Alrighty, I'll be in Provo 2nd week of April and plan to meet up with friends who've offered a tour of downtown SLC. I'm gonna have to see what the big deal is at the temple. Other than that, what other places can be of interest to this exmo? Thanks for any tips.

As a past tourist, I have only one thing to recommend: hook up with the Utah Nudists/Naturists, go on a trip to the island with them.

Sports nuts will find (minor league) baseball, the Jazz. is there any semi-pro football? Not the season, I guess.

College sport. LaCrosse is booming here (western wa) maybe UU has a team.

'go ahead' see the MoStuff if U haven't, just be sure to buy a can of Missionary Repellent before U set foot on TSquare.
It's all Bright & Shiny, pins dropping, Pretty Missionary women, tons of superlatives. all-in-all, U'll prolly forget it next morning.

There is a HUGE amusement park, 'Lagoon'. OK if kiddies are with U.

If U don't have lite rail where U live, see if U can fit in a ride on Trax.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 03/02/2012 11:02PM by guynoirprivateeye.

Plus 1

The in-laws took us there-- it was one of the strangest, most unique experiences. Definitely make a visit. You could picnic in the park nearby, visit Gilgal Gardens, and then have coffee at a local cafe (if I remember correctly, there's one within a short walking distance-- it has been a few years).

Utah Blaze. Indoor football league. It starts in the spring.

Too bad Arches National Park or Zion (canyon area or something) aren't close to SLC. Those are the pretty places.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/02/2012 10:30PM by Lost Mystic.

It all seems so ordinary to me now.

Downtown Alliance
http://www.downtownslc.org/

Salt Lake City Downtown Walking Tour
http://www.utah.com/cities/slc_walking.htm

I was going to post the Gilgal Garden link too. It really is unique, and a short trax ride from downtown.

If you have any specific interests you might see what SLC has to offer. I loved Egyptology as a kid, and later was overjoyed at the chance to visit the Egyptian Museum in Berlin, and the Pergamon Museum too. I skipped the palaces as a trade off.

If you like architecture, there are always interesting buildings to see.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/02/2012 10:49PM by atheist&happy:-).

Just before the top of the hill at Point of the Moutain... Even if you're not a sportsman, the fish and wildlife exhibits are fantastic.

Anything mentioned above is fine. If a zoo is your thing then it's up Emigration Canyon and you can see the "This is the Place Monument" across the street.

There's a military museum on the Fort Douglas Property (have been inside), and next to Red Butte Gardens east of their is the new Natural History Museum. There's also a Museum of Fine Arts on the University Campus just west of the Huntsman Basketball arena.

Swede Town

Not the reference to polygamists (who live mostly in Bluffdale and points south like Eagle Mountain).

Rather it's the failure to mention the only attraction in Swedetown is "Showclub" (formerly Northern Exposure), the only full nude strip club around... No alcohol is served, however, and there's a steep cover charge...

Whoops, there's also the Yellowstone Garage (formerly the Jimax Lounge) which is enjoying a lot of popularity these days. More so than Murphy's mentioned above...

Go up to Big Cottonwood Canyon and Little Cottonwood Canyon.....they are both gorgeous. Depending on when you go, their could be great skiing at both/either.
Check out Park City if you have time too. It is a neat town except it has been commercialized.
Emigration Canyon is great too...supposed to be trail that BYtook when entered the valley in 1847.
There are several museums, art galleries, Abravanel Hall (if you like the symphony etc.
If you are into books, check out Sam Wellers bookstore on Main Street downtown (or it might be State street). They have a huge selection of new and used books of all kinds, something for everyone.
If you want to say hi to Utah most famous "anti" Mormons, visit the Utah Lighthouse Ministry on West Temple. They aren't really anti-Mormons, but they have certainly printed the truth about the TSCC and to TBMs they are anti- Mos. They are really nice people.

Supposedly they are setting up shop at Trolley Square.

Murphy's
Cotton Bottom

Further east one of my favorites was always Dinosaur National Park, near Vernal. Also in that direction is Flaming Gorge Reservoir but only if your a dedicated fisherman, I'd guess. It's not all that much to look at.

The Salt Flats, and (though I've never made it there myself, even though my parents still live in Sandy) Promintory Point. Timpanogos Cave is a vigorous hike, and much closer to the city. And the open pit coppermine is great if you'd like to see the scars of human "stewardship" as it's done in actual practice.

The really stunning landscapes are all well into the southern half of the state, with a lot of hidden gems besides the well-known and heavily trafficked National Parks and Monuments.

Rereading the OP, I realize you're looking more for inside SLC stuff. The one not mentioned so far (and pretty minor, I probably only know it because my maternal grandmother's house was near there, so I spent a lot of time there during visits) is Liberty Park, which has (or had the last time I was there) a very, very modest set of slightly sad carnival-type rides.

