UM @ Utah 9/3/15. Salt Lake area attractions?
Am seriously contemplating a road trip with my brother to catch this game. Our sister lives in the area and said she will show us around for the long weekend. I completely trust her and it sounds great. Just wondering if anyone has any suggestions of great eats, bars, sites, etc. that the area has to offer.
September 3- Still sooooooo far away......
Thanks.
January 17th, 2015 at 6:51 PM ^
January 17th, 2015 at 6:52 PM ^
They don't call it Salt Lake Shitty for nothing!
January 17th, 2015 at 6:52 PM ^
A buddy of mine if from SLC and we decided the day Harbaugh was hired that we'd head out there for a long weekend. Can't wait, hear it's awesome.
May want to look at TripAdvisor.com if you don't find your answer.
January 17th, 2015 at 7:24 PM ^
Just got back after New Years. Go there many holidays to visit in-laws. Park City is awesome, and there are several good bars and places to eat close to the university (in an area locals call "The Avenues" ) in SLC.
They have also just opened a remodeled area (Similar to initial design of Trapper's Alley in downtown Detroit where they enclosed the area between the buildings as walkways.), of downtown as high priced shopping called "City Creek Center".
Can recommend a restaureant called Faustina's at I think 300South (or as SLC say "3 South")and there is a small chain with made from scratch burgers, shakes, great onion rings called Hires Big H restaurant.
January 17th, 2015 at 7:28 PM ^
January 17th, 2015 at 6:57 PM ^
January 17th, 2015 at 6:57 PM ^
January 17th, 2015 at 7:44 PM ^
Isn't it only open to Mormons?
January 17th, 2015 at 7:48 PM ^
But "gentiles" can visit the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and the museums around the Temple.
January 17th, 2015 at 6:58 PM ^
January 17th, 2015 at 6:58 PM ^
January 17th, 2015 at 6:58 PM ^
January 17th, 2015 at 6:58 PM ^
January 19th, 2015 at 9:43 AM ^
I like turtles
(discount double post)
January 17th, 2015 at 7:02 PM ^
Thanks
January 17th, 2015 at 7:10 PM ^
January 17th, 2015 at 7:11 PM ^
January 17th, 2015 at 7:55 PM ^
January 17th, 2015 at 7:11 PM ^
I've spent a lot of time in SLC area over the years skiing.
If food is your thing, there are some very good restaurants.
January 17th, 2015 at 7:13 PM ^
Seems like this game is going to have a serious contingent of Michigan fans for a road game 2000 miles away. The Harbaugh factor.
January 17th, 2015 at 7:18 PM ^
January 18th, 2015 at 11:08 AM ^
Coming from Boulder. Start of the Harbaugh Era is just too awesome to pass up. We'll be going regardless of the ticket situation--worst case we'll tailgate and then watch in a bar.
January 17th, 2015 at 7:17 PM ^
January 17th, 2015 at 7:30 PM ^
January 17th, 2015 at 7:46 PM ^
Thirded. And fourth'd.
January 17th, 2015 at 8:04 PM ^
January 17th, 2015 at 8:07 PM ^
January 17th, 2015 at 11:39 PM ^
January 17th, 2015 at 7:20 PM ^
Sent from MGoBlog HD for iPhone & iPad
January 17th, 2015 at 8:24 PM ^
January 17th, 2015 at 7:23 PM ^
January 17th, 2015 at 7:27 PM ^
There's plenty to do in the SLC area.
January 17th, 2015 at 7:30 PM ^
January 17th, 2015 at 7:57 PM ^
I was going to do it until I saw how much it cost... yeesh.
January 17th, 2015 at 8:46 PM ^
They do discounts every now and then but yeah, it's costly. The price is mostly to pay for the logistics and for the professional bobsled driver who takes you down.
January 17th, 2015 at 9:01 PM ^
No doubt it's not cheap to run/maintain. I was just an idiot who didn't look at the price before I drove up there. I was still tempted but in the end just couldn't justify it to myself.
January 18th, 2015 at 8:17 AM ^
Well done. I'm a Utahn now, and these are pretty much the things I'd suggest. If you have time, it's worth it though to take a trek down to Southern Utah (St. George or Cedar City) and get some hiking in. September would be hot, but it's still worth it.
Also, if you're feeling rowdy, Idaho is 2 hours north and you can get lottery tickets & non-3.2 beer there.
