Restaurant/attraction question (Salt Lake City, Roy, Draper: how much, neighborhood, closing)

[KCROYALS]

This is going to be the most vague tourist question ever so my apologies in advance.


I will driving through northern Utah. Salt Lake City area later this month on my journey from Houston to Seattle. We will have our four year old son with us. Are the there any "must do" sites and restaurants in the SLC area?


For restaurant's, I am looking a good burger and bbq joint. Something that is "Utah" if you know what I mean.


Also, any sites and or good places for a four year old to play. Don't need anything as big as a Six Flags. Just something local and fun.


Thank you


Matt

[dcisive]

Utah Burger: Crown Burger (especially THE Crown Burger with Pastrami located at 3270 S. State Street not far off I-15
Utah BBQ: Pats Barbecue 155 W. Commonwealth Ave. (near Downtown) The ultimate "Burnt Ends" Brisket tips

No doubt you're going to get tons of people to suggest you do the Mormon Temple downtown tour or Downtown in general. Personally I would recommend you visit either Big or Little Cottonwood Canyon's driving up to the top. On the way or at the top there are restaurants of note and views you won't forget. Not to mention on hot days nicer cooler air. Personally I'd skip downtown in general. a 2nd option on the Barbecue scene is my personal favorite, which is out at the South end of the Valley in Draper at 12600 S. and State St. called "Goodwood". Yummy stuff and a great menu.

The "Theme Park" experience is 17 North of Salt Lake City in Farmington, Utah just off I-15 with tons of extensive rides if that's your thing. Enjoy.....

[ksman]

Assuming that you have ties to Kansas City (I do) and seeing that you are coming from Texas (lived there for a while as well), I suggest not getting your expectations too high for Utah BBQ. That being said, I haven't tried them all yet so maybe one will surprise me.

Crown Burger is the local fast food burger of choice. A few other local options are:
Lucky13 & The Garage on Beck - both have great burgers but are licensed as bars, so no kids
Proper Burger - brewery and burger joint, the "bar" is in a separate building from the restaurant so your son is good to go. Good beer too.
Tony Burgers - burger and shake place, several in the area

I second the suggestion for Big Cottonwood Canyon. Drive up to the top to Brighton and stop at Silver Lake. There is an easy loop hike with a boardwalk and flat trail that is great for kids. Another option is the Museum of Natural Curiosity in Lehi.

[Katzpur]

Crown Burger for sure.

I think the theme park (Lagoon) that was suggested is a bit pricey for a 4-year-old who might not even dare to go on a lot of the rides. If you've got a child that loves that kind of thing, though, it's a great place. Most four-year-olds love dinosaurs. The Natural History Museum of Utah has a fantastic display on dinosaur bones. Also, Wheeler Farm could be fun for a kid. Discovery Gateway is a children's museum in the Gateway Mall. And there is also Hogle Zoo and Tracy Aviary. If you think he'd enjoy seeing some buffalo, take a drive out to Antelope Island, where 600 of them roam freely around the island.

[irman]

Originally Posted by KCROYALS

I will driving through northern Utah. Salt Lake City area later this month on my journey from Houston to Seattle. We will have our four year old son with us.

Also, any sites and or good places for a four year old to play.

How much *time* will you have spend in the SLC area !

Just a short stop-over, then not much to recommend.
Honestly, when you are on the go, any burger will do.
If you have some to spend, then yes, go look for a *Crown Burger*.
There are NOT a dime a dozen, actually only 6 in the whole area so find the one closest to you.
Use your smart phone to find the one nearest you.

To entertain your boy, the only place worthwhile is The museum of Natural Curiosity.
Indoors, you can spend all day, get a stamp, go to lunch nearby and then get back in for the rest of the day if you are not tired of it yet ...
They do have an outdoor play area but it gets bloody hot during summer ! The dinosaur museum is in the same area !
When you are on the way to the place, note where all the lunch places are located (a couple of blocks before you get there) go there for lunch.

So if you have only one day to do some quality break time with your boy, only go to that museum, eat in the neighborhood and get going again to your final destination.

So for dinner, for some good BBQ, find the *GoodWood* place and eat there !
A bit north of the museum !

[SWFL_Native]

This, although unsure if they will let children in.

[Geo-Aggie]

Are there any Training Tables still around? I know most of them were closing up when I left the state, but Training Table always felt very "Utah" to me. If you're into fast casual Mexican food, stop at Cafe Rio. I understand they've expanded outside of Utah at this point, but I can't even begin to express how much I miss Cafe Rio. For strictly a burger place, yeah either Crown Burger or Apollo Burger. Neither are really that "special" but for some reason they're just the burger of Utah. Habit Burger is good if you don't mind spending a bit more for something of higher quality.

As for must see recreation sites, a quick 20 minute hike that can be done with a 4 year old would get you up to Ensign Peak where you can see out over the whole valley. If you're not looking for something quite that level of active I'm a huge fan of the Discover Gateway and the Clark Planetarium, which are right across the street from each other, at the Gateway Mall.

[Coffeequeen]

Timpanogos caves are fantastic for a 4 yr old, nice little walk up and then a cool tour through the caves. I would pick up a picnic at a grocery store and go to one of the canyon picnic spots vs any crappy restaurant you might find. Anywhere where the water runs down the mountain will be really cool at this time of year as the water is fast and furious. Storm mountain in big cottonwood, for example. Really, the outside is where it is at in Utah. No museum (!) competes.

[kaytidid]

Training Table has closed all their locations. Sad, sad day. I loved that place!

[Montygirl]

Originally Posted by SWFL_Native

This, although unsure if they will let children in.

Lucky 13
Nope they don't and tbh even when went as adults for brunch with friends they treated us like kids with 101 rules and regulations and mistook my friend for a child which was highly insulting as she is 28 and just slightly shorter!
Left there and went elsewhere !