It will give you a bit of a hint of what little organic city life there once was within the residential downtown.

Isn't there also some optical illusion/reverse gravity road somewhere near the State House? (Always heard rumors about that, but never managed to check it out or get a specific reference about where it was).

As you can tell (perhaps) from the answers so far, SLC downtown is not exactly one of the magnets of the tourist world. There used to be (and probably still are) some fairly good Mexican restaurants in the area around the train station, on the west side downtown. There's also a cool Navajo fry bread place I've been to but I'd have to ask my mom to remember where it is.

It's the road that leads to City Creek Canyon from the Capitol. If I recall correctly, you drive up towards the Capitol and then take the road to the right that winds around the hill. Best to do it after dark.

The Lake, of course. And the art installation by Robert Smithson: http://www.diaart.org/sites/main/spiraljetty



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/03/2012 01:48PM by Lorraine aka síóg.

solution: Come to SEATTLE!

plenty to do Here, a lot downtown!

Pacific Science Center

symphony

Sounders/Mariners/Seahawks

Pike Place Market

Seattle Art Museum

ship canal locks

UWashington

underground tours

lite rail to airport, no need for a car rental

UW arboretum

easy (Talgo) train trips to Portland OR & Vancouver BC.

Snoqualmie Falls, Fraternity Snoqualmie close to Issaquah; paragliding.

RR museum at North Bend, another at Skykomish (trainspotting at Sky)

eagles on Skagit River.

Boeing tours

look for Bill G @ microsoft, jeff B @ Amazon.

One of my favorite spots in Utah is right in Provo, the letter Y on the side of the mountain. From up there, the majority of Utah County is visible. There's also the letter G above Pleasant Grove but it's made of metal as opposed to being painted like the Y.

If you like to shop, Trolley Square is OK.

Does SLC have a Zoo? If so is it a good one? Or would having a zoo be problematic when they exhibited certain animals and had to put up a sign posting it's natural habitat.

I like to take out of town visitors to Antelope Island and the Hill field plane museum. Antelope Island is very cool with great views of the lake and city and a historic ranch to visit. It shows what the land was like before it was settled. There are lots of cool planes at hill Field including a SR-71 blackbird spy plane

Take the tour of The Beehive House (Brigham Young's home) and keep asking questions about polygamy...drives them nuts because the tour guides try to downplay it. The Lion House next door is where all the wives were housed. I don't think they let you tour that though.

There is a piano bar at 201 East 300 South called "The Tavernacle" their slogan is, "where the rest of us come to sing."
http://www.tavernacle.com/

While on church grounds your every move will be monitored by cameras just an FYI.

The 5 billion dollar outside mall will be open by then– right across the street with it's moving roof for bad weather.

at one time, SL did have a Zoo, but Im thinking it was pretty Low Priority item (like libraries and other similar items).

eta: Hogle Zoo, 2600 East Sunnyside Avenue | Salt Lake City, Utah 84108 | (801) 582-1631

Not at all sure if it has survived, Google is your Friend!


Seattle: Woodland Park. Lots of area, animals, concerts, & people watching. Tons of exhibits...


You ARE INTERESTED in coming to SEATTLE, aren't you?



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 03/05/2012 12:56PM by guynoirprivateeye.

And it's open in the winter... There was some political pressure to upgrade the exhibits and some histrionic sorts, but they were effectively gelded, as were the two idiots in the legislature who wanted to take the land for real estate development.

There is a zoo here not sure how good it is because last year they were doing construction and there wasn't very many animals. Lagoon is pretty fun nothing like Disneyland and six flags though. There's bars in SLC, one of my favorites is Keys on Main its a piano bar. I would recommend going to park city there are a lot of fun things to do there in the summer and winter. If you ski or snowboard Sundance is a really cool place too.

Sunday skiing at Sundance is heaven! No lift lines! No Mormons!

Take a tour of the Mississippi river towns from Burlington to Hannibal without stopping at Nauvoo. It will be a worthwhile week!! :) And you have the option of looking across the river from Montrose, but you also have the option of not letting it cross your mind. :))

You can expand the trip from Dubuque to St. Louis if you want two weeks.

Either option is best done in the summer.

Ensign Peak. Make sure and tell the tale how male to male sealings were performed / could be performed there even though there was not a temple. JD Brigham Young

So many places, too little time. Man, wow you guys are great with tour destinations. Where to begin? I'm sure the ultra TBM friends will take me to the centerpiece temple and square and the lesser kingdom TBM will show me the seedier side of SLC. Made a list culled from your suggestions and will plan this with both sets of Mo's. Thanks again!

I thinks...most of the places mentioned were in the 'burbs.

Mormon things, the zoo, & some bars in SLC itself, others not.