January 18th, 2015 at 11:17 AM ^
This is great. Just checked and the Bees play Sept 1-3 at home. Minor League Baseball on that trip definitely sounds fun.
January 17th, 2015 at 7:29 PM ^
January 17th, 2015 at 7:45 PM ^
There are a lot of things to do. Utah is one of the most beautiful states in the Union, so outdoor activities definitely rank among the best you'll find anywhere. The aforementioned Park City is a great place to visit for a day or two. The Olympic Training Center is there and you can pay (a hefty fee) to go down the bobsled runs. There are also many, many excellent bars and restaurants, hiking, fishing, etc. Obviously, when it's ski season, go for the awesome powder.
In SLC proper, there are many exceptional places to grab food and the libation of your choice. One of the best places to get a burger (and most unusual) is Crown Burger (a small chain of about 3 restaurants in Utah). The namesake burger is a 1/3-pounder piled high with excellent pastrami made in house, cheese, lettuce, tomato and "fry sauce" (50/50 mix of mayo and ketchup seasoned with onion powder). It's still one of the best I've ever eaten.
A very authentic Mexican restaurant near the airport on North Temple is the Red Iguana. Be prepared to wait, but the mole sauces (seven kinds) are some of the best you'll find anywhere.
Being the headquarters of the LDS Church as well as the capitol of Utah, there are many museums around the city as well.
Enjoy SLC and the surrounding areas. I'm not a Mormon, but I found the people to be friendly and accommodating anyway. If you find yourself near the Temple in the center of SLC, you almost certainly be asked if you are interested in learning about the faith. If you are, great. If not, politely decline. You won't be pestered.
(An interesting factoid about the LDS faith: anyone not of the faith is considered a "gentile", even Jews. It's an oddity, but an amusing one.)
Utah is one of my favorite places to visit. Frankly, I may have talked myself into heading out for the game as well.
January 17th, 2015 at 8:14 PM ^
January 18th, 2015 at 8:18 AM ^
Guys, I found the gentile!
January 17th, 2015 at 9:45 PM ^
seems to be mentioned quite a bit in this thread.
Lots of great suggestions.
Many thanks!
January 17th, 2015 at 7:43 PM ^
If you're a fan of beer I recommend The Bayou (pricey but a great selection), The Beerhive (not as pricey but still a good selection), and the Beer Bar. For non-beer the usual recommendation is Bar-X which is connected to the Beer Bar via a hallway. There are plenty of other bars as well. The tap beers are limited to 3.2% (which is really about 4% in the more commonly used term). The bottled beers can be whatever.
Good places to eat. Breakfast - Ruth's (in Emmigration Canyon and awesome) and Pig and a Jelly Jar are two of my favs. Lunch/dinner - Moochies, R&R BBQ, Red Iguana, Faustina (pricey for SLC), Vinto, Stoneground, etc.
Breweries - Epic (awesome awesome awesome), Uinta (also really good), Wasatch/Squatters (pretty good), and Red Rock (pretty good).
Park City - Downtown is pretty cool if touristy. The High West Distillary is always recommended for food and drink.
Sites - Big Cottonwood or Little Cottonwood for the hiking. The Great Salt Lake (it stinks really badly so be forewarned). The Mormon Temple (meh). I guess City Creek is interesting if you want to see what a billion dollar mall looks like (no big deal as far as I'm concerned). There's also a zoo and various museums that range from good to ok (the Natural History Museum is pretty sweet). I don't think the Rio Tinto mine is open to the public again yet but maybe by then it will be.
January 17th, 2015 at 7:50 PM ^
January 17th, 2015 at 7:51 PM ^
January 17th, 2015 at 8:07 PM ^
I used to live in Utah. You all will enjoy the visit, it's goregous. Sugarhouse and the Avenues are the best neighborhoods. Park City for the "Aspen" feel. Follow the restaurant suggestions others provided above. Drive up Little Cottonwood Canyon to Alta and Snowbird - really beautiful drive. The more I think about it there's not a ton to do, but I recommend the trip. My favorite part of living there was the outdoors.
January 17th, 2015 at 8:07 PM ^
No one as mentioned Antelope Island, so I may as well ... it's pretty cool if you're in a hiking mood:
http://stateparks.utah.gov/park/antelope-island-state-park
Little bit of a poke from SLC ...
Most people are pleasantly surprised by the range and quality of diversions in the area. SLC is underrated IMO.
January 18th, 2015 at 10:18 AM ^