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Of those two, I'd definitely say Crown Burgers. I used to love Hires, but IMO they've gone downhill in recent years. Also consider "Lucky 13" at 135 West 1300 South (really close to the ballpark) and the "Cotton Bottom" right in Cottonwood Heights. They are especially noted for their garlic burgers.
Hires Big H was a success. They were on game with the burgers on onion rings. Contender for best rings I have tried. Waitress was nice but slow. Had to go to the checkout counter for a refill. Going to Crown in a bit.
SLC is a great place. Spent some time driving up behind the Capital building. Headed to the RSL game tonight. Tomorrow is wide open. Another trip is essential. I have to come back to Ken Sanders Books. Need to have more time to search his stacks and come with luggage proper for storing books.
Hires Big H was a success. They were on game with the burgers on onion rings. Contender for best rings I have tried. Waitress was nice but slow. Had to go to the checkout counter for a refill. Going to Crown in a bit.
SLC is a great place. Spent some time driving up behind the Capital building. Headed to the RSL game tonight. Tomorrow is wide open. Another trip is essential. I have to come back to Ken Sanders Books. Need to have more time to search his stacks and come with luggage proper for storing books.
Sounds like you're a real bibliophile. Glad you enjoyed SLC.
So sorry for my extended exodus after you posted all of these wonderful resources! I have to say.. Life has truly been busier than I ever could have imagined it being at any point before this. I finished out the year as a Social Studies teacher (something I had always considered doing, but now am not sure it is something I would consider ever doing again at the K-12 level... the volume of work was.. in short, a lot). Also, having our daughter around-it just felt like any spare time ended up needing to be spent chilling out on the couch with my wife or immediate family, binge watching shows, or sleeping. Even now, this really feels like the first calm moment I have had in that long. Another reason I hadn't responded was that for a while, it looked as though some health issues of some in our family were going to completely derail our trip. We are still proceeding and I think good now, albeit cautiously.
Anyways, thanks again for your tips!
1. Thanks for the recommendation on South Temple, and on Preservation Utah in general. It appears to truly be a wealth of knowledge. To give you an update, our schedule has changed some. We arrive in the evening on the 6th, and are now just staying the 6th/7th nights near the airport before heading on. With that said, I am splitting from the family first thing (as early as 7-8 AM, before our rental car is ready several hours later. My plan is to spend a solid 3-4 hours exploring solo or with one other family member while the rest relax at the hotel. That should give me time to take the Trax into downtown, see the downtown core, maybe then take Trax over towards U of Utah, and then come back on foot on South Temple Street to potentially meet the family for lunchtime at Red Iguana.. There may be more exploring beyond that too (planning on doing Ensign Peak the next morning before we head out of town for the views), but that should at least give me a solid base to spend time following your suggestions.
2. Your suggestions about Utah Campus are also wonderful, and provide some additional insight. I am not sure what you think about taking light rail out that way, walking through campus to Temple, and then taking that all the way back to Temple Square/the Capitol, but that is what I was considering.
3. I am giving some thought to the walking tours that are guided that I now see appearing on Preservation Utah's website. I do not see any yet that have our exact date, but at the same time, I may look through some of the others to see if one interests. As you mentioned, it is impossible to digest information on every single building, or else you will be there all the day, but I find that listening to a guided walk can really give highlights from someone in the know, which I find appealing (I signed up for a two hour guided walking tour, that also includes drink and food samples in Downtown Asheville, and I am looking forward to that to be sure.)
4. Thanks for the downtown ideas and route as well-I may actually do it starting from the northern end of Main Street and working my way south (not sure if my exact route is becoming clearer to you as I work through this, but it's helping me lol. Know that I am reading and learning from all of this (I didn't click the link in your downtown description yet, but I did listen to a podcast from the 99% Invisible Podcast about the Plot of Zion and how navigation works, so I have some idea, but I could always benefit from additional detail. So: 1. Leave hotel, shuttle to airport 2. Trax Light Rail from Airport to either Temple Square Station (Green Line) 3. Walk South Temple (maybe stopping in courtyard area of Temple Square to see views of site and adjacent buildings, past Cathedral of Madeleine, etc., all the way over to the circle, then ultimately to the student center and Eccles legacy bridge. 4. Board Trax Light Rail again from there, and take it back to Courthouse Station. Get off there, see the Library/City and County Building, then from there, walk up Main Street (maybe stepping off at City Creek Center/Regent Street, back over to Temple Square if there was anything I had missed earlier, going past the Arena and Train Station, and, since it's only a few additional blocks, getting over to Red Iguana to meet family for a 12ish pm lunch (about when daughter will have woken up from nap, if jet lag doesn't throw us off too much.
