  Boondocks Draper

Boondocks Fun Center is 8.5 acres of fun at 75 E. Southfork Drive, Draper, Utah. The Center includes an enormous building (30,000 square foot) that is home to a video and redemption arcade and prize center, a two-storey laser tag arena and a soft play area that children will love.  When they’ve worked up an appetite, you can take them to the Back Porch Grill Restaurant for pizzas, hamburgers, sandwiches, salads and desserts.  As if that wasn’t enough, there are also a variety of outdoor attractions, including two 18-hole miniature golf courses, a pond for ‘bumper boating’, a battling cage with 5 stalls and two racetracks for go-karting.

#4.  Hogle Zoo

Utah’s Hogle Zoo dates from 1931 and is at the mouth of Emigration Canyon.  This is one of the most visited attractions in Utah and the top paid-for tourist attraction in all of Salt Lake City. Its natural terrain covers 42 acres of hillside.  It’s a joy to walk through the beautiful, winding tree-covered pathways as you visit the hundreds of animals.

Don’t miss the Asian Highlands which is an amazing re-creation of a Himalayan village and houses five endangered species of Asian cat.  Also on your must-see list is the Elephant Encounter which features African elephants and white rhinos.  Children will love the Conservation Carousel as it lets them ride on unique, hand carved and painted models of  endangered or threatened animals.

There are more than 2,000 USDA licensed wildlife exhibitors in the US but less than 10% of them have been accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums. Hogle Zoo is one of that 10%, which means that it is recognized as being one of the best zoos in the world.

#5.  The Pioneer Memorial Museum

This stunning museum is at 300 North Main Street.  It houses the biggest collection in the world of artifacts on one particular subject – the incredible pioneers who travelled 2,000 miles across the plains from Illinois (and from all over the world) to find freedom for their religious beliefs and to build a city in the valley.

The items are surprising because they range from utilitarian to highly decorative.  There is even a piano that was carried right across the continent!  Everything required to make a home is displayed so this is very well worth a visit…and best of all, it’s free!

Utah is a breathtakingly beautiful state.  It’s renowned for its’ friendly citizens and cleanliness as well as the awe inspiring scenery.  Don’t miss it!

If you’d love to see Vegas but don’t think it’s suitable for a family holiday, Circus Circus is just what you’re looking for.  This enormous complex will keep you and the kids entertained from the moment you arrive.  Here’s our guide to this fun packed venue…

What is it?

Circus Circus is an enormous hotel with 3,774 rooms situated on Las Vegas Strip in Nevada.  If hotels are not your style, Circus Circus has the only park for RV’s on the strip.  The huge park has room for 399 vehicles and is operated by Kampgrounds of America.

The hotel underwent major renovations in 1997.  These changed it from a standard American Circus to a ‘Cirque de Soleil’ circus.  They also added a new tower of hotel rooms – 35 stories high! The whole site is circus-themed with a clown marquee at the entrance.  It also has the largest permanent big top in the world.

What is there to do and see?

Head for the big top and watch the amazing top-class circus acts from all over the world and best of all, it’s free!  Performances are every day and start at 11 a.m., so if you’ve had a late night at the tables, it’s not too painful!

The other major attraction for the kids – and the grown ups! – is probably Adventuredome.  This is America’s largest indoor theme park.  It has 25 gravity defying, breathtaking, roller coaster rides on a massive 5 acre site.  An all day pass is a reasonably priced $24.95.

Gambling for the parents…

In Nevada, you have to be over 21 to legally gamble.  Circus Circus offers three full sized Casinos that are open 24/7.  There are slot machines, table games and a poker room.  Be sure to try the technological wonder of the Race and Sports Book, which has 18 big screens and 80 seats.  Once you’ve worn the kids out in the Adventuredome, get a sitter and try your luck!

Retail Therapy

You don’t even need to leave Circus Circus to enjoy the stunning shopping that only Las Vegas can offer.  The shopping Promenade is 40,000 square feet of shopping heaven!  Treat yourself to a Designer outfit with your winnings or if lady luck has yet to smile on you, head for the store where everything is $10.

