Local Activities
Day Activities
Things to See
- Wasatch Front Canyons - Immediately accessible in our own backyard are the routes through the canyons along the Wasatch Front. Beautiful scenery, rich forests and towering rocky cliffs can be seen from your window as you cruise into the mountains. Get out and hike one of many trails to see the world from high above and really experience the majesty of nature.
- Timpanogos Cave - Get a guided tour of one of the most amazing caves in the heart of the Wasatch mountains. Timpanogos Cave is about 40 miles south of Salt Lake. Getting up to the cave requires a 1.5 mile hike up hill on a paved trail which is quite a workout. It may be a bit much for some but it's definitely worth seeing! The tour lasts about an hour.
- Kennecott Copper Mine - This is a surface excavation mine, the largest manmade excavation on Earth. You drive up to the rim of the pit and look over the edge of one huge hole in the ground! A really amazing site! You will also learn a lot of interesting stuff about one of the richest mines in the world.
- This is the Place Heritage Park - See what pioneer life was like! There are more than 40 original and replica homes and businesses where you will find villagers who demonstrate crafts, trades and home-making skills typical of 19th Century Utah.
- Gilgal Sculpture Garden
- The Mormon Temple
- Saltair by the Great Salt Lake
- Bonneville Salt Flats
- Snowbird - Not just for skiing. It's a totally different place in the summer. The views from the top are cool and there is a zipline to ride.
- Antelope Island - About an hour north and west of Salt Lake City, $9 will allow you to drive across the causeway, walk through oolitic sand, float in the Great Salt Lake, and see American bison.
Museums
- Natural History Museum of Utah
- North American Museum of Ancient Life
- Hill Aerospace Museum
- Living Planet Aquarium
- Utah Museum of Fine Arts
- The Leonardo
Sports and Recreation
Ski Resorts
See: SkiUtah.com
- Solitude (Big Cottonwood Canyon)
- Brighton (Big Cottonwood Canyon)
- Alta (Little Cottonwood Canyon)
- Snowbird (Little Cottonwood Canyon)
- Park City Mountain (Park City)
- Deer Valley (Park City)
Be sure to check University of Utah's Outdoor Recreation for rentals and discounted tickets.
Other Activities
- Go Cart Racing
- Hang Gliding & Paragliding
- Indoor Sky Diving (Ogden)
- Hot Air Ballooning
- Hiking
- Golf
- Disc Golf - The University of Utah has it's own disc golf course.
- Rock Climbing
- Cycling
- Fishing - There are a great many fresh water lakes and reservoirs stocked with fish in the high Uintahs and other areas not far from Salt Lake. A convenient place to boat and fish just 20min from Salt Lake is Jordanelle Reservoir. If you don't have a boat, pole or license, just stop by the Jordanelle Marina and get anything you need. I've often had great luck just fishing from shore. There are many other great fishing spots within an hours drive.
- Scuba Diving also Neptune Divers
Spectator Sports
- Utah Jazz - National Basketball Association
- Real Salt Lake - Major League Soccer
- Salt Lake Bees - Triple-A Pacific Coast League farm club for the Los Angeles Angels
- Utah Grizzlies - East Coast Hockey League
Kid Friendly Activities
- Lagoon - Our local amusement park about 17 miles North of Salt Lake.
- Park City Mountain Resort - In the summer they have the Alpine Slide, the Zip Rider, the Alpine Coaster, biking trails, horseback riding and more. In the Winter they have skiing.
- Heber Valley Railroad
- Hogle Zoo
- Discovery Gateway
- Clark Planetarium
- Wheeler Farm
- Utah Rocket Club - If you're into model rockety, this group regularly holds rocket launches out at the Salt Flats. Some of the rockets are quite large and powerful!
Arts & Entertainment
- Utah Symphony
- Ballet West
- Salt Lake Acting Company (SLAC)
- Hale Center Theater (3333 So. Decker Lake Dr. (22nd-ish West)) - This is an unusual playhouse theater with some amazing productions. It's an intimate round venue where the action happens in the middle of the room. No matter where you sit, you're right there with the actors. Often the action extends up the isles between the seats. It's an amazing experience!
- Salt Lake Film Society (Broadway Center Cinemas - 111 East 300 South) and (Tower Theater - 876 East 900 South) These local theaters specialize in independent file, foreign movies, and cult classics. They show the films mainstream theaters will not show.
- Brewvies Cinema Pub (677 S 200 W) - They may not have the newest line of blockbusters, but they're really one of the coolest places to see a movie. Imagine paying $3-$6 for the movie, ordering some of the best food in town and a pitcher of beer, and sitting down in a comfy seat with plenty of leg room and a shelf for your food to see the show. You're in heaven!
Local Shopping
- Farmer's Markets - June-Oct Pioneer Park (300 South & 300 West) also Murray Park (5106 South & 200 East) - This is definitely the place to get the best locally grown fruits and vegetables. Also, you'll get to meet some of our local business owners and sample their products.
Weekend Trips
- National Parks
- Lake Powell
- Arches
- Bryce Canyon
- Canyonlands
- Capitol Reef
- Zion
- Dinosaur Land
- Moab - Home base for Arches and Canyonlands National Parks, the city is a good place to hang out when you need a break from baking in the sun.
- Wendover, NV (Gambling!) - One of the popular things to do in Utah is escape over the border to Nevada for some gambling and carrying on. With just a two hour drive, this is easily a day trip. There are regular bus tours from Salt Lake for $15 that will actually give you more than that back in cash and coupons. While you're there, visit the Historic Wendover Airfield and Museum.