I stayed in Salt Lake City for 48 hours because its core area is very compact, enabling me to hit the high points efficiently. We rode the light rail from the airport to our centrally located hotel in a very quick 25 minutes. Our hotel was the Le Meridien, which is also part of the Marriott chain. One feature I liked was the wonderful rooftop swimming pool with its fantastic view of nearby snowcapped mountains. Their Adelaide Restaurant always rewarded us with a great breakfast. For other good options in the Salt Lake City area, of course please use Booking.com.
City Tour – City Highlights
We wanted to orient ourselves to Salt Lake City with a bus tour to be sure to visit the city highlights. Our tour lasted three hours and covered a lot of ground. First stop was ” This is the Place” Heritage Park, which is a recreation of pioneer life with over 50 restored or replica buildings. A highlight of the park is the This is the Place Monument, a 60-foot-high sculpture which of course pays tribute to the Mormon pioneers. The famous statement by Brigham Young was that this would be the site of the Mormon settlement in Utah, which was dedicated on July 24, 1847, the 100th anniversary of the Mormon pioneers entering the valley. I found this to be a good summation of the initial settlement of Salt Lake City.
Our second stop was the Utah State Capitol Building (1916), which houses the legislature, governor, and state Supreme Court. The building is on a hill overlooking the city and is in the neo-classical revival style.
Lastly, we were treated to an organ concert at the LDS Conference Center (2000), which seats 21,200 people and moreover is believed to be the largest theatre-style auditorium ever built. The auditorium is large enough to hold a Boeing 747 in the space between the seats and additionally the rear of the stage contains a 7,708 pipe and 130-rank Schoenstein organ. This is a great place where additionally you can listen to some music on a very hot day in a very cool place. Our friends at Viator offered this, and you can check them out for other touring options.
Utah Museum of Natural History – City Highlights
We passed by the museum during our City Bus Tour and thought it would be neat to visit.https://nhmu.utah.edu/ It is located in the suburbs on the grounds of the University of Utah. I knew some Utah archeological digs had previously uncovered some dinosaur bones, and I wanted to see them close up. This is a very modern building that is a treat to see. Its collection is quite outstanding on a hilltop overlooking Salt Lake City. We had lunch at their cafe’s outdoor terrace, which additionally had that great view as an attraction.
City Creek Center – City Highlights
This is a very upscale open-air shopping center in downtown Salt Lake City where you can enjoy the many shops, including Macy’s and Nordstrom. It is a nice place to hang out in the evening, and its outdoor fountain provides an exciting water show. Another feature is the recreation of City Creek, which once flowed notably in this area.
Dining Highlights
Colossal Lobster at Hall Pass
Hall Pass is a food court at the Gateway restaurant complex (153 S. Rio Grande St.), where Colossal Lobster served us a Connecticut-style lobster roll, one of my favorites. This complex is on the site of the old Union Pacific Depot.
