Todd and I recently celebrated our 5 year wedding anniversary. We’ve never done anything big for our anniversary—except a sad attempt year 1…but that’s another story—so 5 years seemed like an appropriate time to take a romantic trip (with a toddler) somewhere we’d been wanting to go for 7 years: Midway, Utah.
Before we even started dating, Todd and I would go on drives just to chat, because we were besties. The first time we drove through Midway together was also in February. It was dark, but you could see the Swiss architecture, and folk paintings on the buildings. As we came to a bend, there were Christmas lights on several buildings, and the music we had on just happened to turn into magical, twinkly harpsichord. Needless to say, it left an impression.
LODGING
Since we wanted to have ‘The Best of Midway Experience’, we stayed at the Blue Boar Inn. We waited so long to make reservations, that we ended up in the nicest room, but that was actually perfect, because it was separate from the rest of the rooms, so Gwendolyn screaming for ‘snacky’ in the night didn’t disturb anyone.
The room itself was lovely. A fireplace, lots of windows, a little balcony, a king bed (yaasss), two loveseats, and big tub. The walls had lovely hand-painted trees and butterflies, too. It was a great home base, and we’d definitely love to stay there again.
After dinner, we came back to our room to find a rose on the bed, chocolates, and easy listening music playing on the tv—delightful. It was so cozy, Gwendolyn fell asleep quickly, and slept really well.
DINING
That first night was our actual anniversary, so we ate at the Blue Boar Restaurant downstairs. We’ve taken Gwendolyn to many very nice restaurants, and she does pretty dang well. This time, she was a bit fussy, so it took a l o t of effort to keep her polite for such a nice place, but we managed.
The food was great, though I, very uncharacteristically, was full after 2 courses, so didn’t get the full experience of each meal as I tried to save room, but our starter was to die for. We ordered their fondue for two…and I’m not sure I can eat fondue anywhere else ever again! It was three-cheese, and—incredibly—wasn’t the slightest bit too rich. In fact, it was a bit, pungent (in the good, cheese way). It was served with ham, salami, green apples, pearl onions, and the perfect bread. It was amazing, and I basically could have eaten just that.
Also included with our room was complimentary breakfast, which I was psyched for. I had fresh orange juice, and their French toast, and bacon—it was the right call. On Sunday, though, they do a multi-course brunch, and that was a real treat. Panna cotta, crepe suzette, a main course, and a strawberry shortcake to top it off. It was delightful.
Since there were no grocery stores offering any fresh to-go foods, we stopped at the Zermatt Bakery for a late lunch on Saturday. All the foods looked gorgeous. Gwendolyn got a fruit tart just for the strawberries, and Todd and I got ham croissants, which were flaky and cheesy—exactly what you want.
The second night we were in town, we ate at the Heritage Inn. We were all excited to eat their rolls as we waited for our meal, and were relieved that it was a very family friendly restaurant. The food itself was good. Nicer than a lot of places, but it wasn’t super special. Great place to go if you want to eat out with kids, though!
ACTIVITIES
Sleigh Ride
On our anniversary, after checking into the Inn, we went for a private horse drawn sleigh ride. I won’t lie, it was kinda pricey––but, unless you’re going with a bunch of friends (and need a larger sleigh), I feel this is the way to go. The ride itself last for about 20 minutes, but it was really, really lovely. Our horse was about 8 feet at the head, and Gwendolyn had a blast. It was the perfect way to kick off our little getaway.
Heber Creeper
Saturday morning we went for a 2 hour ride of the Heber Creeper. We’d been on it once before, but unfortunately that first time was in the dark, and for ‘family night’. Unfortunately, this ride was only a little different than that first experience, which is to say, you won’t actually ride for 2 hours, and you’ll get at least 1 hour of (not talentless, but) unnecessary, and annoying entertainment. I just want to enjoy the scenery on a train ride, not having cowboy poems blasted on a poor speaker, and have fake train robbery that makes my child cry. If you’re hoping fo ra peaceful train ride, don’t spend money here. We won’t be going back, since we’re 2-for-2 not-so-great experiences, unless Gwendolyn really, really wants to.
Cheese!
Later that day, we headed to Heber Vally Artisan cheese, which has had my eye since I first drove by it years ago. We grabbed a few different kinds of cheese, and some jam. Once home, we decided their sharp cheese was definitely the winner. It’s so good. You have to visit.
The Crater
After a slow afternoon and evening, we went to the Homestead Crater. Honestly, I feel that going in the dead of winter is more of an…experience. It. was. cold. Very cold. Funny enough, there was only one life vest in Gwendolyn’s size; I suppose not too many 2 year olds visit. The crater itself was great. Super steamy, and I felt more safe with Gwendolyn swimming in a bottomless hole sue to the class of, like, 30 divers there at the same time. We mostly hung out in their little bench area in the water, but I really think that with 10 more minutes, Gwendolyn would have been over the rail with us. At one point, we had diver bubbles com up around us, and, when we looked down, you could see a diver probably 30 feet below in the almost black water. It was warm, and the best moment was when Gwendolyn exclaimed “So fun!”. We are very glad we went.
Ice Castles
Lastly, since it’s in Midway, a couple of weeks before, we went with some of our favourite friends to the Ice Castles. I’ve lived in Utah for 8.5 years, and had never been before. As soon as we walked in, Gwendolyn said, “Mom, cool place!” Unfortunately for her, she would soon change her mind. The winding paths through the ice was cool, and Im happy we went when we did, because we got some daytime, some nighttime with lights. Silly enough, I expected the paths to be less…icy. I know. But they are. Gwendolyn soon slipped, and was not quite bundled up enough, and was given a lemon cookie, so she barely made it 30 minutes. It is really impressive, so I think it’d be fun to go in later years––but in appropriate clothing, and maybe with other kids she knows.
Sometimes, I think we assume we have to go somewhere far away, or super over-the-top for vacations, but taking a romantic (family) weekend to Midway was a bucket-list trip. I feel we did a lot of the biggest things you can do, and we enjoyed just taking it slow in the charming town. I think, out of all the places in Utah, that’s the place I’d like to live in best.
What little trips close to home have been special to you? If you’re in Utah, I would highly recommend you treat yourself, and head to Midway.