5. Thanks for the note about the LDS Conference Center (I think you ask for a brief tour, and then there is also a great view of the city up top right? I saw a notice from Temple Square that they just started reopening, which is exciting! So, perhaps in either direction I will be able to make that happen. Museum of Natural History sounds nice too, esp if it is excessively hot, or happens to be rainy!
6. Thanks for the recommendations on Bonneville Shoreline Trail and This is the Place too. Ugh.. honestly I feel like I could spend an entire week in just Metro Salt Lake within a 40-60 minute radius and not even come close to exploring everything. That said, I think I'll find Yellowstone, Grand Teton, etc to be pretty epic too lol.. but still. Both of those sound great! I will just have to see what I can get my party to commit to, as it is me, my wife, our 1 year old daughter, and grandparents. Lol.
7. One more thing I'll say, I am a huge sports fan and love live atmosphere of games. Initially, I thought that there were unfortunately no live events during my visit. However, it turns out that Vancouver Whitecaps FC, who are home during that time frame, have Rio Tinto Stadium as their "Home" pitch. Ironically, they have a "home" game on July 7th... against Real Salt Lake ; ). I managed to nab one seat, and though I will probably only watch the first half, I love the fact that I am getting to see a new venue and am super excited.
I feel a bit selfish that I am doing so much personal exploration compared to some in our party during this stretch 7th to morning of 8th. With that being said, I said "I owe them" as this is probably the most important day of our 10 day trip to me, and my goal is to make up for it by spending significant time staying with our daughter, etc. on other legs so that other family members can rest and do as they please during numerous other dates... LOL.
Anyways thanks again, as your suggestions have truly been a massive help, and I am so excited... Just under 4 weeks now... but who's counting?
So sorry for my extended exodus after you posted all of these wonderful resources! I have to say.. Life has truly been busier than I ever could have imagined it being at any point before this. I finished out the year as a Social Studies teacher (something I had always considered doing, but now am not sure it is something I would consider ever doing again at the K-12 level... the volume of work was.. in short, a lot). Also, having our daughter around-it just felt like any spare time ended up needing to be spent chilling out on the couch with my wife or immediate family, binge watching shows, or sleeping. Even now, this really feels like the first calm moment I have had in that long. Another reason I hadn't responded was that for a while, it looked as though some health issues of some in our family were going to completely derail our trip. We are still proceeding and I think good now, albeit cautiously.
I really do hope everything works out for you and that you are going to be able to make the trip. I appreciate your responding to my post. Every day for the first couple of weeks after I posted it, I checked for a response. Then, I finally just assumed that you'd cancelled your trip. So, in short, it was good to hear from you.
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1. Thanks for the recommendation on South Temple, and on Preservation Utah in general. It appears to truly be a wealth of knowledge. To give you an update, our schedule has changed some. We arrive in the evening on the 6th, and are now just staying the 6th/7th nights near the airport before heading on. With that said, I am splitting from the family first thing (as early as 7-8 AM, before our rental car is ready several hours later. My plan is to spend a solid 3-4 hours exploring solo or with one other family member while the rest relax at the hotel. That should give me time to take the Trax into downtown, see the downtown core, maybe then take Trax over towards U of Utah, and then come back on foot on South Temple Street to potentially meet the family for lunchtime at Red Iguana.. There may be more exploring beyond that too (planning on doing Ensign Peak the next morning before we head out of town for the views), but that should at least give me a solid base to spend time following your suggestions.
I'm sorry to hear that your time in Salt Lake has been cut short. There is really so much to see and do here. Keep in mind that the downtown area is going to be pretty dead at 7:00-8:00 AM. People will be arriving at their offices, but not much will be open to the public that early (i.e. no tourist attractions, etc.). For this reason, I would suggest that you consider doing part of what you had in mind in reverse. Don't start out downtown. Catch Trax into town from your hotel. Then walk up South Temple to the "U." Yeah, it's uphill instead of down (as per your plans), but South Temple is shady and nice at that time of day. If you decide to spend even an hour at the Natural History Museum, keep in mind that it doesn't open till 10:00. Red Butte Gardens, right next door to it, opens at 9:00. And the views of the city from up there are gorgeous. Then, catch Trax back to town to meet your family.
