UTAH: THE BEEHIVE STATE
BY CLAY
LARROY
A
vacation can soothe the soul and leave you renewed, refreshed, and invigorated.
Whether you are just now starting to plan your next vacation, or are merely
looking for travel
ideas and suggestions, read all the articles about travel. So take away some of
the stress of making travel plans, and get started thinking about the fun and
relaxing times you will soon be having on your next trip! When you are ready to plan an
exciting vacation contact me!
SALT LAKE CITY, “CROSSROADS OF THE WEST”
About
Salt Lake City
Salt Lake City, the capital of Utah, boasts a spectacular setting.
Cradled in a natural basin below the Wasatch Mountains and extending to the
southern shore of the Great Salt Lake, its natural allure is evident.
This must certainly have
been true in 1847 when Mormon Pioneer Brigham Young arrived here and
established the famous home of The Church Of The Latter Day Saints. While Salt
Lake City is intrinsically linked to the temple erected at the heart of Temple
Square, the city still follows its own trajectory.
Today, less than half the
population is Mormon and it's the student and immigrant communities that
thrive. Add a flourishing dining scene, eye-catching museums and astonishing
number of bars, and Salt Lake City really starts to surprise you.
In their struggle against
discrimination, the Mormons have gained an unlikely ally in the LGBT community,
and the three-day Pride Festival has become one of Salt Lake's biggest
celebrations.
You can bag your share of
culture at the excellent Utah Museum of Contemporary Art or at the Natural
History Museum of Utah, based in a sleek 21st-century home conceived to be an
extension of the local landscape.
The lure of the mountains
is what brings many visitors to Salt Lake. Catch sight of a license plate and
you might spy Utah's claim to have the ‘greatest snow on earth'. Over 12m
(500-plus inches) of super-fluffy white stuff blankets the region annually, and
you can ski a different mountain every day of the week. Four major resorts are
so close you can take a local bus and be back in town for après at the opera or
the symphony. In summer, hiking and camping takes over, along with road trips
to Utah's iconic national parks.
And you can forget all
you've heard about Utah being a dry state. For years, smart brewpubs and innovative
microbreweries have succeeded in watering the thirsty with local ales in the
face of restrictive Utah booze laws - let's drink to that.
Tours
& Excursions
Tourist Information Centers
Salt Lake Convention & Visitors Bureau
90 South West Temple
Salt Lake City
United States
Salt Lake City
United States
(801) 534 4900.
Mon-Fri 0900-1800, Sat and Sun 0900-1700.
Excursions
Dinosaur National Monument
Covering 842 sq km (325 sq
miles) in Utah and Colorado, the Dinosaur National Monument contains the
largest quarry of bones from the Jurassic Period ever found. The Dinosaur
Quarry Visitor Centre is closed indefinitely, but a few fossils can be seen by
hiking 0.8km (0.5 miles) from the temporary visitor center. The dinosaur
fossils lie on the Utah side of the park, east of Vernal and north of Jensen,
about 296km (185 miles) from Salt Lake City via Highway 40. The temporary
visitor center is open daily 0830-1730 (summer) and Monday to Friday 0830-1630
(winter). Ancient petroglyphs are also visible in the park. The park is open
from sunrise to sunset and there is an admission charge. The area is also
popular for white-water rafting on the Green and Yampa rivers, while the
Colorado side has miles of hiking trails and scenic canyons.
(970) 374 3000.
Park City
Nestled in the western
ranges of the Rockies, Utah's largest ski area and headquarters of the US ski
team is 51km (32 miles) east of Salt Lake City. A former silver mining boom
town, the historic buildings of the central downtown area make a charming
contrast to the modern condos of the surrounding ski resorts. This is Salt Lake
City's year-round playground. In summer, visitors hike and bike 563km (350
miles) of scenic trails, while in winter, Park City is the major ski and
snowboard hub, surrounded by Utah's famed powder snow ski resorts. On top of
all this, every January the town draws a further 40,000 visitors to the now
world-famous Sundance Film Festival.
(435) 658 9616.
Thanksgiving Point Institute
Lying 44 km (28 miles)
south of the city, the Thanksgiving Point Institute offers educational
facilities, quality restaurants and an award-winning golf course, alongside the
largest botanical garden in North America and the world's largest dinosaur
museum, exhibiting hundreds of fossils (many discovered locally), all set
within a huge 283 hectare (700 acre) site. There is also a discovery garden and
farm country animal park for children and a regular calendar of events, from
western themed evenings to sushi making classes.
(801) 768 2300 or 1 888 672
6040.
Bonneville Salt Flats
So flat you can see the
curvature of the earth, this desolate, alien and fascinating location has long
been a firm favorite with film-makers, and of course land-speed record
breakers, since Sir Malcolm Campbell was first lured here in the 1930s. One of
the most extraordinary natural features in the world, this densely packed salt
pan (the remnants of a prehistoric sea) stretches over 12,140 hectares (30,000
acres). Located along I-80 near the Utah-Nevada border, the Bonneville Salt
Flats State Park lies roughly 150km (93 miles) west of Salt Lake City, but the
unique, other-worldly majesty of this vast white plain is well worth the trip.
(801) 977 4300.
Great Salt Lake
No visit to the region is
complete without a glimpse of the Great Salt Lake that gave this city its name.
Several times saltier than the ocean, with a salinity as high as 27% at times,
it is the largest lake west of the Mississippi River. In the late 19th century,
it was lined with fashionable resorts. Today, only the shabby Salt Air Palace
gives testimony to its former glory days. Floating in the lake and picnicking
are popular activities. The Great Salt Lake is open to the public daily between
0800-dusk and admission is free. The lake is located 27km (17 miles) west of
Salt Lake City and is reached from exit 104 on I-80.
(801) 250 1898.
Tours
Walking tours
A self-guided walk of the
Downtown, starting at the Visitor Information Center, 90 South West Temple,
runs past the Salt Palace Convention Center to Temple Square. Just east of the
square are historic landmarks such as the Beehive House and Eagle Gate, as well
as modern attractions such as the Clark Planetarium. Pick up Utah Heritage
Foundation's Historic Downtown Salt Lake City Walking Tour Guide, which
contains a map and five highlighted one-hour walking tours, including a special
tour of Main Street for kids.
(801) 534 4900 or (800) 541 4955.
Bus tours
Take in the city's finest
sights with Gray Line Tours, which tours the city daily between Monday and
Saturday, covering nearly every point of interest in Salt Lake during a four
hour tour with a break for lunch. Highlights include Salt Lake Temple, the
Mormon Tabernacle, State Capitol Building, Governor's Mansion, Beehive House,
Lion House and the Temple Gardens and Fountains, while professional guides
recount the city's fascinating history, from its pioneer beginnings to the
present day. Your pick-up location can be pre-arranged by phone.
(801) 534 1001.
Horse drawn carriage tours
Carriage for Hire offers
half-hour and one-hour city tours by horse-drawn carriage. Carriages are
allowed anywhere in the city and drivers can pick up passengers and drop them
off at nearby hotels and restaurants. The half-hour City Ride covers Downtown,
taking in the Capitol Theatre, Gallivan Plaza, the County Courthouse and one of
the oldest Main Streets in the West.
(801) 363 8687.
REFERENCE SITES:
I've had opportunities. But
I'm happy at Utah. I can do a lot of nice things and I love the kids. We work
hard and we have fun.
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