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Post by crimsoncat05 on Aug 6, 2024 20:51:17 GMT
Hello, Peas! My DH and I are in the early stages of planning a trip (probably driving from StL area, probably taking a week off of work) to the Salt Lake City area sometime in October. Where should we go and what should we see when we're there? (we're not LDS; we like history, museums, botanic gardens, the outdoors, etc.)
Background: we're thinking long-term about moving back out west' for our late-stage careers and retirement and are starting to scout places. But I'm not sure the place we're looking for actually exists...
Going back to Phoenix is out- the weather is getting too hot there and the water issues were already getting scary even before we moved away; Colorado is too blue politically for my DH (yes, I know... don't ask; we don't discuss politics); what we've seen of New Mexico is okay, but we'd like a larger metro area than Albuquerque. We want wherever we end up to be not too hot / humid in the summer, not too cold / snowy in the winter, minimum weather events (like tornadoes, hurricanes, etc.)... just your basic (non-existent) Goldilocks climate, lol. And a decent-sized metro area fairly close by, although we don't want to live IN the suburbs, and would like to find at least a few acres of land if possible. We both like the 'openness' of the Western landscape, and would like to get back to that wherever we settle.
So, Salt Lake City is an area that *might* fit the bill for some of our factors, at least? Not sure.
ETA: I visit here regularly, but don't have much time to post nowadays, with my job and home stuff. Will give a bit of an update on what's been going on, if anyone wants to know...
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Post by disneypal on Aug 6, 2024 20:58:47 GMT
Even though I am not LDS, I really enjoyed touring and walking around Temple Square. There is a lot of history and information there plus we were lucky to catch the choir rehearsing at the Tabernacle one day and we were allowed to sit in and watch. I learned a lot about the LDS religion and talked to some nice young missionaries who were so willing to answer any questions.
You are not too far from Park City, where the Sundance Film Festival takes place. I nice town to visit and look around in. We enjoyed our trip there.
We enjoyed driving around and seeing natural places, like Bridal Veil Falls and driving around Provo Canyon (we rented a car while there) We went to Salt Lake but only stayed a minute - it smelled horrible when we went (due to the algae that grows in it). |
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Post by Darcy Collins on Aug 6, 2024 21:12:55 GMT
There's lots of hiking and such in SLC. I've only been there a few times for specific purposes so don't have a lot of recommendations for urban stuff - it's a pretty small city. Just an FYI, Colorado Springs is very similar politically to SLC and most of Colorado is very red outside of Denver and Boulder. Have you thought about Boise?
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Post by Alexxussss on Aug 6, 2024 21:22:58 GMT
If you like Mexican food, the Red Iguana is a must!!!
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Post by chedanemi on Aug 6, 2024 22:04:56 GMT
We just spent a few days in Park City in June. The town is lovely to walk around in, and I believe on Sundays, it's pedestrian only on the main street. We took a dip in the Homestead Crater in Midway, Utah; about 30 minutes from Park City. It was about $15 per person for 40 minutes swim time. It's a geothermal hot spring which maintains a continuous temperature of 95 in all weather. The drive across the mountains on highway 92, going by Sundance Ski Resort (which has a great gondola!) is a beautiful drive. Wasatch Mountain State Park is another very scenic area. We had a picnic at one of the view points along the route.
We really didn't do anything in SLC. Two of us had been before and saw no reason to go again, and as previously mentioned, the lake smells! (We were there for a George Strait concert though, so that made up for it!)
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Post by lavawalker1 on Aug 6, 2024 23:24:02 GMT
If you like Mexican food, the Red Iguana is a must!!! I came here to say this! I grew up around great Mexican food in SoCal, so it was nice to find this! |
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Post by lavawalker1 on Aug 6, 2024 23:32:52 GMT
We’re not LDS, but enjoyed seeing Temple Square. We missed the choir rehearsal which everyone recommends, but caught a 30 min organ recital which was awesome! The grounds are beautiful!
Also, it has been under construction for several years and it still is. If you drive by, it will look like you can’t go in and walk around. If you decide to go, check their website or call just to make sure. Afterwards we walked around the beautiful mall across the street. It was super hot and we were looking for cold refreshments 😊
We also went to Provo, and it was a beautiful area, but they were having some event and the parking was really bad. We didn’t end up stopping, but would love to go back and check it out on a weekday next time.
Enjoy!
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Post by lisae on Aug 7, 2024 0:24:00 GMT
I've just read a couple of books by Courtney Carver. She is a blogger/author based in Salt Lake City. She talks about the area a little bit. The books are about simplifying your life and simplifying your wardrobe. Her website is bemorewithless.com
I've never been to Salt Lake City but I can see why it might fit your wish list. Good luck in your quest.
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snyder
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 4,343 
Location: Colorado
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Post by snyder on Aug 7, 2024 0:27:37 GMT
We enjoyed driving around Antelope Island. Lots of wildlife and nice views.
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Post by ntsf on Aug 7, 2024 1:13:22 GMT
boise is hot and smokey in the summer.. mild and occasionally snowy in winter and spiking real estate prices.
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Post by needmysanity on Aug 7, 2024 12:48:51 GMT
I grew up in Salt Lake City - it is a beautiful place. Tour Temple Square and take in the history of the LDS church (even if you aren't Mormon, it's still interesting). You can also go up to This is the Place Heritage Park if you want more of the history.
Someone mentioned Park City already. PC is one of my favorite places! Check out the Olympic Park - you can even ride a bobsled if you are adventurous.
Snow Bird is a fun ski resort to visit during the off season. Ride the tram up, take the ski lift back down. They have October fest through Oct 13th as well.
One of my favorite (easy) hikes is Donut Falls.
Even though I swore I would never live there again, I would move back if I could get my husband to agree. The amount of LDS people living there has decreased quite a bit since I grew up there which is why I think I could move back.
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Post by epeanymous on Aug 7, 2024 14:43:52 GMT
I went to BYU for a conference about ten years ago. I didn’t find much in Provo (although scrapbooking stores still abounded at that time—no idea if they still do), but I did like walking around SLC and touring around the museum, publicly-accessible buildings, etc. I also had a good meal at the Copper Onion (I am pretty sure that was the name of the restaurant). I had rented a car, so drove up to Park City and paid for a tour of the Olympic facilities. I really enjoyed that. I also drove to the Great Salt Lake, which was cool to see but smelly  . |
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Post by bc2ca on Aug 7, 2024 15:14:53 GMT
Will give a bit of an update on what's been going on, if anyone wants to know... I'd love an update.  It's been a while since we were in SLC, but I do agree doing a Temple Square tour was interesting even for us nonMormons and, like many others have said, Park City was a highlight. We also visited Timpanogos Cave National Monument. Timed tickets were needed then but were easy to get. Our kids were 5 & 7 at the time so it wasn't too strenuous a hike/walk up. Probably not on everyone's list of places to visit, but DH & I both had connections to the mining world so we enjoyed the tour of the Kennecott Cooper Mine. Just an FYI on actually living there, SLC is prone to winter weather inversions where cold air and pollution are trapped below warmer air for days at a time. A good realtor will help you figure out how far out of the basin you need to live to escape the worst of it. |
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