You’ll want something to take home as a memory of your amazing vacation.  The exclusive Circus Circus shop will have you spoilt for choice with logo’d souvenirs to fit every budget.

If you’re a Criss Angel fan, the Official Mindfreak store has to be on your list.  There are tee shirts, hats, posters, jewelry and memorabilia autographed by Criss himself.

If you yearn for the old days, get a family photo taken at the Buffalo Old Time Photo Co.  You get to dress up and it only takes a few minutes to capture a special memory of Vegas and create a family heirloom as well.

Circus Circus also offers:

• Plenty of place to eat, with a good variety.  But be sure to eat at The Steak House which has been voted the best steak house in Las Vegas 20 years in a row!
• Golf – choose from the Royal Links Golf Club, the Desert Pines Golf Club and the Bali Hai.
• Three swimming pools
• For Business people – Convention rooms with space for nearly 800 people.
• For the ultimate Vegas wedding, head for the ‘Chapel of the Fountain’.

Circus Circus in the movies

The hotel was featured in the James Bond film ‘Diamonds Are Forever.’

In his infamous journalistic novel of the 1970’s, ‘Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas,’ Hunter S. Thompson wrote,

“The Circus Circus is what the whole world would be doing Saturday night if the Nazis had won the war…The ground floor is full of gambling tables, like all the other casinos… but the place is about four stories high, in the style of a circus tent, and all manner of strange County-Fair / Polish Carnival madness is going on up in this space.”

Circus Circus weren’t impressed and when the novel was made into a film starring Johnny Depp in 1998, they refused to allow any filming there.  The producers had to create ‘Bazooko Circus’ instead.

The Adventuredome and the Canyon Blaster roller coaster featured in the 1999 movie Baby Geniuses – but the park was called Joyworld in the movie.

In Mike Myers ‘Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery’, Austin and Vanessa sneak into Circus Circus.

Can’t wait to get there?

It sounds like the vacation of a lifetime!  If you’d like to know more about Circus Circus, go to their website where you can check room availability and book online, or head on over to Expedia where you can book a package deal.   Have fun!

The ‘Spruce Goose’ was the largest flying boat every built and yet it made only one flight.  What links the legendary Howard Hughes to this unique aircraft?  Read on to find out…

Why was it built?

During the Second World War, German submarines were sinking so many ships that the U. S. Department of War faced a crisis.  They desperately needed war materials and troops to get across the Atlantic.  In 1942, they asked for someone to build an aircraft that could achieve this.  A major catch was that due to wartime shortages, the aircraft had to be made from materials other than metal.

Who designed it?

The multi-millionaire, film producer, film director and aviator Howard Hughes teamed up with Henry J. Kaiser to build the largest aircraft at that time.  It was designed to be capable of carrying 750 troops with full equipment, or even a Sherman tank.  It was originally called HK-1, which stood for Hughes and Kaiser.

The design takes shape

The original HK-1 contract was a developmental one, which asked for three aircraft to be built in under two years.  This time frame was because they were so desperately needed for the war.  Seven designs were looked at, including aircraft with single and twin hulls, and combinations of four, six and eight engines mounted on the wings.  The design that was chosen went on to become the Spruce Goose and it was enormous.  It was mostly built from wood and this also earned it the nickname ‘the flying lumberyard’.  It is said that Howard Hughes hated the name ‘Spruce Goose’.

The project did not go smoothly.  Kaiser had the original idea for a type of flying cargo ship but his background was not in aeronautics, so he had to bow to Howard Hughes and his aircraft designer, Glenn Odekirk.  The use of aluminum was restricted and Hughes was a perfectionist.  Both of these things caused delays.  Although the first HK-1 was built sixteen months after the contract began, Kaiser dropped out of the project.

Howard Hughes goes it alone…

Undaunted, Hughes carried on alone.  He renamed the aircraft HFB-1, which stood for Hughes Flying Boat, 1^st design.  It then became the H-4 Hercules.  Hughes signed a new contract with the Government which allowed for only one such aircraft to be produced.  Work went so slowly that the H-4 was not finished until long after the war was over.

