Travel: Salt Lake City Has It All

I’ll be honest: I’ve never been all that interested in the American West. But Utah’s capital, beautiful Salt Lake City, helped me see this part of the world with new eyes.

From the first hours spent exploring Salt Lake (as its natives often call it), I was impressed by how much there is to do and see here -- from interesting cultural attractions to spectacular nature.

Salt Lake is not a huge city (200,000 people; 1.2 million if you include the wider metropolitan area), but it’s big on fun. Situated at the western edge of the Rockies, it is nestled between two dramatic mountain ranges, the Wasatch Range to the east and north, and the Oquirrh (pronounced “oaker”) Mountains to the west. This means that, from anywhere in the city, you can see magnificent, snow-covered mountains – a view I never tired of.

My visit to Salt Lake began with surprisingly mild late February weather – nearly 60 degrees. I’d decided to come a day earlier than my traveling companions, happy to have found a non-stop flight from Philadelphia. After an easy, 15-minute Uber ride from the airport, I was at our elegant hotel, the 700-room Hyatt Regency Salt Lake City, which opened in 2022.

Located in the heart of Salt Lake’s downtown – and only a few minutes away from the historic Temple Square, the heart of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS) -- the Hyatt had everything we needed. There were several gourmet restaurants, a cocktail lounge, a grab-and-go market and, in our rooms, floor-to-ceiling windows to capture breathtaking views of mountains, and more mountains.

Salt Lake City is a popular gateway for travelers heading to Utah’s ski resorts – there are 10 ski resorts less than an hour from the downtown. But Salt Lake has much to offer on its own terms, from museums to great restaurants to top-notch shopping. The look of the city is a fantastic mix of old and new, with plenty of green spaces and a free trolley system.

Salt Lake – which will host the 2034 Winter Olympics -- was settled by Brigham Young and pioneers from the Latter-day Saints in 1847. (The church prefers LDS over “Mormon”). In the years that followed, Salt Lake City’s streets and buildings were built to follow a grid system, with Temple Square at the center. Headquartered in Salt Lake City, there are many fascinating LDS Church sights in the downtown, including the Tabernacle and the massive Temple which, in 2027, will be opened to the general public for the first time ever, following a years-long construction project. It’s expected that some five million people will visit during those six months.

Here are some ideas for first-time visitors to Salt Lake City.

Enjoy Great Food:
Meal choices are boundless in Salt Lake – and don’t be surprised to see elk on the menu, and something called funeral potatoes, which are a luscious baked mix of diced potatoes, cheese, and sour cream – with a topping of crushed corn flakes.
We had an excellent dinner at our hotel’s popular Salt Republic restaurant (the roasted chicken was a standout), as well as enjoyed a charcuterie board and wine-tasting at its spacious cocktail bar, Contribution. We also enjoyed a relaxing, tasty lunch at Solitude ski resort’s Honeycomb Grill (best red pepper bisque ever!).

Dinner on our last night was a highlight of our three-night adventure: a meal at the acclaimed northern Spanish restaurant Mar/Muntanya, located on a top floor of the Hyatt Regency. In addition to creative tapas dishes, there were even Spanish-style coquettes based on the afore-mentioned funeral potatoes! On our last morning, we visited the popular Eva’s Bakery, which was like a visit to Paris, with a total bistro vibe and luscious pastries. A touch of Europe in this very American city!

Enjoy the Great Outdoors:
Billed as having “The Greatest Snow on Earth,” there are several ski resorts near Salt Lake and nearby Park City. We visited Brighton, Utah’s Solitude Mountain, where our group enjoyed an hour of snowshoeing – walking on snow-covered ground with specialized footwear that’s cross between mini skis and boots. Solitude was a busy place even on a weekday, but it never felt crowded. In the warm weather months, there’s plenty of do there, too, including biking, downhill mountain biking, and an adventure park.

Get Cultured:
There are plenty of museums in downtown Salt Lake, including the popular Utah Museum of Contemporary Art (UMOCA), The Leonardo – with a focus on science and discovery – and the popular Clark Planetarium, which also features an IMAX theatre. (I never imaged I would learn so much about the “Tyrant King” of dinosaurs, T. Rex.) Meanwhile, the beautiful 2,500-seat Eccles Theater hosts everything from pop concerts to Broadway road shows.

Shop Til You Drop:
While there are many privately owned boutiques and shops in Salt Lake City, City Creek Center is the big attraction, with more than 100 stores in a 23-acre complex. We had fun checking the Salt Lake-headquartered Cotopaxi store, with its multi-colored outdoor clothing, luggage and gear.

We were thrilled by what we experienced during our time in Salt Lake City — it is a place that seemingly “has it all”!

For more information about Salt Lake City, go to www.visitsaltlake.com

Nicole Pensiero is a South Jersey-based writer and a member of the North American Travel Journalists Association (NATJA).