Discover Cache Valley: 117 Amazing Things To Do in Logan and Cache Valley

written by Emily Buckley, editor in chief

“There’s nothing to do in Cache Valley.” Locals hear it, and maybe even say it, all the time.

Julie Hollist Terrill, director of the Cache Valley Visitor’s Bureau, hears it too, and she says “nothing makes me want to bang my head on a rock more than when I hear local people say there is nothing to do in Logan. People come here from all over the world, on purpose, to do things that you may not even know exist.”

That was the inspiration for the book, 117 Amazing Things To Do in Logan and Cache Valley Utah, she wrote and released with her husband Jesse Terrill in December.

“As the director the of Cache Valley Visitor’s Bureau I have opportunities every day to sell experiences in our Valley to a broad range of people,” Julie said. “It can be to journalists, tour group operators who are bringing bus tours through here, a fourth grader doing a county report, or visitors from all around the world. My challenge, when I interact with those people, is to find out what it is they would like to experience and then tailor-make that opportunity for them here in Cache Valley. I have spent more than a decade doing exactly that.”

Jesse comes by his experience differently, as a relatively new Cache Valley resident and a hairstylist who spends hours every day educating his clients not only about their hair, but also about the many exciting and unique things to do in our community.

“Jesse and I have been married for four years,” Julie said. “He is from California and had only lived here for a about a year when we met. Once we started dating and got married, because of my work and because of our personalities, we wanted to explore everything. It has been fun for me to see things through his eyes, because he hasn’t seen them or experienced them before.”

The couple, who enjoys all kinds of adventures from birdwatching and rodeos to snowmobiling and musical theatre, brainstormed ideas for the book, which Julie said was the fun part.

It is full of ideas for outings ranging from community celebrations to what to order at local restaurants, and is divided in sections including outdoors, shopping, food, arts, celebrations, random adventures, and more. “One of the things that I like about this book is that we put in specific things,” Julie said. “For example, you may have been to the Bluebird Candy Company, but you might not know their best seller is the Victoria.”

She calls the book an adventure guide, and it is conveniently sized to fit in your backpack, purse, or the glove box of your car. “You could open the book, point your finger, and decide on a new adventure every day,” Julie said. “I hoped our voices would come through in this book — and I think they have. If you read it, and you know me, you hear me telling a story. Whether that is good or bad, it just is.”

“The best thing about Cache Valley is that there are so many best things about Cache Valley,” Julie said. “There are so many great things to experience. The bigger challenge is how to narrow everything down in order to sell it to people because we have so many things we could focus on if we chose to, whether that is world-class rock climbing, world-class Broadway and opera performances, or our foodie trek. There is something different for everybody to experience. The diversity makes it fun.”