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2. Your suggestions about Utah Campus are also wonderful, and provide some additional insight. I am not sure what you think about taking light rail out that way, walking through campus to Temple, and then taking that all the way back to Temple Square/the Capitol, but that is what I was considering.
Temple Square is quite a mess right now, as a 4-year construction project is underway. I'm not sure exactly what's open and what's not. Just be aware that while it's normally a beautiful place to spend a few leisurely hours, that might not be the case this year. (As a side note: There are three streets in Salt Lake City with the name "Temple" in them. They border Temple Square on three sides. So, when referring to any of them, you need to use the full name -- i.e. North Temple (this is where Red Iguana is), South Temple, and West Temple. Just "Temple Street" means absolutely nothing.) Definitely try to do the State Capitol Building -- not just the outside but the inside as well. You probably won't have time to do a free guided tour of the building, but if nothing else, at least see the rotunda area and whatever else you're allowed to see on your own, without a tour.
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3. I am giving some thought to the walking tours that are guided that I now see appearing on Preservation Utah's website. I do not see any yet that have our exact date, but at the same time, I may look through some of the others to see if one interests. As you mentioned, it is impossible to digest information on every single building, or else you will be there all the day, but I find that listening to a guided walk can really give highlights from someone in the know, which I find appealing (I signed up for a two hour guided walking tour, that also includes drink and food samples in Downtown Asheville, and I am looking forward to that to be sure.)
Another recent visitor to Salt Lake (someone who will actually be moving here later this summer) mentioned a great walking tour she found on Instagram: sip.snack.stroll.slc You might want to check it out. I know nothing about it myself, but she was very impressed with it.
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4. Thanks for the downtown ideas and route as well-I may actually do it starting from the northern end of Main Street and working my way south (not sure if my exact route is becoming clearer to you as I work through this, but it's helping me lol. Know that I am reading and learning from all of this (I didn't click the link in your downtown description yet, but I did listen to a podcast from the 99% Invisible Podcast about the Plot of Zion and how navigation works, so I have some idea, but I could always benefit from additional detail. So: 1. Leave hotel, shuttle to airport 2. Trax Light Rail from Airport to either Temple Square Station (Green Line) 3. Walk South Temple (maybe stopping in courtyard area of Temple Square to see views of site and adjacent buildings, past Cathedral of Madeleine, etc., all the way over to the circle, then ultimately to the student center and Eccles legacy bridge. 4. Board Trax Light Rail again from there, and take it back to Courthouse Station. Get off there, see the Library/City and County Building, then from there, walk up Main Street (maybe stepping off at City Creek Center/Regent Street, back over to Temple Square if there was anything I had missed earlier, going past the Arena and Train Station, and, since it's only a few additional blocks, getting over to Red Iguana to meet family for a 12ish pm lunch (about when daughter will have woken up from nap, if jet lag doesn't throw us off too much.
You definitely need to go inside of the library and up onto the roof of the building, particularly if you're interested in architecture as I believe you said you were. The library doesn't open until 10:00 AM either, though. That's why I suggested that you start your sightseeing by doing the long walk (2 1/2 miles) to the Circle. You might want to check out some of the information on the University Campus Shuttle. You'll have walked quite a ways by the time you reach the Circle, and the shuttle is a good way to get from the "lower campus" to the "upper campus" (where the Natural History Museum is). The campus is really, really big, so this might save you some time.
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5. Thanks for the note about the LDS Conference Center (I think you ask for a brief tour, and then there is also a great view of the city up top right? I saw a notice from Temple Square that they just started reopening, which is exciting! So, perhaps in either direction I will be able to make that happen. Museum of Natural History sounds nice too, esp if it is excessively hot, or happens to be rainy!
Do make it a point to see the LDS Church Conference Center, which is just across the street from the temple itself. The 21,000-seat auditorium is mind-blowing and the roof garden is pretty cool, too. The building is not high enough to really see the city all that well, but if you go to the Natural History Museum you'll be getting a view of the city looking west, and if you go to Ensign Peak, you'll get a view of the city looking south.
"If it happens to be rainy"? If it happens to be rainy, we'll declare a new state holiday!
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6. Thanks for the recommendations on Bonneville Shoreline Trail and This is the Place too. Ugh.. honestly I feel like I could spend an entire week in just Metro Salt Lake within a 40-60 minute radius and not even come close to exploring everything. That said, I think I'll find Yellowstone, Grand Teton, etc to be pretty epic too lol.. but still. Both of those sound great! I will just have to see what I can get my party to commit to, as it is me, my wife, our 1 year old daughter, and grandparents. Lol.
