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Last weekend, Brett and I went on a Salt Lake City Staycation! It was our first time leaving the kids overnight since I had my son… almost 4 years ago.
I’ve been pregnant, nursing, or pregnant AND nursing since January of 2015 without a break. Needless to say, this was a much needed getaway! Enjoy this review of the highlights with iPhone pics 😉
PS: NONE of this trip was sponsored or given to me in exchange for this post. I planned this vacation months ago and booked everything with my own money. The opinions and thoughts are all my own. 🙂
You’ll see a lot of bloggers that get product/food/money in exchange for writing or posting about things (and never disclosing), but if I ever get paid for something, I always disclose it! It’s the law, after all…
If you’re scratching your head about that disclaimer or you’re interested in the business/money of blogging, you can read THIS post.
We had such a great time on our Salt Lake City Staycation that I wanted to share some details with GREAT deals on the activities we did, plus a genius way to get CASH back for fun stuff!
Salt Lake City Staycation Date Restaurants
We LOVE eating out so it was fun to try a couple of new places this trip. We went to:
- Texas de Brazil and Cheesecake Factory at City Creek Center
- Les Madeleines in Salt Lake City
- Lucky H Bar and Grille at Little America Hotel
- Chip Cookies
- Current Fish and Oyster
Kouign Amann at Les Madeleines
We took a scooter ride from our hotel to the restaurant on Saturday morning to grab a coveted kouign amann at Les Madeleines.
This was definitely one of the highlights for me! We got a kouign amann (pronounced “queen-amman”) and kouign amann bread pudding.
Kouign Amann Bread Pudding from Les Madeleines in Salt Lake City Utah 
The BEST Kouign Amann from Les Madeleines Bakery in Salt Lake City Utah
A kouign amann is a sweet croissant-like pastry layered with butter, fleur de sel, and sugar, making it crunchy and flaky.
It was jam packed with vanilla bean and SO decadent. Make sure you get it warm!
Current Fish and Oyster in Salt Lake City Review
My favorite meal was our first time dining at Current Fish and Oyster in Salt Lake City.
The vibe was beautiful and modern. I loved the pretty fire pit they had in the front. Our server Bobbi was fantastic! Our glasses were constantly full, and the food was superb.
Calamari Appetizer
We started with the grilled calamari which comes with a lemon aioli, jalapenos, fingerling potatoes, and scallions. I wish it had something crispy or crunchy with it like fried leeks. But it was still SO GOOD.
The squid was incredibly tender and grilled perfectly. The perfect bite had some of the lemon aioli and a piece of jalapeno with a squeeze of fresh lemon.
Main Dishes
Brett got the Snake River Farms Zabuton with an added lobster tail. The menu describes it as:
“American Wagyu, colcannon potatoes, tempura hen of the woods mushroom, Idaho’s Brush Creek bleu, demi-glace.”
I got the Shrimp and Grits (“Spanish chorizo, prawns, piperade cherry tomatoes, cheddar grits.”)
Both dishes were fantastic and I would totally order it again. Brett’s potatoes had onion and kale running throughout the incredibly smooth potatoes, and the steak and lobster were cooked perfectly.
I’m definitely going to recreate this dish by adding kale to my Perfect Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes!
My shrimp and grits were amazing. The grits were tender and cheesy. The generous portion of shrimp were grilled and plated beautifully.
I wished there was a crunch element to this dish as well, but it was still incredible.
The meal was $101, excluding tip.
Salt Lake Staycation Activities
I got an awesome deal on a trio of activities for us to do on our staycation (read till the end to see how you can get it for even LESS than what I paid!)
We drove 40 minutes north to Ogden, Utah and enjoyed indoor skydiving, rock climbing, and indoor surfing! All of the activities are in the same building and take about an hour each (you have to call and reserve a time).
I’d suggest doing the activities in the order below, so then you’re not rushing/late to the next activity or going through a giant wind tunnel wearing a helmet with wet hair.
iFly Utah Indoor Skydiving
We had an awesome time at iFly Utah! It is a massive wind tunnel where you get to experience indoor skydiving. We got there and listened to a super short training (less than 5 minutes), then got suited up and waited for our turn.
Our group entered the tunnel, and the instructor helped us fly! We each got to go in for one minute, two times.
