Planning family travel isn’t always easy. Yes, we are related. No, we don’t like all the same things. Yes, we all want to travel. What is one mom to do? Well, families who want to travel together and find a huge range of activities, cuisine and culture throughout the year might just find a winner in Heber Valley, Utah. We all know I love Utah!
I’m excited to partner with Heber Valley because I think I found a place we can all agree on and it turns out my husband has had this valley and a little family skiing on his bucket list for a very long time.
We all know the Park City area is a winter wonderland, known for its fabulous skiing and other snow activities. I’m looking for a place that can wow year round. Can Heber Valley meet the challenge?
The Family Travel Challenge
Can one place really make everyone happy?
The challenge – find a place that we could go any time of year and find at least one activity that everyone will love.
Ages and Adventure Travel Preferences:
Please note that we all prefer gorgeous natural places that have a personality of their own. Ross and I both agree that evening childcare is just a fantastic bonus.
- Ross (40) – Great Food, golf, tennis, sailing, skiing, water sports, hiking, biking, great hotels
- Brittany (38) – Hiking, sailing, water sports, spa, wine and cheese, biking, zip lining and other high up activities, great hotels
- Sophia (9) – Swimming and any water sport, zip lining, ropes courses, sailing, dessert, hiking, biking, tennis, hitting golf balls
- Miles (8) – Swimming and any water sport, rock scrambling, zip lining, ropes courses, trains, biking, hiking, dessert, tennis, hitting golf balls
- Violet (6) – Swimming, sailing, trains, dessert, hiking, fancy dinners where you dress up, places for her stuffies to sleep
As you can see, we all like versions of the same things, but in varying orders and intensities. We also have Violet, our fancy little one who can be quite picky about things. We would all love to ski, but I have not been skiing in 20 years and the kids got frostbite the first time they went, so I couldn’t really add it to our lists of existing loves. Skiing as a family is a high priority for us going forward.
Is Heber Valley Great for Families?
If you refer to our lists above, Heber Valley has everything a family could want in an outdoor adventure vacation coupled with fantastic resorts and amenities that make everyone happy. Their website is a fantastic resource for the hundreds of things to do in Heber Valley and is extremely well organized. Actually, it has everything we want and more plus it’s got Solitude and Deer Valley, two places with fantastic ski schools for the whole family.
I threw together a little collage of just a few of the things we will do when we visit Heber!
We can adventure in the day and relax at night no matter what time of year we visit. As we just returned from Spring Break in Utah, our next trip out west will be in search of snow, but I will have Heber Valley on our list for future summer vacations as well. It can be snowing well into March and even the beginning of April, so plan accordingly for which season you want to experience!
A Little Luxury in Heber Valley
Believe me, we love travel and road trips and the roadside hotels that come with them, but sometimes we want a little luxury. Researching Heber Valley, there a couple places I want to arrive in and unpack. There are many options for accommodations, but I’m leaning strongly towards 3 places or maybe a mix and match of all 3.
1. The Zermatt Resort
I’m pretty sure, based on the photos and reviews, that we will have a spectacularly wonderful time enjoying the full swiss themed resort, the pools, the cuisine and of course, the shuffleboard and mini golf. Isn’t it pretty?
2. The Homestead Resort & Crater
Across the street from Zermatt one will find the Homestead Resort. This is the home of a geothermal spring known as “The Crater” in a 55-foot tall, beehive-shaped limestone rock. You can explore on foot, take a dip, snorkel and even learn to scuba!
You can book packages to The Crater with or without a stay in the hotel, but it is simply lovely.
3. Deer Valley Resort
My husband has been talking about taking the kids to this area to learn to ski for at least 5 years. We won’t miss the opportunity to spend a couple days at Deer Valley as we have heard fantastic things about the resort, the people and the mountains. The kids do want to learn to snowboard, and this is not allowed here, but the care for families is bar none according to everyone. It is consistently ranked one of the best ski resorts for families. The ski instructors are fantastic, the trails are kept clean and are perfect for learning and advancing. Basically, Deer Valley is gorgeous with an enormous number of trails and it is easy and fun for families. There are hotels, condominiums and houses available for your stay. They are all beautiful, but my favorite based on looks is certainly The Grand Lodge.
I think it is fair to say that a family could hit Heber Valley any time of year and have a fantastic adventure vacation full of memories that will last a lifetime.
You can check out a ton of information on the Heber Valley Tourism Website.
You can also follow Heber Valley on Twitter and on Facebook.
Disclosure: This post is brought to you by the lovely people at Heber Valley Tourism Group. All opinions and of course my love for Utah, are all my own. Photos provided by Heber Valley and resort sites.
Hi, I’m Brittany. Let’s talk about our hopes, dreams and ideas for our world. Let’s talk travel, because this Earth is a beautiful place to explore. Let’s dish on design, DIY projects and organization for our homes. Let’s celebrate living, loving, learning and laughing.