Oh my gosh, yes. You could spend an entire week here. People just don't realize how much there is to do within an hour's drive of the city. You're just going to have to come back when you can spend some time and really see the place. And when you do, plan on heading south to Utah's spectacular "Mighty Five." They are every bit as impressive (though completely different) as Yellowstone and the Tetons. Honestly, you're not going to be able to even scratch the surface with just a one-day visit. You sound a lot like me, though. When I go someplace new, regardless of how little time I have available, I just cram in as much as I possibly can to the time I have available. People tell me I try to do too much in too short a time, which is what I'm telling you now. But what can I say? That's just how you and I operate when it comes to travel.
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7. One more thing I'll say, I am a huge sports fan and love live atmosphere of games. Initially, I thought that there were unfortunately no live events during my visit. However, it turns out that Vancouver Whitecaps FC, who are home during that time frame, have Rio Tinto Stadium as their "Home" pitch. Ironically, they have a "home" game on July 7th... against Real Salt Lake ; ). I managed to nab one seat, and though I will probably only watch the first half, I love the fact that I am getting to see a new venue and am super excited.
I hope that works out for you. A Salt Lake Bees game would be fun, too, and the Smith's Ballpark is really, really nice. That will have to wait for your next trip, though, huh?
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I feel a bit selfish that I am doing so much personal exploration compared to some in our party during this stretch 7th to morning of 8th. With that being said, I said "I owe them" as this is probably the most important day of our 10 day trip to me, and my goal is to make up for it by spending significant time staying with our daughter, etc. on other legs so that other family members can rest and do as they please during numerous other dates... LOL.
Anyways thanks again, as your suggestions have truly been a massive help, and I am so excited... Just under 4 weeks now... but who's counting?
Well, I hope the trip is all you are hoping it will be. If you would like to DM me your home address, I can send you a downtown map and visitors' guide in the mail. You can get these at the Salt Lake City Visitors' Center once you get here, but I know you like to plan in advance. Your hotel will have maps, but I can assure you the maps they have are not as good as the one I'd be sending you.
I really do hope everything works out for you and that you are going to be able to make the trip. I appreciate your responding to my post. Every day for the first couple of weeks after I posted it, I checked for a response. Then, I finally just assumed that you'd cancelled your trip. So, in short, it was good to hear from you.
That makes me feel so bad : ( I'm sorry again to have kept you waiting. I'm not sure that I've ever been busier at any point in life. Hoping to garner some career stability and no longer be in school at some point which should help. Also, not sure how families with multiple children do it!
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Originally Posted by Katzpur
I'm sorry to hear that your time in Salt Lake has been cut short. There is really so much to see and do here. Keep in mind that the downtown area is going to be pretty dead at 7:00-8:00 AM. People will be arriving at their offices, but not much will be open to the public that early (i.e. no tourist attractions, etc.). For this reason, I would suggest that you consider doing part of what you had in mind in reverse. Don't start out downtown. Catch Trax into town from your hotel. Then walk up South Temple to the "U." Yeah, it's uphill instead of down (as per your plans), but South Temple is shady and nice at that time of day. If you decide to spend even an hour at the Natural History Museum, keep in mind that it doesn't open till 10:00. Red Butte Gardens, right next door to it, opens at 9:00. And the views of the city from up there are gorgeous. Then, catch Trax back to town to meet your family.
After I posted this, I actually thought of that. Yeah, take Temple Street down and across town. Perhaps there's an especially good local coffee shop open early.. but otherwise, I enjoy visiting themed Starbucks, and the one on Main Street appears to be somewhat of an architectural treat (red brick, etc). I don't mind walking through parts of City Creek Center, Gateway, etc. when they are closed, as my primary motivation is architectural/aesthetic. Therefore, the two "timed" attractions I would hit on my way back, or at some point during the day, would be the library, which appears to open at 10 AM, and the Church Office Building you mentioned with the huge auditorium, view, etc., opens at 11 AM. Red Iguana also opens at 11, and that is about when our rental car will be ready. So, I feel like I could leave out like 7:30, do the loop you described, get back to town and hit the big 2 (maybe State Capitol later with everyone, guessing that's like a 9-5), and meet my family on foot at Red Iguana in the 11:40-11:45 vicinity (I understand the Mexican food there is pretty acclaimed and esteemed. That way, I've seen most of my primary goals, and we can do whatever the family wants to do the rest of the day (which likely involves checking stuff out anyway), but if there are errands that need run, if I need to watch our daughter, etc., then I'm good to go on that. I agree, that makes a lot of sense. The Natural History Museum might be a good idea during the afternoon heat!
