Salt Lake City

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Salt Lake City Sights

A travel journal to Salt Lake City by AnaMH

Salt Lake CityMore Photos

I have used Salt Lake City as a starting point for many western trips, so I’ve spent many days here, just not many consecutively. I try to do something new and eat at a new restaurant. I’ve tried to include my favorite things in this journal.

  • 9 reviews
  • 4 stories/tips
  • 7 photos

Salt Lake City SightsBest of IgoUgo

Overview

Salt Lake City was settled by Mormon pioneers on July 24, 1847, when Brigham Young declared it 'the right place.' Every visitor must visit Temple Square and all the historic Mormon sights nearby. The Salt Lake Temple, the Mormon Tabernacle and the Assembly Hall are the main sights in Temple Square. The State Capitol is worth a visit as if the Great Salt Lake. The Hogle Zoo is great.

Quick Tips:

Landing or taking off from SLC International can make for a bumpy ride. The airport has the Wasatch Mountains to the east and the Oquirrh Mountains to the west and this creates drafts and air pockets. I had been warned, so I knew what to expect. The worst experience was just recently when we took off a windy morning. The plane rocked and rolled!

Best Way To Get Around:

First thing to know is that all addresses begin at the gate of Temple Square. All Salt Lake City addresses run east, west, north or south in square blocks around Temple Square. Parking is awful near Temple Square, so I offer a few suggestions. Use the parking garages of several malls in the area. The parking is free if you get the ticket validated in the mall. Another idea is to ride a hop-on, hop-off trolley service. The fee is around and worth it. I have found taxis very difficult to come by in SLC.

Salt Lake Plaza Hotel at Temple SquareBest of IgoUgo

Hotel | "BW Plaza Salt Lake"

This is the closest hotel to Temple Square, basically across the street. The hotel has 13 floors and wonderful rooms. This is my favorite place to stay.
  • Member Rating 4 out of 5 by AnaMH on November 19, 2000

Salt Lake Plaza Hotel at Temple Square
122 W SOUTH TEMPLE Salt Lake City, Utah 84101
1-801-5210130

Hilton Salt Lake City CenterBest of IgoUgo

Hotel

Located not too far from Temple Square. The rooms are fabulous, and the service is wonderful. We enjoyed a wonderful meal at the outdoor cafe. Room service was one of the best meals I''ve had.
  • Member Rating 4 out of 5 by AnaMH on November 19, 2000

Hilton Salt Lake City Center
255 S W TEMPLE Salt Lake City, Utah 84101
801 328-2000

Absolute!Best of IgoUgo

Restaurant | "Absolut Restaurant"

This is a quiet, elegant and romantic restaurant. We had a wonderful meal and quite enjoyed the restaurant. I had the shrimp special of the day, which was similar to shrimp scampi but with vegetables. The restaurant serves seafood, pasta and steak.
  • Member Rating 4 out of 5 by AnaMH on November 19, 2000

Absolute!
52 West 200 South Salt Lake City, Utah 84101
+1 801 359 0899

Baci ClubBest of IgoUgo

Restaurant

We were recommended this restaurant by a friend, and they were right on the money. The restaurant has dimmed light which makes it romantic. It's formal but with a big splash of fun running through it. I enjoyed a seafood pasta for my main course and to die for chocolate cake for dessert. My husband had the pork chops.
  • Member Rating 4 out of 5 by AnaMH on November 19, 2000

Baci Club
134 W Piermont Ave Salt Lake City, Utah 84101
801-328-1333

GinzaBest of IgoUgo

Restaurant

The restaurant serves Asian Japanese seafood and great salads. We split a grilled ginger tuna salad and two appetizers, chicken yukitori and shrimp spring rolls. Excellent service!
  • Member Rating 4 out of 5 by AnaMH on November 19, 2000

Ginza
209 West 200 South Salt Lake City, Utah 84101
+1 801 322 2224

Temple SquareBest of IgoUgo

Attraction

Temple Square
Back in the time that SLC was pioneered (7-24-1847), Temple Square was the center of the city. This is the reason all city addresses originate at the temple gates. The construction of the Mormon Temple was begun in 1853 and completed in 1892. The temple was built from granite stones from the Little Cottonwood Canyon. For many years, ox and wagon hauled the blocks to the temple site.

