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Salt Lake City Attractions
Carriage Tours
Carriage rides, which begin at Temple Square, are a popular way to see the downtown area. Reservations are suggested; check the telephone directory for vendors or inquire at your hotel for recommendations.
Walking and Driving Tours
A free brochure covering self-guiding walking and driving tours is available at the Visitor Information Center and at major area hotels and motels. The Utah Heritage Foundation also provides information about self-guiding tours of the area; phone (801) 533-0858.
Sports and Recreation
Salt Lake City is known for its variety of year-round sports and recreational opportunities. Perhaps most prominent are the major ski resorts located within 45 minutes of the Salt Lake City airport. Little Cottonwood and Big Cottonwood canyons are home to Snowbird, Alta, Brighton and Solitude ski resorts. Parleys Canyon is where snow falls on the Park City Resort. With snowfall in excess of 400 inches per year, snow is fresh and falls often. Snowmobiling and cross-country skiing also are abundant along the Wasatch Front. Nearby local mountains also offer mountain biking.
Summer activities include both indoor and outdoor sports. Favorite golf courses include Bonneville, Bountiful Ridge, Davis County, Eaglewood, Glendale, Glenmoor, West Ridge and Wingpointe. Information and reservations for most of these courses can be made by phoning the Utah Golf Association at (801) 484-3333 or (801) 563-0400.
Bicycling in the mountains or valleys is a popular activity; trails follow the Jordan River, which runs through Salt Lake County. Hiking, camping and fishing in and around the city also are favorite pastimes. Along Canyon Road in the northeast section of the city is City Creek Canyon, a favorite recreational area for hikers, joggers, picnickers and bicyclists. Reservations must be made to drive through or to picnic beyond the main gate, and a fee for picnicking is charged; phone the Watershed Management Division, (801) 483-6797. On even-numbered days the park is closed to cyclists and joggers; on odd-numbered days the park is closed to all motorized vehicles.
Three large reservoirs provide opportunities for boating and water sports. Public tennis courts are available in many parks, including Liberty and Murray. Antelope Island State Park offers sand beaches and swimming. The park, about a 30-minute drive north of Salt Lake City, is reachable via a causeway.
The 20,500-seat Delta Center at 300 West and South Temple streets is the home of the NBA's Utah Jazz; phone (801) 325-2500 for information. Baseball is represented by the Salt Lake Bees, the AAA farm team of the Anaheim Angels. Games are played at Franklin Covey Field at S. West Temple and West 1300 South; phone (801) 350-6900. Hockey fans attend the games of the Utah Grizzlies of the ECHL. Their rink, the E Center, is at 3200 S. Decker Lake Dr. in West Valley City; phone (801) 988-7825, or (801) 988-8888 for the box office. The E Center also is a playing venue for the Utah Warriors indoor soccer team.
Shopping
Downtown shopping mainstays Crossroads Plaza, bounded by S. Main, South Temple and West Temple streets, and ZCMI Center Mall, across from Temple Square on S. State Street, closed in early 2007 to make way for the creation of a new mixed-use downtown district, City Creek Center, that will combine retail, office and residential development. The malls' anchor stores, Macy's and Nordstrom, will reopen as part of the new area in 2011.
Gardner Historic Village, 1100 West 7800 South, consists of historic cabins and homes from sites throughout Utah that now house old-time stores offering furniture, accessories and collectibles. The Old Gardner Mill also is featured.
Trolley Square, on 700 East between 500 and 600 South streets, is in a 1908 trolley barn built by railroad magnate E.H. Harriman. The plants, trolley cars, stained-glass windows and antique lighting fixtures create a nostalgic atmosphere. Shops, restaurants and theaters line the mall; some of the businesses are housed in refurbished trolley cars, while the exteriors of others resemble Victorian mansions. Self-guiding walking tours are available.
Area malls include Cottonwood Mall, 4835 S. Highland Dr., with more than 140 shops and eateries. Cottonwood is said to be one of the oldest malls west of the Mississippi River; its anchor stores are JCPenney and Macy's. Fashion Place Mall, with 110 stores and restaurants at 6191 S. State St., counts Dillard's, Macy's, Nordstrom and Sears as its anchors. South Towne Center, with a carousel in the mall's center, claims the title of largest mall in the state. At 10450 S. State St., its 130 stores include Dillard's, JCPenney, Macy's and Mervyn's. Valley Fair Mall, 3601 South 2700 West, lists JCPenney and Mervyn's among its 100 shops.
Performing Arts
The Salt Palace, 90 S. West Temple, serves as Salt Lake City's cultural center. Performances of the Utah Symphony are held in Abravanel Hall, located within the Salt Palace complex. Capitol Theater, nearby at 50 West 200 South, is the home of Ballet West, which stages both classical and modern works. The theater, which has been restored to its original turn-of-the-20th-century opulence, also is the home of Utah Opera Company productions.
The Mormon Tabernacle Choir presents free weekly performances of inspirational music and thought in the acoustically unique Mormon Tabernacle in Temple Square.
Pioneer Theatre Company, Utah's resident professional theater, is located on the University of Utah campus. The company presents musicals as well as classical and contemporary plays; for ticket information phone (801) 581-6961.
Dance in Salt Lake City is represented by Repertory Dance Theatre, which stages American modern dance classics and contemporary masterpieces at 138 West 300 South, and the Ririe-Woodbury Dance Company, a modern dance touring company performs at the Rose Wagner Performing Arts Center.
Special Events
Proud of their heritage, Salt Lake City residents celebrate it throughout the year. The Days of '47 Celebration in July commemorates the arrival of the Mormon pioneers in the Salt Lake Valley. A week of community festivities, which includes a rodeo and a fireworks display, ends with floats, bands, horse brigades, clowns and dignitaries marching down Main Street in the Days of '47 Parade.
Other events include the Scottish Festival and Highland Games in June; the Utah Arts Festival in late June; the Salt Lake City International Jazz Festival in early July; the Utah State Fair and the Greek Festival, both in September; the Lighting of Temple Square after Thanksgiving; and Pioneer Christmas Days over two weekends in early December. The New Year's Eve First Night Celebration of the Arts concludes the year's festivities as residents of all ages join to usher in the new year.
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