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Originally Posted by Katzpur
Temple Square is quite a mess right now, as a 4-year construction project is underway. I'm not sure exactly what's open and what's not. Just be aware that while it's normally a beautiful place to spend a few leisurely hours, that might not be the case this year. (As a side note: There are three streets in Salt Lake City with the name "Temple" in them. They border Temple Square on three sides. So, when referring to any of them, you need to use the full name -- i.e. North Temple (this is where Red Iguana is), South Temple, and West Temple. Just "Temple Street" means absolutely nothing.) Definitely try to do the State Capitol Building -- not just the outside but the inside as well. You probably won't have time to do a free guided tour of the building, but if nothing else, at least see the rotunda area and whatever else you're allowed to see on your own, without a tour.
So, in a way this is maybe a curse access and aesthetic-wise, but also a blessing-I enjoy seeing things in progress and construction even though it technically it is pretty. That is good to know though and to plan for, and also to be aware of the different names! State Capitol is also indoors! I think you guys are going through an extreme heat wave. Hopefully it cools down some by then, but even still, that would be a nice reprieve. Frankly, actually maybe I should even save the library for family also, because those are nice places near town to while away time (Fashion Place looks like the upscale large mall for the area. I know that is not touristy in any stretch, but I'm okay with sacrificing some afternoon hangout time to do something like that even, because, it keeps us out of the heat, and I'll get my exploring in mostly in the morning anyways.)
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Originally Posted by Katzpur
Another recent visitor to Salt Lake (someone who will actually be moving here later this summer) mentioned a great walking tour she found on Instagram: sip.snack.stroll.slc You might want to check it out. I know nothing about it myself, but she was very impressed with it.
Looked it up and found it on AirBNB experiences page. You're right, it does look pretty neat! I may send it my wife's way. I think taking our daughter on it might be a challenge, but maybe if she knew it was food based as it appears to be, she would be open to letting my parents watch her and going on that for a few hours. I'm definitely considering it.
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Originally Posted by Katzpur
You definitely need to go inside of the library and up onto the roof of the building, particularly if you're interested in architecture as I believe you said you were. The library doesn't open until 10:00 AM either, though. That's why I suggested that you start your sightseeing by doing the long walk (2 1/2 miles) to the Circle. You might want to check out some of the information on the University Campus Shuttle. You'll have walked quite a ways by the time you reach the Circle, and the shuttle is a good way to get from the "lower campus" to the "upper campus" (where the Natural History Museum is). The campus is really, really big, so this might save you some time.
Thanks for the info about the campus shuttle! I will definitely bear that in mind as a time and leg saving option. I will definitely hit library on the way back in leg, since I can get off at Courthouse Station and be right there I think and also by the City and County building. Or, I may consider saving it if I knew at least portion of family would be up for going in there to hang out. I don't mind not seeing every single thing, particularly since we don't have that long and I know I can't make it to everything, and because this is one of the primary things I want to see anyways.
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Originally Posted by Katzpur
Do make it a point to see the LDS Church Conference Center, which is just across the street from the temple itself. The 21,000-seat auditorium is mind-blowing and the roof garden is pretty cool, too. The building is not high enough to really see the city all that well, but if you go to the Natural History Museum you'll be getting a view of the city looking west, and if you go to Ensign Peak, you'll get a view of the city looking south.
"If it happens to be rainy"? If it happens to be rainy, we'll declare a new state holiday!
Will do! In fact, if I had to power rank it, these, in not exact order, are the five things I hope to get done while in town: 1) Ensign Peak Hike (morning of 8th before we head out) 2) Salt Lake Central Library 3) Temple Square/Church Conference Center (Office Building) 4) General Exploring (getting in a good walk around core-Main Street, South Temple, Gateway, City Creek Center, Campus, etc.) 5) State Capitol. Happy to achieve more extraneous things also, but these are the priority items.
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Originally Posted by Katzpur
Oh my gosh, yes. You could spend an entire week here. People just don't realize how much there is to do within an hour's drive of the city. You're just going to have to come back when you can spend some time and really see the place. And when you do, plan on heading south to Utah's spectacular "Mighty Five." They are every bit as impressive (though completely different) as Yellowstone and the Tetons. Honestly, you're not going to be able to even scratch the surface with just a one-day visit. You sound a lot like me, though. When I go someplace new, regardless of how little time I have available, I just cram in as much as I possibly can to the time I have available. People tell me I try to do too much in too short a time, which is what I'm telling you now. But what can I say? That's just how you and I operate when it comes to travel.
