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Issue date: 6/22/05 Section: Community

Media Credit: John Fitzgerald The entrance to the place many Utahns have deemed Hobbitville is barricaded to prevent trespassers.

Let's face it; sometimes Salt Lake City is not the most happening town on the planet. A lot of the time Utahn's find themselves sitting at a friend's house trying to figure out what to do in this town until they realize it's too late and they should just go home. There has to be something interesting to do and there is. Everybody hears stories about all of the cool places that are supposed to be around this great city. There are talks of Hobbitville, Gravity Hill and other amazing, yet odd wonders.

Let's start with Hobbitville, a decade ago it was called "Hippieville." Everyone thinks it is a portion of the town where Hobbits can live in peace. Actually it is a portion of town owned by a lady named Ruth Price, and the people who live there just want to be left alone because they think that Big Brother is threatening there lives. Anyone choosing to venture to this little haven of Hobbits, should prepare to be disappointed. There will be no Frodo but experiencing it is just something you have to do.

"I'd be short enough to live there, I could be with people more like me," joked Cassandra Pethtel. "Too bad it's not real...or isn't it?"

Gravity Hill. Things go up when they should be going down. The point is that it is a place where the layout of the surrounding land produces the optical illusion that a very slight downhill slope is in fact an uphill slope. Thus, a car left out of gear will appear to be rolling uphill. I remember I tried it once, but a car came speeding up behind me and honked. The Gravity Hill in Utah is just West of the Capital.

"Well, the first time I went down it, I didn't do it right. But now I think it's so freaky," Mallory Hill said. "My boyfriend thinks its lame but I get a kick out of it every time. It's definitely fun to do if you're downtown and bored."

And if you're really bored, go check out Highway 191, or as it used to be, the sixth branch of Route 66, which therefore became Route 666. There are stories down there of trucks appearing to be on fire driving down the road at top speed. There are talks of Hellhounds that will tear your tires to shreds if you even think about stopping on the road. Some have even had "unwanted" visitors appearing in back seats, a Native American called a skin walker.

"Well, that's kind of creepy," Chaz Prymek. "I don't think I am ever going to drive at night again."

An activity that might be less exciting than hobbits and optical illusions is visiting Saltair. A flamingo named Pink Floyd escaped from the Tracy Aviary and now lives by Saltair. People like to go and see if they can sport Pink Floyd amongst the brine shrimp.

There is a vast array of fun things to do on a Friday night in Utah.

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