If you’re like most of us in the U.S. right now, you’re probably on partial or full lockdown and limiting your exposure to people and places. It can be difficult to keep your spirits up when everything feels so tumultuous and uncertain. One thing that’s lifted my spirits, is to think ahead to summer when bike paths are filled with riders, dog parks are bursting with dogs and their owners, and restaurants and bars are packed with townies and visitors. There’s no better time than right now to start planning a vacation or some day trips in Salt Lake City, Utah—a favorite U.S. destination for vacationers.
If you live in or nearby Salt Lake City or simply want to visit the canyon-filled outdoor utopia, here are five fun-packed activities to chase away your blues and get your imagination working overtime:
1. Float in the Great Salt Lake
The salt content is extremely high in the Great Salt Lake (over 4.5 billion tons of salt), making it 10 times denser than a normal ocean. The northern side of the lake is even saltier at 28%, just shy of the Dead Sea’s 31% salt content.
Take your towel and head to Bridger Bay Beach (considered to be the nicest beach on the lake) for a float. Many visitors like the experience of bobbing in the water like a cork on this two-miles long, 100 yards wide beach. The beach is filled with tiny, light brown rounded sand, called oolitic sand. Indigenous to the Great Salt Lake, oolitic sand can also be found in Baffin Bay (Texas), the eastern Mediterranean Sea, the Persian Gulf, and the waters surrounding the Bahamas—making it quite a rarity.
Why don’t you sink? Just like the Dead Sea, the Great Salt Lake’s very high salinity makes the water denser than humans. When that happens, we become buoyant. It’s a true natural wonder, and one you’re sure to remember.
2. Peddle a Bike through Town
Salt Lake City hosts a year-round program called Bicycle Benefits. To join, cyclists must shell out a mere five bucks at any of the 80+ participating businesses. In exchange you’ll receive a sticker to put on your bike helmet. Simply peddle to any of the partnering businesses and show your stickered helmet to receive discounts. It's a great way to learn the layout of a new city.
Here’s a list of participating businesses. Remember, local businesses join each month and the sticker never expires.
3. Walk the Temple Square Tour
You can’t visit Salt Lake City without stopping at Salt Lake City’s most popular tourist destination –Temple Square. Located in downtown Salt Lake City, it’s easily accessible and stretches nearly three city blocks. If you’re short on time but want to pack as much as you can in, Temple Square is a must-see! Home to almost 20 Latter-day Saint attractions, you can easily spend an entire day learning about their pioneer history and genealogy. Here’s some of the places you can stop and explore during your walking tour:
- Salt Lake Temple
- Joseph Smith Memorial Building
- The Tabernacle
- Family History Library
- Assembly Hall
- Deuel Pioneer Log Home
- Church History Museum
- Conference Center
- Church History Library
- Mormon Pioneer Memorial Monument
- Social Hall Heritage Museum
Utah.com has a complete list, description and map of all attractions on the Temple Square walking tour.
4. Dine Outdoors
Watching one of the infamous Salt Lake City sunsets while dining al fresco is one of the nicest parts of spending a day in Salt Lake City. Wondering where to go? From Italian to Greek to New American, here are some of the best patio restaurants s in Salt Lake City. The only hard part is choosing just one!
5. Sip a Craft Beer
April is Salt Lake's official craft beer month. Because of Utah’s strict liquor laws (all draft beer in Utah must be under 5% – recently increased from 3.2%), beer brewers focus on flavor rather than strength. There are over 30 breweries in Salt Lake City and if tasting craft beer is on your agenda, make sure to take advantage of the Brewery Tour Mobile Pass.
With the pass, you’ll receive $5 vouchers to use for food or drinks at 13 different breweries. Many places offer tasters for under $5, making it an economical choice for a day of booze, food and fun.