In part, the fact that we are coming to Salt Lake at all is incidental, and it was my, as a lover of urbanism, architecture, etc. doing. The "trip" started with the idea of going to Yellowstone and staying at Old Faithful Cabins for several nights, and was built out from there. My parents initially mentioned flying into Bozeman (a perfectly nice appearing small-ish city, that we will be seeing on the 11th-checking out Museum of the Rockies whilst there, then heading on to stay in and walk around Livingston). However, I mentioned Salt Lake for several reasons: 1) Nonstop flights (the less complicated and time in airport with a baby... the better IMO 2) Scale/Price: More flights available, for cheaper, on more airlines, rental cars are more available and cheap, etc. and 3) Desire to Visit. With respect to Bozeman where I am sure I can find stuff to do... Salt Lake combines the natural aspects of this trip with a solid city break component as well. Because we are seeing the Tetons as well and the fact the southern edge of that is only 4ish hours... I figured that a loop would make a decent amount of sense, and will now allow us to get sort of a cruise ship type of itinerary, where we get a little bit of a feel for Salt Lake, a little for Boise, Big Sky, Bozeman, Livingston, Jackson, Park City, etc.
That said, I'd be happy to do a follow up visit. Sight unseen (did see Salt Lake and Mighty Five on a previous trip, but I was in junior high 15ish years back, and must admit I did not pay quite as much attention as I do now), Salt Lake City would be on a shortlist of places in the US I would like to relocate, were it not such a steep price point compared with where we live now. Combining loves... a significantly sized city and all that comes with that, along with one that is perhaps Top 10 in the world for what it offers in terms of natural surroundings within a several hour (or even 1 hour) radius.
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Originally Posted by Katzpur
I hope that works out for you. A Salt Lake Bees game would be fun, too, and the Smith's Ballpark is really, really nice. That will have to wait for your next trip, though, huh?
Well, I hope the trip is all you are hoping it will be. If you would like to DM me your home address, I can send you a downtown map and visitors' guide in the mail. You can get these at the Salt Lake City Visitors' Center once you get here, but I know you like to plan in advance. Your hotel will have maps, but I can assure you the maps they have are not as good as the one I'd be sending you.
That was my original plan when we planned to have the full 7th and 8th in town.. when we switched it out for seeing Craters and family in Idaho (more family is tagging along as it was originally going to be just us) I thought my chance to see a live event while in town was gone. However, happenstance had it that under bizarre circumstances, Vancouver is playing a "home" game here that night, and there ya have it. But yes, follow up for the ballpark.
I will PM you! Thank you again, you have been a tremendous help!
Katz,
My husband was driving downtown and wondered why Salt Lake doesn’t have an East Temple. Do you have any idea?
It actually was known as East Temple in pioneer times, but was changed to Main Street in 1906 since it had developed as the "main street" in the downtown business district. For a while, the street was known by its common nickname, "Whiskey Street," when the first non-Mormons started entering the valley and set up a whole row of saloons on what is now Main Street. South Temple was known during pioneer times as Brigham Street, but I'm not sure when its name got changed.
We are now officially back from our jaunt around the west! It was very fun, but very busy. There were a few stops I may have cut off, in order to give more time to relish at A) Grand Teton National Park, we really didn't plan enough time there, and perhaps another day for Park City or Salt Lake City.
We left on the 6th, and since we were leaving out of Tampa Bay, we were very fortunate that we moved up our flight prior to the trip, as this allowed us to make it out of town several hours before the airport shut down for 24 hrs. before the impending storm. We had a slight layover in Atlanta, and made it into town around 5:30 or so local time. We were slightly delayed by debris on the runway, but that ended up being fortuitous, as we got an extra loop-around approach to the city, almost an aerial tour. Could make out Provo, including the stadium and the BYU Y on the mountain, as well as gorgeous views of the city/sprawl/surrounding mountains, and a really great look at the Great Salt Lake. It was shocking how much was dried out, but then we got past Antelope Island and really got a marvelous view of that, and how beautiful the portion of the lake was out past that.. also got great views of Bingham Canyon mine on the way down. Anyways, it was an exhausting travel day with a baby, and so that was it for day one.