The Square houses the Mormon Temple, The Mormon Tabernacle, home to the renowned Mormon Tabernacle choir and the huge organ, and Assembly Hall. If you are in town on a Thursday night, come and hear the choir practice. We thoroughly enjoyed it. The tour guide will demonstrate for you the acoustics of the Tabernacle by dropping a pin at the front podium and you will be able hear it drop clearly anywhere you are standing, even at the back. The Mormon Temple is magnificent. The temple’s highest spire at 210 feet has a 12-foot tall hammered cooper statue of Angel Moroni.
  • Member Rating 4 out of 5 by AnaMH on November 19, 2000

Temple Square
50 West North Temple Salt Lake City, Utah 84101
(801) 240-4872

Old Deseret Village at This Is The Place State ParkBest of IgoUgo

Attraction | "Old Deseret Village"

Deseret Village is a living museum that relives the Old West in the 1850’s. There are several pioneer cabins that you can tour and listen to the period dressed guides fill you in on the information and history of the time. The restored building reflects the era from the pioneers to when the railroads arrived in SLC in 1869. There are covered wagon tours available. The ZCMI General stores are a great place to buy souvenirs or candy. The prices are reasonable. I enjoyed the tour, but sadly my two teenage nephews hated the whole thing. Deseret Village is only open May through December and for one week in December. Check the dates each year.
  • Member Rating 4 out of 5 by AnaMH on November 19, 2000

Old Deseret Village at This Is The Place State Park
2601 Sunnyside Ave Salt Lake City, Utah 84108
(801) 582-1847

This Is The Place State ParkBest of IgoUgo

Attraction | "This is the Place Heritage Park"

The This is the Place Monument
The visitor’s center is open year round and a great place to get historical information. Here you can learn about the pioneer Mormon’s journey from the Midwest to SLC. A monument was erected at the site where the first Mormon settlers entered the Great Salt Lake Valley. The monument is very interesting and informative especially about the 1,300-mile trail that the pioneers took. The monument was erected in 1947 to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the arrival of the pioneers. I underlined in red on the tablet, the section that reads where Brigham Young declared, “this is the place”. I used the winter shot, because I personally liked them better than some shots I have in fall when the surrounding grass was all brown.
  • Member Rating 4 out of 5 by AnaMH on November 19, 2000

This Is The Place State Park
2601 Sunnyside Ave Salt Lake City, Utah 84108
+1 801 582 1847

Shopping in Salt Lake CityBest of IgoUgo

Story/Tip

One of my favorite places to visit in SLC is Trolley Square. This block of trolley barns has been converted into a shopping area with exclusive shops. I love to wander here and window shop. Another interesting shopping area is Gardner Historic Village. Here you will find shops in pioneer dated buildings. The most famous building is Archibalds’s Mill.

There are several malls downtown, which offer all the usual big mall stores. The malls are ZCMI Shopping Center and Crossroads Mall. These are the two largest malls in the city. One of my favorites is a sports store (name escapes me!), which has items from all of Utah’s sport teams. My favorite items are for the Utah Buzz!

Marmalade Hill Historic DistrictBest of IgoUgo

Story/Tip

This historic district is on the western side of Capitol Hill is also known as the Fruit Tree Streets. Our guide explained the name Marmalade Hill comes from the fruit-bearing plants and trees that were planted there by the pioneers and later residents. The district isn’t very big in size, but it is quite charming. As you drive the area, you will be delighted with the steep roads, landscaping and the many original pioneer-era homes. The many styles of architecture in the area were amazing to me. My favorite homes were the Thomas Quayle House and the Morrow-Taylor House both on Quince Street. Quince Street is the main street of the district.

Brigham Young House, Estate and CemeteryBest of IgoUgo

Story/Tip

Gravesite of Brigham Young
The homes of Mormon Church president Brigham Young are the Beehive House and the Lion House (67 E south Temple). The two houses are next door to each other and housed the very large Young family. There are tours available for both houses. It was a very pleasant tour. The Lion House offers lunch and dinner but I have made it for either.

Eagle Gate, once served to mark the entrance to Brigham Young’s estate, had to be relocated to make for better traffic roads and flow. The Brigham Young Monument is just east of Temple Square. This large statue was erected in 1897.

The Great Salt LakeBest of IgoUgo

Story/Tip

The Great Salt lake is 20 minutes west of SLC and a great place to visit. We got to see a sunset over the lake, and I must say it was gorgeous. The sky was lit with so many colors in so many shades. The lake is huge! It is 92 miles long and 48 miles wide. It is a bird watcher’s paradise since so many birds are found in the area. It is a stoping point for many species on their annual migratory routes between Canada and South America. They come to feed off the algae and microscopic brine shrimp, which are about the only things that can leave in the lake. We entered the area via Great Lakes State Park at the Saltair Beach area. We lounged, picnicked and watched the seagulls play until sunset. There is a marina, which has public restrooms.

About the Writer

AnaMH
AnaMH
South Florida, Florida

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