Salt Lake City, the religious center of the Mormons (Latter Day Saints) and capital of the state of Utah, lies in a high valley of the Jordan River, once an inhospitable tract of country between the rocky summits, rising to over 10,000ft/3,000m, of the Wasatch Range in the east, the Great Salt Lake to the northwest and the Great Salt Lake Desert to the west. The rich resources of raw materials in the area led to the development of metal-processing and chemical industries, and the city is now also a prosperous banking and commercial center. Irrigated farming and tourism also make contributions to its economy.
Salt Lake City was founded on July 24th 1847 by Mormons led by Brigham Young who had reached this desert valley after an eighteen-month trek from Illinois. The settlers soon began to irrigate the land and build up a town. Starting from present-day Temple Square, they laid out an ambitious grid plan which still determines the layout of the city. The area, then under Mexican sovereignty, was ceded to the United States under the treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo in 1848. The Mormons took advantage of this change to establish a state of their own based on their religious ideas. The capital of this state of Deseret ("honey-bee") was Salt Lake City. The young city claimed a similar status for the territory of Utah (named after the Ute Indians), established in 1850, whose first Governor was Brigham Young. The gold rush in the West and the completion of the transcontinental railroad brought increasing numbers of people to the city, which now achieved a modest degree of prosperity. After the Mormons officially renounced polygamy Utah was admitted to the Union as the 45th state. During the 20th century the city developed at a great pace, tripling its population between 1900 and 1930, and thereafter it grew rapidly into a large modern city.
One of the main attractions of Salt Lake City is the Clark Planetarium, with its popular presentations of astronomy (multi-vision and laser shows, etc.). The Planetarium also has a museum and a specialized library.
The Clark Planetarium is located in the Gateway Mall which is west of the Energy Solutions Arena.
Hours:
10:30am-10pm; Fri:10:30am-11pm; Sat:10:30am-11pm
Always closed on: Thanksgiving - USA (4th Thursday, November ), Christmas - Christian (December 25)
Tips: The Hansen Dome theatre is closed on Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day, and closes early on Christmas Eve.
It is said that when he arrived here, Brigham Young proclaimed "This is the place". A monument here commemorates the 100th anniversary of the Mormons' arrival.
The Antique Classic Special Interest Automobile Museum in Salt Lake City features antique, classic, and special cars, including a 1929 Duesenberg, a Stutz Bearcat, a 1936 Packard and a 1906 Cadillac "Tulip" Roadster.
The Brigham Young Historic Park is located on the southeast corner of State Street and Second Avenue in Salt Lake City. The park is on land once owned by Brigham Young and has a creek, a waterwheel, and statues. It features free concerts during the summer.
The California Trail carried more than 200,000 goldminers and farmers to California during the gold rush years of the 1840's and 1850's. The California Trail system covers more than 5,500mi/8,850kms and passes through the states of Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska, Colorado, Wyoming, Utah, Nevada, Oregon, and California.
Address: California National Historic Trail, 324 South State Street, Suite 250, Box 45155, Salt Lake City, UT 84145-0155, United States
Phone: 1 (801) 539-4095, Fax: 1 (801) 539-4098
The restored Capitol Theatre in Salt Lake City is home to the Utah Opera Company and other performances. The building was built in 1925 and originally called the Orpheum.
Address: Capitol Theatre (Utah Opera), 123 W South Temple , Salt Lake City, UT 84101, United States
Phone: 1 (801) 533-6683, Fax: 1 (801) 736-6815
The Cathedral of The Madeleine is located on South Temple Street in Salt Lake City. The cathedral was built in 1909 by Bishop Lawrence Scanlon and extensively renovated in 1993. It features two 220-foot towers.
Address: Cathedral of the Madeleine, 331 East South Temple, Salt Lake City, UT 84111-1295, United States
Phone: 1 (801) 328-8941, Fax: 1 (801) 364-6504
Just east of Capitol Hill in Salt Lake City is the City Creek Canyon with numerous hiking and biking trails. City Creek flows across the city into the Jordan River and Great Salt Lake. It was once Salt Lake City's water supply.
Tips: Open for hikers every day of the week.
Vehicle use is regulated in summer.
Discovery Gateway in Salt Lake City was formerly known as the Children's Museum of Utah. It is the best children's museum in Utah with more than 60,000 square feet of educational exhibits for kids, including a model train exhibit, puppet theater, and Science Discovery Lab.
The Energy Solutions Arena (formerly known as the Delta Center) in Salt Lake City is the home of the Utah Jazz of the NBA and the Utah Starzz of the WNBA.
The Finch Lane Gallery in Salt Lake City hosts rentals, performances, literary programs, and art exhibits. The visual arts are displayed in a range of styles and mediums.
Address: Finch Lane Gallery/ Art Barn, 1340 East 100 South, Salt Lake City, UT 84102-1871, United States
Phone: 1 (801) 596-5000, Fax: 1 (801) 530-0547
Hours:
9am-5pm; Closed: Sun, Sat
Always closed on: New Year's Day (January 1), Thanksgiving - USA (4th Thursday, November ), Christmas - Christian (December 25)
The First Presbyterian Church in Salt Lake City was dedicated on October 11, 1874. It was the third anniversary of the first Presbyterian service held in the city.
Immediately east of the University Of Utah campus, on Wasatch Drive, is the historic Fort Douglas Military Museum.
The fort grounds cover 9,000 acres, but only the museum is open to visitors with exhibits that preserve the fort's history. The site is a National Historic landmark.
