You can gamble in West Wendover, Nevada. I've never stopped there but they probably have stuff the usual little Nevada border towns have (except Denio. It's so small, the town whore is a virgin) --a good buffet or two, maybe a couple of second tier acts (often cheap shows and impressive talent). In SLC, there is the Mormon stuff. They have a museum that's worth seeing.

Helper is a couple hours south. The Helper Arts Festival is the weekend of 17 August. I'll be there visiting a friend in town. The town has a good railroad/mining/misc museum in the old hotel. If you have a few free days, Yellowstone National Park is not out of your range; Zion is almost as far. On your way to Yellowstone you'll pass by Idaho Nuclear Engineering Laboratory. I don't know if they have any public exhibits because it's not something I found particularly interesting.

I've done some day hikes in the region but as a follower, not a guide, so I can't help you there. You can probably find the right bookstore or outdoor shop to sell you some USGS topo maps or a more elaborate local guide book or map. I know you have already left but you'll probably check in here sometime.

Candice,

You could try posting this same question to the UtahKind yahoo group. People typically post what, if anything, is going on around town, and there is a great group of folks if you just want to introduce yourself.

Sarah