A spacious, pleasant and peaceful city, Salt Lake City sits between the rugged, snow-covered Wasatch mountain range and the Great Salt Lake. It has an air of tranquillity with a stunning backdrop of snow-capped mountains and is dominated by the Mormon faith, yet it has become one of the primary business locations in the world and is extremely popular for its many outdoor pursuits and enhanced winter-sports reputation after hosting the Winter Olympics in 2002. There are four distinct seasons with hot, dry summers and cold, snowy winters. This can make autumn and spring the best times to visit, but there is often heavy rainfall in March and April. There are daily flights via a host of gateways from the UK that take about 13hrs.
Peaceful, tranquil and packed with outdoor pursuits, Salt Lake City is extremely popular with couples and families...
Anyone who enjoys outdoor pursuits will feel at home in Salt Lake City. The area is packed with skiers, hikers and mountain bikers all year round and certainly suits the dedicated sportsman or woman. However, there are plenty of facilities on offer for the more casual participant and for families. With many national parks, forests, rivers and more in close reach there is plenty to keep you active. However, it also makes a fantastic, peaceful getaway for couples with the stunning scenery provides an ideal romantic setting.
For most visitors the main attraction of Salt Lake City is straightforward enough - the slopes. One of the leading resorts is Solitude, which is extremely family friendly and has a European vibe. It is one of the quieter resorts in the city with a Bavarian-style village and offers a lot of family based activities such as story-telling and puppet shows.
The Snowbasin resort was always a quiet retreat that was relatively unknown until it featured heavily in the Winter Olympics. It offers some of the best lodges in the area along with high-speed gondolas and some excellent shopping facilities. It is usually open as early as the Thanksgiving holidays thanks to one of the world's largest snowmaking systems. The Snowbird resort is world-renowned for its school and family emphasis, Wolf Mountain offers spectacular views and Brighton has plenty of affordable accommodation.
Away from the slopes it's well worth experiencing the Great Salt Lake. The body of water is the second saltiest behind the Dead Sea and visitors can float weightlessly on the surface. Facilities are limited however, but it's well worth a visit and the area has been declared a World Heritage Bird Sanctuary.
As is typical of most ski resorts, the nightlife starts early with many bars on hand as people enjoy the social scene straight off the piste. From there, most will head to some of the area's fantastic restaurants before moving on to bars and clubs later. The Metropolitan is one of the most upmarket restaurants in the area offering a casual bistro, a bar and a dining room. For those on a tighter budget, the One World Café works on a donation system, where you pay as much as you think the meal is worth and the Salt Lake Roasting Company has home-roasted aromatic coffee and a range of sandwiches and salads.
After eating, some of the leading evening hangouts include Cup of Joe in the downtown area, which offers acoustic music and poetry. Port O' Call is the best place to head to if you're looking for liquor while Squatter's Pub Brewery has a range of micro-brews available.
For a taste of authentic Salt Lake City, head to Temple Square which is a Mormon temple of vast spiritual importance, with six spires and a golden statue of the Angel Morini. The Pioneer Memorial Museum features objects from historical events including photographs and a doll collection, while the Dinosaur National Monument preserves the skeletons and bones of dinosaurs from the Jurassic Era. It's also a good idea to head to the Utah-Colorado border and visit the Utah State Capitol, which is modelled after the Capitol Building in Washington, DC. Visitors are welcome to sit in the galleries and guided tours are available.
