Weekend escapes: over-the-border getaways that are just close enough to home.

• Author: Biton, Adva
• Position: Living Well

The state of Utah offers unparalleled beauty and tremendous options for Utahns looking for weekend vacations, but now and then, it's fun to just get out of town. If you're looking for a quick weekend getaway that'll take you beyond state lines, here are a few options:

Mesquite, Nevada

Mesquite is located about 40 miles southwest of St. George, just across the Nevada border. A small desert town that has 330 days of sunshine, Mesquite is a golf oasis. Desert vistas and red mesas surround the greens, making for a picturesque background for any of the seven Mesquite courses.

Where to Stay:

Mesquite has a few casino-resorts to spice up the usual hotel options. Family-owned and operated, the Eureka Casino Resort sits on 60 acres and includes a casino and spa. Rooms are separate from the casino, accommodating both those who wish to get a taste of Vegas in their golf vacation and those who don't. Eureka caters to golf clientele and will arrange tee times and transportation for golfers, as well as offering recommendations regarding the seven golf courses in Mesquite.

Where to Play:

Wolf's Creek is an 18-hole, par-72 golf course that sits on a 7,018-yard layout. The tee boxes at Wolf's Creek are elevated, allowing golfers to view the whole of the desert terrain as they play. Wolf's Creek is known for its elevation changes and unique play.

Conestoga Golf Club is an 18-hole, par-72 course that calls itself "tranquil." It undulates more gently than Wolf's Creek and boasts beautiful desert views, while still challenging the player. Conestoga's course has 51 bunkers and a lake that abuts two of its holes.

Where to Eat:

Katherine's Steakhouse, located in the Casablanca Resort, offers old-fashioned steakhouse standards such as oysters Rockefeller, escargot and bananas foster.

Lava Hot Springs, Idaho

Lava Hot Springs is a tiny town situated about 80 miles from Logan along the Portneuf River. It is known for its natural hot springs and the resorts that have recently cropped up around them.

Where to Stay:

Choose from a variety of small bed and breakfasts and inns, or try Home Hotel. A mainstay in Lava Hot Springs since 1918, Home Hotel offers rooms with oversized soaking bathtubs that fill with the town's hot spring mineral water.

Where to Play:

A trip to Lava Hot Springs necessitates a dip in the springs themselves, which range in temperature from 102 to 112 degrees. The springs are not sulfurous, so there is no odor, but the waters are laden with minerals...