Salt Lake City stands out over all the other cities in the US due to it’s culture and lifestyle. It is the only city in the US that has a huge center on one religion. We love learning all about different religions and cultures so this was a fun and informative trip for us.
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Transportation
- Salt Lake City International Airport: We started off our day flying into this major airport in Utah.
- TRAX: After exiting security, we followed the signs for the light rail. All day passes only run $6 per person and it is a great way to get around the city. This also gives you access to the city buses if need be, but we just walked to the light rail stations. We took the light rail to the “City Center” station and got off.
To-Do
- Temple Square: One of the main things to do in Salt Lake city is to explore . We are not personally Mormon, but it is always interesting to learn about another group’s religion and the history behind it. This is a very sacred place for them and we were honored that we were able to be there.
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- Joseph Smith Memorial Building: This building used to be a hotel when it was built in 1911 and many of the original features are still in tact today. Today, the building houses offices for the church of the Latter Day Saints, banquet rooms frequently used for wedding parties and rehearsals, a theater, restaurants, and a family research center (you can find information about your ancestors here for no charge). In the main hall with the chandelier, you will find friendly tour guides who are more than happy to give you a free tour of the complex, complete with plenty of history facts.
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- Walk around the grounds of the Temple Square: We had a great time exploring the peaceful grounds of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints-Salt Lake Temple. There are numerous waterfalls, trees, tulip fields, and of course, the amazing architecture of all the buildings in the square.
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- The Tabernacle: Also known as the Mormon Tabernacle, this stunning, huge organ is played in 30 minute organ recitals that are presented Monday-Saturday at noon and Sunday at 2pm and it is free to listen. You can read all about the history of the organ here.
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- Assembly Hall: Built in 1882, it is a meeting hall that has free concerts and recitals that are presented weekly. They did not have anything going on when we were passing by so we just got to marvel at the outside beauty.
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- Beehive House: This house was built in 1854 and was the official residence of Brigham Young, a leader in the Latter Day Saint Movement and a settler of the Western United States. They offer free tours daily from 9am-8:30pm.
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- Church Office Building: We went into this building to get some great views from the top. They offer free tours Monday-Friday from 9am-11am and then from 1pm-4pm.
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They gave us a small tour and showed us the artwork on the first floor before taking us up to the 26th floor. Once up there, we had an opportunity to see all of Salt Lake City.
- City Creek Center: The only non-Temple Square activity that we did was go for some shopping at the City Creek Center. It is a two story, mostly indoor mall with tons of restaurants and shops.
Food
- Nauvoo Café: This cute little café is located inside the Joseph Smith Memorial Building and serves breakfast until 10:30am. After that they serve a variety of sandwiches, soups, salads, etc. We had their homemade turkey pot pie and it was very delicious and quite filling. It was fast and easy to order-we had our food within 5 minutes of ordering. On top of that, it was very inexpensive!
- Crown Burgers: Don’t be fooled by the outside, it looks absolutely nothing like a burger restaurant, but these burgers are great! They have an extensive menu including char broiled burgers, fries, onion rings, and delicious shakes. You must try the Crown Burger, which has Pastrami on it and is absolutely delicious. Also the fries are fresh and crispy and we had the Oreo shake (the sizes are very big so if you are wanting a medium, get the small). In addition to all of that, you need to try their “special sauce”.
