Hotel Utah, Uncle Roscoe, Hogle Zoo and Shasta the Liger!

September 18, 2017 by shelley

Hotel Utah, Uncle Roscoe, Hogle Zoo and Shasta the Liger! Happy Birthday!

Hotel Utah menu hand decorated by Utah artist Uncle Roscoe

Growing up we did not get a yearly birthday party. We would have a birthday party one year and a family activity the next. One of our family activities for my birthday celebration really stands out in my mind! I chose to go to Hogle Zoo in Salt Lake City and have restaurant dinner. Getting either one would have been more than I expected so imagine my surprise when I got both. In those days (early 1960’s) a trip to Salt Lake City from Price, Utah took 3 hours. There was no I-15 just Utah highway 89. You had to drive up Price Canyon, a treacherous windy 2 lane mountain road. Then down Spanish Fork Canyon, which was more of the same windy mountain road except downhill. Then you went through every small town driving right down main street on your way to Salt Lake City; Mapleton, Springville, Provo, Orem, Pleasant Grove, American Fork, Lehi, the point of the mountain, Draper, Sandy, Murray and finally State Street Salt Lake City.

The biggest attraction at Hogle Zoo was Shasta. Shasta was a liger; half lion and half tiger. No one every went to the zoo without seeing Shasta!

Shasta the liger at Hogle Zoo

After visiting the zoo we ate at the Hotel Utah coffee shop.

The big attraction at the coffee shop was Uncle Roscoe. Uncle Roscoe would entertain children of dining guests by drawing cartoon sketches for them! He wasn’t always there, it was just luck whether he would be there on any given day. And then it took a double stroke of luck if he came to your table and did a sketch on your menu. I was thrilled beyond words when Uncle Roscoe visited our table and personally signed and decorated my menu!!! I am sure I just sat there wide-eyed and smiling…

Hotel Utah menu hand decorated by Utah artist Uncle Roscoe

Hotel Utah Children’s menu 1960’s

Menu at Hotel Utah Coffee Shop 1960s

It was one of my more memorable birthdays!

Hogle Zoo Salt Lake City

September 2, 2016 by shelley

Hogle Zoo Salt Lake City

(fun things to do in Salt Lake City)

Hogle Zoo

Utah’s Hogle Zoo dates from 1931 (I know its been there since I was a kid! For one of my [family year/ not party year] birthday celebrations we went to the zoo and then after we ate at the Hotel Utah.*) and is located at the mouth of Emigrations Canyon. Its natural terrain covers 42 acres of tree-lined pathways where visitors can view over 800 animals.

Jen and her children: Emily, Becca, Caroline and Henry

Hogle Zoo, Salt Lake City

Feeding the giraffe’s lettuce by hand…

Hogle Zoo, Salt Lake City

Fun Things to do in Salt Lake City

July 5, 2015 by shelley

And then we enjoyed a week of fun activities in Salt Lake City after the wedding:

Hogle Zoo

Everyone at Hogle Zoo

Henry, Becca and Jack

Jack and Caroline

B.J. and Jack

Becca and Henry

Hogle Zoo, Salt Lake City

Collins and Becca

Becca, Caroline, Jack and Henry

Collins

And the Museum of Natural Curiosity

Museum of Natural Curiosity

Becca

Henry

Collins and Becca

Collins and Henry

Collins and Becca

Henry and Caroline

Caroline

Caroline and Becca

Emily and Jennifer

Jack

Emily at Museum of Natural Curiosity in Salt Lake City

Fishing at Cold Springs Trout Farm

Our catch of the day

Collins

Collins and Becca

Caroline, Becca and Henry

Grandpa, BJ, Jack and Jenn

Henry, Jenn and Jack

Becca, Jen, Emily and Caroline

Caroline, Emily, Jen, Jack, Henry, B.J. and grandpa

Becca, Jen, Caroline, Grandpa, Henry, Jack and BJ

Becca

Jennifer

Caroline and Henry

Jack

Cold Springs Trout Farm

This is the Place Heritage Park

Caroline and Jack

Caroline, Becca, Grandpa and Henry

Emily

Becca

Henry

Grandpa and BJ

Caroline, BJ, Jack, Becca and Henry

Becca

Caroline

Jack, Becca and Caroline

Becca and Caroline

Prospector Pit

Caroline and Jack

Becca

Jack and Caroline

Henry

Jack, Becca and Henry

Caroline and Becca

BJ and Jenn

Jack and Henry eating Brigham doughnuts

This is the Place Heritage Park

UTAH MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS

The Utah Museum Fine Arts has a special program for children every third Saturday which is a phenomenal program! It is free and this month had Mayan art for its inspiration. Every child got to decorative clay pot after being inspired with the Mayan pottery collection searching for specific objects like the rectangular polychrome vase

Rectangular Polychrome Mayan Vase Utah Museum of Fine Arts

or the polychrome vase.

Polychrome Mayan Vase Utah Museum of Fine Arts

Example of the clay plate Mayan inspired project for children at Utah Museum of Fine Art’s third Saturday for children (free admission!);

Example art clay plate art project Mayan inspired third Saturday activity for children Utah Museum of Fine Arts

Becca and Caroline working on their clay plate Mayan art project

Henry working on his Mayan clay plate art project Utah Museum of Fine arts third Saturday activity for children

Henry with clay plate art project

Caroline with clay plate art project

Becca with her Mayan inspired clay plate art project at the Utah Museum of Fine Art

Becca (helped Grandma) with her Mayan inspired clay plate art project at the Utah Museum of Fine Art

Emily

Grandma and Grandpa working on their projects

Working on clay art project at Utah Museum of Fine Arts

Caroline cleaning up after project

The Leonardo Museum Salt Lake City

We had to visit the Leonardo Museum to see Becca’s award winning Reflections project on display. It was park of the SPARK exhibit.

Spark ignite your imagination

SPARK!

What is “spark?” Is it that feeling you get when you know you’re on to something big? Is it that irresistible flow of an idea that’s just about to burst into reality? What happens when your creativity is ignited? What becomes possible?

They get it– the Leonardo created this brand new (and really big) exhibition.

Imagine, explore and interact with over 700 pieces of original 2D and 3D art, live performances, original writings, and more. And many of the featured works were created by artists who are just like YOU! (Becca was one of the artists with her award winning project!)

Everyone at the Leonardo Museum with Becca’s project

Caroline and green screen

Becca and Henry and green screen

Fun with green screen

Henry, Caroline and Becca

Henry the drummer

Caroline and Becca

Henry

Projects at the Leonardo in Salt Lake City

Becca’s award winning project for Reflections-state award winner

Making the World a Better Place with a Mean Word Chomper

Leonardo Museum Salt Lake City

Hogle Zoo in Salt Lake City a fun family outing…New Polar Bear Exhibit is “oh so cool”!!!!!

August 23, 2012 by shelley

Utah’s Hogle Zoo.

We visited Utah’s Hogle Zoo. Utah’s Hogle Zoo dates from 1931 and is located at the mouth of Emigration Canyon. The Zoo is one of the most visited attractions in Utah and the top paid-for tourist attraction in Salt Lake City. Its natural terrain covers 42 acres of tree-lined pathways where visitors can view over 800 animals. 2009 was a banner year for the Zoo featuring the first African elephant born at the Zoo on August 10, 2009 and the milestone of 1,000,000 visitors in one year was reached in December.

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 (AZA). Hogle Zoo is one of that 10%, which means that it is recognized as being one of the best zoos in the world. Hogle Zoo is also a member of the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums (WAZA)

The new Polar Bear exhibit is soooo cool. You can get up close (just a few inches away from a polar bear) and personal.