The instructor takes you all the way up and around in circles a couple of times the second time. SO COOL. It’s actually trickier than it looks.
One flight for two people is $120.
Rock Climbing at iRock
After our flight, we got changed and went to the iRock rock wall. They have a bunch of different walls with varying difficulty levels. Brett and I each went up one time (my arms were so tired!!), but you can climb for an entire hour.
It’s quite the workout and we really enjoyed it! We were each other’s belay partners, but there was one spot on the wall with an automatic belay. They also have a smaller “rock” for kids to climb.
One hour for two people is $20.
Ogden Flowrider
The highlight of the night was definitely the Flowrider. Flowrider is an indoor surfing wave powered by tens of thousands of gallons of water. You can use surf boards (about the size of skateboard) or boogie boards.
The instructor was so talented and nice, always helping people get balanced and teaching simple to advanced tricks as the hour went on.
Even if you don’t want to surf, you can stay on your knees on a boogie board and it’s just as fun for beginners!
Brett was (unsurprisingly) incredibly good at it and it was way fun to watch and do. The wipeouts are pretty hilarious too!
Just make sure you wear a one-piece swimsuit (I got this super cute one on Amazon for less than $30!) or rash guard for the ladies and some tight athletic shorts under swimsuits for the guys.
At the very least, just don’t wear a bikini, or a flowy swimsuit with a plunging neckline. You’ll thank me later when you get flashed as someone wipes out in the incredibly powerful wave.
I am NOT kidding. It happened twice while we were there! I went with my sister one time and her top came completely off as she got caught swirling in the wave after falling down (it doesn’t stop).
One hour for two people is $40.
How to save over $100 on this or similar date!
I purchased a Groupon through Ebates, which made our staycation date less than $80! That’s about $13 per person, per activity.
And if you use THIS LINK to sign up for Ebates, you can get an additional $10 CASH BACK (on ANYTHING purchased through Ebates), making it even cheaper than I got it for!
Read on if you don’t know about the magic of Ebates.
Use Ebates to Save Money on Groupons
Groupon is a website that has all sorts of amazing deals for places to eat, things to do, and places to stay all over the world. Ebates is a way to earn CASH back on online purchases.
I’ve purchased Groupons for Brett to fly an airplane, skydiving, escape rooms, classes, massages, and restaurants. So many cool deals.
Ebates lets you book events, buy tickets, book hotels, make Amazon/Target/Walmart/Old Navy purchases etc. just like you normally would, but then they send you a cash rebate for a certain percentage of your purchase (at no extra cost to you!)
Marry the two, and you’re stacking savings on savings! It’s SO nice, especially during the holidays.
The percentages vary by store and day, but I never buy anything online without checking Ebates first.
Extra $10 Cash Back
If you’ve never used Ebates before, you can use my link to get an extra $10 CASH BACK mailed to you in a check or deposited into your Paypal account. That’s on top of the cash back you’ll get from whatever you purchased!
They have like tens of thousands of stores/companies you can shop through. I actually just booked a rental car through Ebates tonight for our Hawaii trip tonight.
Ebates was doing up to 7% cash back on a Priceline reseravation, and Priceline was doing up to 40% off on their website. That made our rental car in Hawaii about $200. (We were going to get one that cost $365 before checking Ebates first). SCORE!
Deal on Little America Hotel
We stayed at the beautiful Little America Hotel in downtown, Salt Lake City. We’ve been to a lot of events there, but never stayed there. It was so pretty! I booked a Luxury King Tower room with a great view.
The bathroom had two separate rooms with sinks in both rooms, and there was a separate living room with a couch, chairs, and desk. I didn’t take any pictures of the room or view, sorry! We were pleasantly surprised at how nice it was.
You can earn cash back booking the Little America Hotel through Ebates too!
How to Save Money on a Purple Bed
The only thing we missed was our own bed! Once you sleep on a Purple 4 bed, you just can’t go back! And I just checked, you can get 2% cash back (and a free Purple Pillow) on a Purple purchase through Ebates.
I got cash back on a mattress protector I purchased last month. See, I don’t shop online without checking Ebates first.
Salt Lake City Staycation Guide
Salt Lake City and surrounding areas are just amazing. I could write an entire blog dedicated to all the beautiful places to see and delicious places to eat! I hope you enjoyed this little Salt Lake City staycation guide.