On the 7th, we had breakfast at our hotel, then took two shuttles to ultimately get our rental car. From there and once we got back, we headed into the city. We went to see the State Capitol grounds (gorgeous), and then dropped some of the family (wife/daughter/mom) off at City Creek Center to do some shopping and grab lunch. Once we left them, my dad and I went over and hiked Ensign Peak (it's a short hike, but very steep, in a way that was kind of scary to me, descending (I did so on my hands/knees in portions)). It was also very, very hot time to do so (right around noon). From there, we went over and parked, and got a self guided tour of the LDS Conference Center (gorgeous modern building, with gorgeous views of the city on top-not Mormon myself, but the tour was super neat, and the guides were super kind and welcoming. I recommend this high to any tourist. We actually walked over and met my wife and mom back inside the original Tabernacle from there, a really impressive building to have assembled so long ago. After that, we headed over to make one more stop downtown (for then, at least) at the Central Library. The rooftop garden was closed, but we took the glass elevator up to third floor and admired the modern aesthetics of the building, as well as parking and seeing the more classical City and County Building from the outside (I believe it is also closed on inside still for now, too).
This really completed most of my MAJOR (Top 5) objectives for downtown core (I could always see more, but still), since I did briefly get to see the really cool interior of City Creek Mall too, so I decided to have us head out, based on your recommendations, over through Little Cottonwood Canyon and up to Snowbird Resort. The Snowbird Aerial Tram looked really cool, and the price reasonable (about $25 for adults), so we drove up the canyon (it gave our rental van more trouble than any other driving the rest of the trip, the engine really heated up on the way up!) Really an idyllic and beautiful place to have so close to the city. While there, we really just looked around briefly in the gift shops and resort, and took the tram up and back down, but I can easily see how you would spend a lot longer than there. The views from the summit were absolutely gorgeous and must be unique around any major city in the US at least, and it also had the helpful effect of being decently cooler up there.
On the way back into town, we stopped over at Costco (world's largest, lol) for some trip supplies, baby, water, etc. I wanted to have us grab dinner at Red Iguana.. but alas, the lines were WAY long (hour and a half for one, and 45 minutes even for the other location). The family still needed to grab dinner and turn in for the night, and it was after 6 at this point. We decided that, so that my dad would only need to pick me up on way back, and get rest of group some food and get back, that I would take the metro (I love taking light rail/etc. in new cities anyways, so that was something high on my list to do.). I walk/jogged the mile or so from Red Iguana over through the Gateway/Union Pacific complex, both to take photos, and to get a single route connection down to Sandy. Got some great photos of trains passing the Union Pacific Depot, and boarded right by the Jazz Stadium (a stadium to stadium route). I found that the train ran without delays, was comfortable, and the ride was safe and scenic. It was unique, as we got off by Sandy Expo station, and walked past small subdivision houses out in the suburbs, the 10-15 minutes across and over to the stadium venue. It strikes me as being a very family friendly place to watch a game, with a mini playground, small soccer courts, and open areas for people to congregate on the eastern side of the stadium, as well as those great mountain views of course. I only stayed for about one half, but it was a nice time, including seeing a goal scored within the first minute of play (Real Salt Lake did win, 4-0 over the home side, Vancouver Whitecaps FC). I rode back with my dad around halftime, listening to the waning minutes of my hometown Tampa Bay Lightning repeating as Stanley Cup champions.
The next morning, we headed out nearly first thing! We stopped in Ogden at a very nice coffee place called Wasatch Roasting Company. The downtown area, particularly 25th Street, looks like a very nice and human scaled place. Honestly, I wouldn't refer to Ogden as a particularly touristy destination, but I am glad I stopped to see the Historic Main Street and Train Station, and it looks like a small city that offers it's residents a very nice and character filled main street, with solid options for attractions and culture for a city of it's size, and perhaps a budget option for someone living in Salt Lake metro, where you could have urban living, including being able to commute in by the Frontrunner in a reasonable amount of time. After this point, we headed on to Twin Falls and then Boise, ID where we ended this day (stopped for lunch at Blaze Pizza and walked around/stretched by the visitor center, rim walk and the 'gorge'ous (pun intended) Perrine Bridge and Snake River Canyon. However, I will trail off there, as this is a Salt Lake City Metro forum, and the next stretch of the trip was not there... until...
