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I'm planning to visit my dad in Salt Lake City at the end of March. I've never been there and he's only lived there for a couple of years, so I'd love to hear any suggestions for interesting things to do or see. The main caveat is that my daughter will be almost 16 months at that point, so kid-friendly is good. On the other hand, she's pretty easy going, so kid-centered is not necessary.
I also wouldn't mind meeting some Jatraqueros while I'm there, although of course my main focus will be spending time with my family. Perhaps we could arrange a group outing or something.
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This time of year, you might want to visit the ski resorts. Whether you ski (definitely assured good-times) or not (ride the gondolas/chairs and take in the breathtaking scenery - highly recommended), or just a Sunday drive through the canyons - an outdoorsy trip is a sure bet.
Hit up Skillery. He could prolly give you good suggestions.
Posts: 351 | Registered: Jan 2006
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My family went to Park City to check out the Olympic (I forgot the word...not enough sleep or something) the down-a-steep-hill and off-a-big-hill jump event. It was really cool. Of course it was late summer and they were training by jumping into the pool but it was still neat. There was a tour of the skeleton and luge runs (I think this had a fee) that was interesting too.
There's all the LDS stuff on Temple Square. There's the Bingham Copper Mine. There's quite a bit of family oriented stuff at the point of the Mountain (Thanksgiving point, a dinsosaur museum etc...)
Have fun, I hope the weather is beautiful for you to enjoy some outside stuff, that's what I love most about Utah.
Posts: 697 | Registered: Nov 2005
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I loved SLC when I visited there, but I had a whole family from the area that served as my personal toured guides and made it grand. I hope you can find someone there very familiar with the area to drive you around and share the city with you.
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(Caveat emptor, I'm not from SLC but visited there somewhat frequently). I remember liking the Hansen Planetarium, Lamb's restaurant (on 2nd South, I think), temple square (especially if the Christmas lights are still up), the Joseph Smith Memorial building (especially the observation decks on the top floor by the restaurants), the Children's (science?) museum (up around 6th North, maybe). The Jazz are in season if you like basketball. Drive up Little Cottonwood canyon; that's very pretty. Watch the sunset from the avenues (or any point high enough up on the Eastern slopes).
Posts: 2926 | Registered: Sep 2005
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If you've never been and you want to see something in Salt Lake you can't see anywhere else, try Temple Square.
Posts: 26077 | Registered: Mar 2000
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Can you still go all the way up to the roof of the Church Offices building and look across the whole valley? I did that about ... 15 years ago, it was cool. Looking DOWN on the temple was interesting - from the ground the temple looks massive, but from the top of the Office building it seems small.
Posts: 1522 | Registered: Nov 2005
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quote:I loved SLC when I visited there, but I had a whole family from the area that served as my personal toured guides and made it grand. I hope you can find someone there very familiar with the area to drive you around and share the city with you.
I could benefit from something like that myself.
Posts: 16551 | Registered: Feb 2003
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Well, I was impressed with how fascinating the Temple Square area was even for a non-Mormon like myself. It is just beautiful architecture and very interesting and well worth seeing, as well as helping to understand all of Utah history...
Temple Square is the funnest with all the Christmas lights, but it's always a nice visit, IMO.
You can go to the top of the Joseph Smith Memorial Building (next to Temple Square) for a pretty nice view.
Posts: 5957 | Registered: Oct 2001
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If you're up for a nice (i.e. rather expensive) and delicious Brazilian meal, you should go to Rodizio's. The food is authentic, the atmosphere is nice and the food is authentic. Did I mention that? Posts: 6415 | Registered: Jul 2000
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End of March? thats kind of close to the Mormon "General Conference." This year that is April 1 and 2, I think. Think of a regular guy's United Nations meeting! That may tax the infrastructure of the ceneral city a bit. Hope you are not looking for lodging that weekend. Most of the tourist stuff is spruced up. But, there is an old (and accurate) weather prediction. "When the Mormons meet, the Heavens Weep." Look for rain!