Hours:
12pm-5pm; Closed: Sun, Mon
Always closed on: New Year's Day (January 1), Thanksgiving - USA (4th Thursday, November ), Christmas - Christian (December 25), Easter - Christian
Disability Access: Full facilities for persons with disabilities.
Built in 1994, Franklin Covey Field, in Salt Lake City is the home of the Salt Lake Buzz, a Triple-A baseball team affiliated with the Minnesota Twins. The stadium seats 15,000.
Address: Franklin Covey Field, 77 West 1300 South, Box 4108, Salt Lake City, UT 84110-4108, United States
Phone: 1 (801) 485-3800, Fax: 1 (801) 485-6818
The Glendinning Gallery is located in the Glendinning mansion on East South Temple Street in Salt Lake City. The gallery features exhibitions of art from the Utah Arts Council and the State Fine Art Collection.
Address: Glendinning Gallery, Utah Arts Council 617 East South Temple, Salt Lake City, UT 84102-1177, United States
Phone: 1 (801) 236-7555, Fax: 1 (801) 236-7556
The Governor's Mansion, built by Thomas Kearns, director of mining, in 1901, bears witness to the early prosperity brought by Utah's rich mineral resources. The house, with its period interior, is now the Governor's official residence.
The house was built beginning in 1898 by Thomas Kearns who had business interests in silver.
Stairs leading to the Governor's Mansion in Salt Lake City.
Hours:
June 1 to August 31: 2pm-4pm; Closed: Sun, Mon, Wed, Fri, Sat
December 1 to December 16: 2pm-4pm; Closed: Sun, Mon, Wed, Fri, Sat, Sun, Mon, Wed, Fri, Sat
The Hellenic Cultural Museum in Salt Lake City has displays on the life of early Greek immigrants to the area. Displays include a mining exhibit, which features early coal and metal mining in Utah; religion; photographs, movies, videos, tape interviews, recordings, costumes, dolls, old letters, military service, manuscripts, early mining tools, and artifacts from Greece.
Hours:
am-am; Wed:9am-12pm; Closed: Sun, Mon, Tue, Thu, Fri, Sat
Tips: Tours by appointment. Open Sundays after church services for one hour.
The International Peace Gardens have displays of flowers characteristic of different nations, symbolizing the peaceful co-existence of different peoples.
The Memory Grove in Salt Lake City is dedicated to Utah residents who lost their lives in the World Wars. It is located at the mouth of City Creek Canyon, just east of the State Capitol.
The Pioneer Memorial Museum traces in its 38 rooms the history of the settlement and the cultivation of the originally inhospitable valley to which the Mormons came in 1847, with numerous wagons, agricultural implements and other objects recalling the days of the pioneers.
Additional exhibits include paintings by noted Utah artists, guns, flags, furniture and quilts, books, as well as hand-made clothing.
Hours:
June 1 to August 31: 9am-5pm; Sun:1pm-5pm
September 1 to May 31: 9am-5pm; Closed: Sun
Tips: Closed on holidays and Sundays during winter.
Pioneer Park in Salt Lake City is the site of a Farmer's Market every Saturday morning. The park also features volleyball courts, picnic facilities and an amphitheater.
The Salt Lake City Public Library has a collection of prints by early Utah artists, as well as contemporary artists from the rest of the United States.
Address: Salt Lake City Public Library, 210 East 400 South, Salt Lake City, UT 84111-3280, United States
Phone: 1 (801) 524-8200, Fax: 1 (801) 524-8272
Hours:
9am-9pm; Sun:1pm-5pm; Fri:9am-6pm; Sat:9am-6pm
Always closed on: New Year's Day (January 1), American Independance Day (July 4), Thanksgiving - USA (4th Thursday, November ), Christmas - Christian (December 25), Easter - Christian
Parking: Pay
Disability Access: Full facilities for persons with disabilities.
The Salt Lake City Cemetery is the largest city-owned cemetery in the United States. 120,000 persons are buried in the cemetery, including many leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Address: Salt Lake City Cemetery, 200 N Street, Salt Lake City, UT 84103-3551, United States
Phone: 1 (801) 596-5020, Fax: 1 (801) 596-5024
The old streetcar depot, built in 1908, has been transformed into an elegant shopping and entertainment center, with attractive shops and boutiques, restaurants and various entertainment facilities.
The Utah Historical Society Museum in Salt Lake City features a wide range of artifacts from the history of the state. It is located in a restored railroad station.
Address: Utah Historical Society Museum, 300 Rio Grande Street, Salt Lake City, UT 84101-1182, United States
Phone: 1 (801) 533-3501, Fax: 1 (801) 533-3567
The Utah State Fairpark grounds are the site of the ten-day Utah State Fair which is held each September in Salt Lake City. The fair features art and agricultural activities including a rodeo.
Address: Utah State Fair Park, 155 North 1000 West, Salt Lake City, UT 84116-3307, United States
Phone: 1 (801) 538-8400, Fax: 1 (801) 538-8455
Wingpointe is one of Salt Lake City's top golf courses. It opened in 1990 and was designed by Arthur Hills. It features 18 holes at 7,100 yards on 194 acres.
The ZCMI Shopping Mall in Salt Lake City is anchored by the department stores Nordstrom, Meier and Frank. The mall is named for ZCMI which was the oldest department store in the western United States and was founded in 1868.
Read More
Read Less
Read More
Read Less
Read More
Mormon Tabernacle
Mormon Temple, Salt Lake City
Temple Square, Salt Lake City
Mormon Tabernacle, Salt Lake City
State Capitol, Salt Lake City
Tracy Aviary, Salt Lake City
Assembly Hall, Salt Lake City
Mormon Temple, Salt Lake City