...8 days later, when we were driving back into the area, to Park City. Between Jackson and Park City, there really is not a lot, and that is putting it mildly. We did find a nice place to stop for the night called Townhomes on the Green in Afton, and, we actually enjoyed our brief stop at Fossil Butte National Monument in Kemmerer, a short detour with a unique and detailed perspective on the earth's natural history. We also made a pit stop at the Wal Mart in Evanston, WY and grabbed a lunch/snack at Costa Vida, so we ultimately got into the Park City vicinity around 12:30. I had my wife and daughter go look around at the Park City Outlets (where she enjoyed and found great deals throughout the afternoon, and found it relaxing to finally just look around and be still after so much car time/sightseeing). I went over to the Utah Olympic Park. I could've stayed much longer honestly, but I had booked a 2 PM main street walking tour, so the only thing I did while there, was to take the ski lift (there are two, I took one up and one down), which gave a really great look at the whole complex. I found that I could've stayed there longer too, but I also had the place and the lift virtually to myself.
After that, I managed to get, a little late, to the Park City Main Street walking tour put on by the Park City Museum. It was informative about the town's history with silver (and recent history with skiing and Sundance. We even got to peek inside the Egyptian Theatre as part of the tour, which was definitely a highlight. My wife was still exploring shops between the outlets and the main street, and so was perfectly fine with me getting a day lift pass. I went up Town Lift, which took FOREVER (nearly an hour if I estimate), but was nice once getting up there, as I got to see the views and abandoned Silver King Mine. I took the moderately faster and nearby Payday Lift back down. It went right to the Marriott Mountainside/Park City Mountain Resort, which was really a neat scene, with so many participating the varied summer activities found there, and it was only a 3 minute walk from there to the Sweetwater Lift Lodge, where we were staying.
We grabbed dinner at Ganesh (pretty good, but kinda pricy), and then my goal was to watch our daughter while my wife did the mountain coaster at the nearby resort, which unfortunately did not pan out due to weather : ( She went out and enjoyed walk though. After she got back, I went back out, and walked up Main Street at night (very active) and stopped in at No Name Saloon (some might know it more as the Alamo Building, due to look, etc., interesting backstory on that), and grabbed a drink and people watched the street scene from the rooftop to wind down the evening. I was glad to find a drink from Kiitos there on tap, as I have Finnish ancestry, and though I didn't have time to stop there in Salt Lake it was cool to support it in at least a small way.
No time for exploring on the 17th, but it was very easy to get from Park City to Salt Lake Airport in plenty of time despite having a morning flight. The airport itself really is modern, comfortable and beautiful (nice touch with the canyon design), and the security is staffed with adequate lines to meet passenger demand and keep wait times very manageable.
My wife mentioned liking the feel of Park City overall a little better, and though I prefer all the different places to go in Salt Lake, I get where she is coming from, as Park City is very compact, vibrant, and set up for tourists. The Sweetwater Lift Lodge, despite the bizarre quirk of not having an elevator, was a really terrific place to stay, and base yourself in that area for a reasonable price. It's also a great hopping off point to go down into the city (30 minutes), or many many hiking areas in a similar time span.
The one thing I will say was a negative, was the heat. It's a different kind of heat from FL, and as much as I detest our very humid summers, in some ways the dry heat is even more intense/worse. The thing I found from myself, perhaps due to the dryness and altitude combination, was that I needed water all the time throughout the trip (I bought a 32 oz from the 7 Eleven before the ski lift thinking it may have been too much, but literally finished it before I was even halfway up Town Lift!) Maybe next time, I will not visit during midsummer lol.
All in all though, we still really enjoyed our trip, and though we weren't there super long, I feel like we got some idea for Salt Lake itself, and it's amenities and appeal. I'd say there are several possibilities for a trip back:
Perhaps coming back sometime in the fall or spring (Utah football game, perhaps?) when weather is more moderate, for a 4-5 day long weekend that would be doable even in the midst of the busy school year. I think if we did, there is a pretty good chance we would base ourselves at Sweetwater Lift Lodge for the duration, and do day trips out to Salt Lake, etc. from there.
Or, using Salt Lake as a jumping off point, but instead of heading north, heading south, and conquering at least 2-3 of the "Mighty Five". If coming during the summer, we would almost certainly use Salt Lake as our urban base instead of Vegas or Phoenix, because the heat in those is almost certainly worse.
Or, going back eventually to Yellowstone and the Tetons, and doing a full trip, but with less extraneous stops in MT/ID, and allotting more time for Grand Teton in particular.
In any case, even though in some respects it was a challenging trip (traveling with a baby, wife health/difficulty with long stretches in car I would cut down on), overall it was safe, and a fun success. Thank you to those here that provided input, esp Katzpur for mailing maps and additional info!
All the best!
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