Posts: 1167 | Registered: Oct 2005
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Hansen Planetarium is now the Clarke Planetarium, BTW. I believe the guy who plays Q is going to be visiting there sometime soon promoting a documentary on black holes. Its a fun experience for kids, too.
I don't know if its still open, but I loved the Childrens Muesum as a kid. Lots of cool stuff in there.
I second the Rodizio. I really honestly truly do. It's about 14-15 dollars a person for the all you can eat thing, but the food is amazingly good and the atmosphere is unique.
In the bottom floor of the Cross Roads mall (across the street going south from Temple Square) there is a Gelato Ice Cream place. Good stuff, if they still are there.
If you are going to see a movie, go to Megaplex 12. Hands down the best movie theater I've been to, and probably the best one in the SLC area. There is a dollar theater in Sugar House if dollar movies are something of an interest.
If there is going to be a sunset (or, if the weather isn't rainy) I recommend going driving up the mountain (my personal favorite place is up on a road call Eagle Wood that you find in NSL, but up by the state capitol works fine).
Good Places to Eat:
Thai Food: Thaifoon located at the Gateway Mall. Highly recommended. Brazillian: Rodizio located at Trolley Square, also The Samba Grill isn't half bad, located at Gateway Mall Pizza: The Pie. I love the pie. It's a very crowded atmosphere, but it's good pizza. Burgers: The Training Table or Crown Burger Fondue: The Melting Pot Indian: Cedars De Lebanon. I've gone to this place with other hatrackers, as well as trying some other Indian places around town. This is a great place, complete with belly dancing! Chinese: There is a place on 200 South I believe on 300 west that is really good. I totally forgot the name of the place, and I'm really not sure if the address is correct. I've eaten there a couple of times
I recommend checking out the SLC library. I know it sounds lame, but it's pretty cool achitecture.
Posts: 530 | Registered: Jan 2003
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Thank you for the suggestions, everyone! When it gets closer I'll email this thread to my dad so that we can plan.
I like hiking. Any specific recommendations? I can't do anything too strenuous because I will be lugging a toddler with me, but otherwise I'm in decent shape.
Luckily I won't need a motel, as I'll be staying with my dad. My tentative date is March 20 for maybe five days.
Any weather at all would be good. It's been months since I've seen any rain, and years since I've seen snow. It's been an unusually warm winter this year in Tucson, so I'm looking forward to going someplace cool.
Oh, my dad lives in Sandy, so if there's anything interesting to do around there as well I'd love to hear it.
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Sandy itself is kind of the etcetera of Salt Lake Valley. But, it is where the road to Snowbird starts. Mid-march the road should be passable, and the Mountain should be wintery and beautiful.
Posts: 1167 | Registered: Oct 2005
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I recommend the Utah Museum of Fine Arts (UMFA) on the University of Utah campus. http://www.umfa.utah.edu/
It's not the Met, but they do have a nice permanant collection and often have interesting visiting exhibits.
In late march, I'd recommend hiking along the Bonneville Shoreline trail. This trail runs through the foothills skirting the city. Trails that are at higher elevation will probably still be under alot of snow in March, but the shoreline trail will bare and dry. There are excellent views of the city and the lake from the trail. If you are lucky, the dog tooth violets should be coming out by then.
Posts: 12591 | Registered: Jan 2000
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I've never been to SLC, but I've heard that the indigenous cuisine is not to be missed. Besides the green jello, there is also red, yellow, orange -- a veritable rainbow of jello-y goodness. And there is an exotic beverage called Postum, or so I hear.
I finally made it to the airplane museum at Hill Air Force Base near Ogden a couple of years ago. My brother in-law knows a fellow who volunteers as a guide on the weekends, and we got the VIP tour. We got to go inside several planes that are usually off-limits. If you're into aviation history you'll be thrilled by the awesome collection that includes an SR-71.
March is a good time of year to see the planes, as several are outdoors and could get quite hot inside during the summer months.
Posts: 2655 | Registered: Feb 2004
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