Hughes called to face the Senate

In 1947, Hughes was summoned to testify before the Senate War Investigating Committee.  This was with regard to his usage of government funds to build the aircraft, which hadn’t even flown yet.  On the 6^th August 1947, in his first of several appearances before the Senate, Hughes said

“The Hercules was a monumental undertaking.  It is the largest aircraft ever built.  It is over five storeys tall with a wingspan longer than a football field.  That’s more than a city block.  Now, I put the sweat of my life into this thing.  I have my reputation all rolled up in it and I have stated several times that if it’s a failure I’ll probably leave this country and never come back.  And I mean it.”

The Spruce Goose flies…

The Senate hearings took a break and Hughes returned to California to run the Spruce Goose through some taxi tests.  On 2^nd November 1947, the tests took place. On board were Hughes as pilot, a co-pilot, two flight engineers, sixteen mechanics and two other flight crew.  There were also seven journalists and seven industry representatives.  This gave a total of thirty two people on the aircraft.

After the first two taxi runs, four journalists disembarked to file their stories.  The remaining twenty eight people stayed on board.  The final taxi run of the day began.  The Hercules picked up speed on the channel facing Cabrillo Beach near Long Beach.  It then took off and stayed in the air, around 70 feet / 21 metres above the water.  It travelled at a speed of 135 mph / 217 km/h / 117 knots for around one mile / 1.6 km.

This flight ended the senate hearings but the Spruce Goose never flew again.  Hughes employed a full time crew of 300 people who kept the aircraft in flying condition in a specially climate controlled hangar.  In 1962 the crew was dropped down to 50.  When Hughes died in 1976, the crew were disbanded.

The Spruce Goose on display

The aircraft was acquired by the California Aero Club in 1980.  They displayed it in a large dome next to the Queen Mary ship in Long Beach.  In 1988, Disney bought the aircraft, the ship and the land they were on.  However, they didn’t wish to display the Spruce Goose.  The California Aero Club searched long and hard for somewhere suitable to display it and eventually passed it to the Evergreen Aviation Museum. Experienced Museum staff took the aircraft to pieces and then moved it by barge to its’ new home in McMinnville, Oregon.  The 1,055 mile trip took 138 days.

Hughes hangars in the movies…

By the middle of the 1990’s, the Hughes Aircraft Hangars, including the one where the Spruce Goose were built, were made into movie sound stages.  The 315,000 square foot / 29,000 metre squared Spruce Goose hangar was used in Titanic, What Women Want and End of Days.

The hangar is preserved in the Playa Vista housing development in Los Angeles, California.  It is eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Buildings.

Spruce Goose – success or failure?

Although the aircraft never flew again and didn’t develop beyond the initial model, the H-4 Hercules showed that the principles of flight are not affected by the size of the aircraft.  It was a taste of the enormous aircraft to come, such as the Lockheed C-5.

It was certainly a triumph of the determination of one man to realize a dream.

Staying at the Disney World resort gives you an extra hours at the park every day.

So what does this mean to you and the family.

Well  it means that you have extra hours to spend in the theme park every day for an hour earlier in the mornings or you can spend up to an extra three hours after the parks are closed to the public. So you can see how great this is for  for guest staying in the Disney resort.

It means that you and the family  have time to explore the parks at a leisurely pace.

To get this advantage make sure you purchase the Park Hopper so that you can go from one park to the other on the same day. A basic ticket  only visit allows you to visit one theme park so  you can see the advantage of purchasing the Park Hopper.

Just remember that you need to have a Resort I.D to take advantage of Extra Magic Hours at the Water Parks.
To help you plan your trip to Disney World here are the early hours for November 2009.

Disney World Extra Magic Hours November 2009

Morning Extra Magic Hours

Magic Kingdom – 5, 12, 19, 26
Epcot – 3, 10, 17, 24
Disney’s Hollywood Studios – 7, 14, 21, 28
Animal Kingdom – 2, 9, 16, 23, 30

Evening Extra Magic Hours

Magic Kingdom – 2, 8, 16, 22, 30
Epcot – 4, 13, 20, 27
Disney’s Hollywood Studios – 1, 9, 15, 23, 29
Animal Kingdom – 6, 11, 18, 25