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February 9, 2010

2009 Best of the Beehive

(page 3 of 6)

Kids & Pets

It’s hard to say which is harder to entertain, our kids or our pets. Here are our picks for places to keep all your little 
critters busy and happy.

Best guide for four-legged hikes
› Dog Friendly Parks & Trails in the Wasatch

Available at DogMode, the posh pup’s day care and boarding founded by the late Jon Campbell, certainly one of dog’s best friends, who also wrote the book. 4030 S. 210 West, SLC, 801-261-2665, dogmode.com

Best dog food
› Log Haven’s summer patio for pups

Log Haven, one of Utah’s best restaurants and a member of Salt Lake magazine’s Dining Hall of Fame, invites you and your four-footed friend to relax with a drink and bite on their grassy amphitheater during their summer Dog Days. Dogs are served fresh water and a doggie treat. Humans choose from special cocktails like the Poodle-tini, Irish Setter Coffee and Salty Chihuahua. Call 801-272-8255 for more info and reservations. 6451 E. Millcreek Canyon Rd., SLC, 801-272-8255

Best coffeehouse for your dog
› Café Expresso

We still remember when getting a good cup of joe anywhere in SLC besides Salt Lake Roasting Company was a chore. Now we literally can’t count the drive-thru joints available to serve our early-morning addiction. What makes Café Expresso stand out? They give us biscuits for our dogs if we drive through with Rover riding shotgun. 902 S. 1100 East, SLC, 801-322-2077; 602 E. 2100 South, SLC, 801-466-6616; 3815 Highland Drive, SLC, 801-424-0272

Best kids’ treat
› Bob’s Brain Freeze

Combine a small scoop of ice cream, shaved ice, and syrup of your choice, top it off with a swirl of cream, and you have yourself a brain freeze. Kid-triguing flavors range from Hawaiian coconut and pineapple to the Spiderman: raspberry and blueberry. That should keep ’em quiet for awhile. 3119 E. 3300 South, SLC, no phone, but you can find Bob on facebook.

Best amusing excursion, non-Lagoon-division
› Cherry Hill

Not a lot of places combine the convenience of an RV park with enough activities to keep the kids busy for days on end, but Kaysville’s Cherry Hill Camping Resort does it. After setting up camp, the whole family can play a round of miniature golf, swing in the batting cages, scale the climbing wall or splash through the waterpark. All for just $24 a day. 1325 S. Main, Kaysville, 801-451-5379, cherry-hill.com

Best place to find a pet no one else has
› Sugar Glider Shop

If a simple dog or cat or goldfish just won’t do, invest the rest of your life in a sugar glider, which—in case you’ve never seen one—is an adorable marsupial that looks like the love child of a ferret and a flying squirrel. You’ll find all the accoutrements for your sleek new pet at the Sugar Glider Shop in Sandy. 9480 S. Union Square, Sandy, 801-915-5124

Best dog’s night out
› Grizzlies Pooch on the Pond

It’s become an annual tradition: Every year, for one night, Utah Grizzlies fans are invited to bring their dogs to the game, where they can sit in a special pooch section—one dog per paid ticket. Whether the dogs think this is a fun idea is anyone’s guess. Find more information at utahgrizzlies.com/ticket/pooch

Best kid portraits
› Simplicity Photography

True portraits show the inner character as much as the outer beauty. These are photographs of children that seem to look at the world through children’s eyes—the world is exciting, new, full of bright color and personality. simplicityphotography.com, 801-787-4432

Best pet photography
› Josh Blumental

Blumental does for your mutt what Richard Avedon did for Audrey Hepburn—turn a beautiful and beloved personality into an everlasting icon. William Wegman, eat your heart out. Check out the pet sittings in his online client gallery at joshblumental.com and schedule a photo session for your faithful companion (by appointment only). 2267 S. State St., SLC, 801-485-1686

Best kids’ pool
› Dimple Dell

The Salt Lake valley has lots of recreation centers for people looking to play tennis, take tae-bo or shoot hoops. But the Dimple Dell Fitness and Recreation Center also has a pool full of fun toys and slides that will turn your little ones into waterdogs in no time. 10670 S. 1000 East, Sandy, 801-495-1480, recreation.slco.org/dimpledell

Best pet bed
› Hotel Monaco

This is the poshest place your pet will ever stay—a dog bed, food bowl, litter box, all provided, for free. All of the Hotel Monaco’s pet clientele receive a personal welcome letter from the director of pet relations, Bella, a friendly looking hound. Visiting dogs receive a goody bag from iPaw containing a bag of scrumptious doggie treats, a map of area dog parks and walking areas, and a “pooper scooper” bag. The hotel offers pet walking services, day care, grooming and spa services. Fido may not want to leave. 15 W. 200 South, SLC, 801-595-0000, Monaco-saltlakecity.com

