This Is The Place

On our last day (Saturday), we had to check out fairly early (9:00), so we decided instead of just driving home, that we would treat it as another sight seeing day.  So we headed back to Salt Lake City and went to This Is The Place Heritage Park and Pioneer Village.

There was a little train that gave you rides between the stops.  The boys (especially Owen) loved riding on it. 

Our first stop was at the Indian Village.  Nate and Aaron made arrow head necklaces.

We all got a tour of the Indian huts and teepees that were reconstructed there.

Next was down to the stream to see a replica of a ship and pan for some gold nuggets.

The real fun began when I gave the kids permission to take off their shoes and socks and go wading in the stream for the gold.

 

From there we walked over to a mini train, and the kids rode around a little pond.

Mary Fielding Smith's home.  She fit a family our size in this tiny home.

Next we went to the saddlery shop, where the boys stamped their own pieces of leather.

We went to the Social Hall and splurged on some yummy donuts.

The boys are showing off their gold nuggets.

Next up, pony rides.

We got to watch a blacksmith work in his shop.  Aaron was full of questions for him.

The older kids wanted to do another craft, and the little kids wanted to get some wiggles out.  So Scott took the older three to do a craft, and I took the younger 4 to play at the playground.

Sara doing scratch art.

One house we visited, had the backyard set up for the kids to experience doing some chores.  The boys tried plowing the garden, while Owen fell in love with doing laundry.

The kids got to try out some games that the pioneers would play when their chores were done.

Next we visited Brigham Young's summer house.  Scott took the older kids on a guided tour of it, while I took Kate, Owen and Nate around on the train.

When the tour was finished, they joined me on the train.  We rode the train to the church, where we watched an Indian dance performance.

Some really enjoyed the dancing....

Others hadn't taken a nap yet that day, and were so tired they couldn't stand it.  I ended up taking Kate outside for most of the performance.

We finished up around 4:00.  It was a full day of learning about the pioneers that settled Utah.  We all had fun, but I think the kids learned a lot also.  I hope they gained an appreciation for what the pioneers went through, and an even greater appreciation for modern day conveniences.

This was Kate before we even left the parking lot.

And this was Owen and Kate for most of the drive home.  We arrived home around 10 that night, exhausted but happy.