Best place to adopt a Chihuahua
› Utah Animal Advocacy Foundation

OK, you can adopt all kinds of dogs here, but when we were looking, more than half the available pooches were Chihuahuas. (Does this say something about Paris Hilton?) The UAAF is an all-volunteer, nonprofit organization that rescues, rehabs and places all kinds of dogs—old, lame, injured, misbehaving or unhealthy. They come to you spayed or neutered, micro-chipped, vaccinated and tested for FIV, etc. P.O. Box 651097, SLC, 801-467-8610, uaaf.org

Best dog-walkers if your friends refuse
› Mountain Mutts

Isn’t it horrible to leave for a vacation knowing your dog has to sit in some boring kennel, missing out on his usual play and exercise? Nicole Sandor’s Mountain Mutts offers hikes, walks and dog-sitting services for the busy pup owner, at great rates that include group discounts for multi-dog homes. 3111 Plateau Drive, SLC, 801-910-1191, mountain-mutts.com

Best spot where dogs rule
› Tanner Park

For many dog owners, it’s hard to imagine life in the Salt Lake valley without Tanner Park, the dog-friendly, water-infused wonderland at the mouth of Parley’s Canyon. There are swimming holes, meandering trails and shady spots to make it an ideal midday visit for dogs and owners. Remember to be kind to the neighbors and adhere to the parking rules, please. 2700 E. Heritage Way (2760 South), SLC, parks.slco.org

Best place to get away from the parents
› Camp Tuttle

Our visions of summer camp stem from Meatballs, Bill Murray’s underappreciated 1979 morality tale. Somehow we think the kids visiting Utah’s bucolic Camp Tuttle at Lake Mary don’t tie their counselors to their beds or partake in panty raids. They’re too busy learning leadership skills that will serve them from toddler to teen. 801-322-4131, camptuttle.org

Best nod to man’s second-best friend
› The Dog’s Meow

Dogs are people, too; that’s why humans treat them like children. But you never hear demands for special cat parks, or cat hiking trails, because cats are not people, too, and would be highly insulted if you even suggested such a thing. So thanks to The Dog’s Meow for giving equal shelf time to foods, toys, accessories, treats and frozen raw foods for both canines and felines. 2047 E. 3300 South, SLC, 801-468-0700; 12215 S. 900 East, Draper, 801-501-0818

Best all-kids bookstore
› The Children’s Hour
898 S. 900 East, SLC, 801-359-4150, childrenshourbookstore.com

Best reading room for children
› The King’s English Bookshop, 1511 S. 1500 East, SLC, 801-484-9100, 
kingsenglish.booksense.com

Best new and used books
› Sam Weller’s Zion Bookstore, 254 S. Main St., SLC, (for now, sadly)
801-328-2586, samwellers.com

Best free books
› Salt Lake City Main Library, 210 E. 400 South, SLC, 801-524-8200, slcpl.lib.ut.us

My vote for best place to shop with kids: I’m absolutely a teddy bear fanatic, so when my niece came in from London we went to Build-A-Bear and made a penguin and a monkey. But it’s a fun place for little kids and teenagers. The cutest one I haven’t done yet is a husky dog, and I think that will be my next project.
— Marti Skold, ABC4 meteorologist and co-host of Good Things Utah
The Gateway, 801-456-0273, buildabear.com

Best Place to Walk Your Dog
› Tanner Park. 2760 S. 2700 East, SLC, 801-972-7800. A patch of wilderness close to town, frequented by people who love dogs.

Best Children’s Store
› Babinski’s 1324 S. Foothill Drive, SLC, 801-583-2229. Clothes, furniture, toys, books—all the finer things you hope your child develops a taste for, under one roof.

Best Playground
› Copperton Park 8731 W. 10305 South, Copperton. Great play equipment, pretty scenery and a friendly, small-town feel.

Best (non-fast food) Place to Eat with Kids
› Old Spaghetti Factory 189 Trolley Square, SLC, 801-521-0424. Tons to look at—check out the old trolley car, kid-friendly cuisine and a cheerful noise level that will mask any you and yours make.

Best Dog Day Care
› Dog Mode 4030 S. 210 West, SLC, 801-261-2665, dogmode.com. Unique services like a doggie shuttle bus, do-it-yourself dog-washing sinks, and a Web cam so you can keep an eye on your dog, wherever you are.

My vote for best place to eat with kids: Acme Burger Co.
My kids love the mini-burgers at Acme and all the (grass fed) burgers and (fresh cut) fries cater to grown-up tastes. Plus, thanks to a full liquor license, mom and dad can relax a little bit, too.
— Jason Mathis, Downtown Alliance
Acme Burger Company, 275 S. 200 West, SLC, 801-257-5700, acmeburgercompany.com

 

 

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