What to do In Salt Lake City, UT
Our first stop in Utah was Salt Lake City.
After sharing this was an exciting destination for us, we were told so many times, “there is nothing to do in Salt Lake City”. Utah in general is known for having strange liquor laws and is known for being a rather conservative state. We get it, the Mormon church pretty much runs the entire state (and by pretty much, I mean they do). Here’s the thing, times are changing. A once conservative city that was seen as boring with nothing to do now has a lot to offer. Great food, good beer, awesome hikes and activities nearby. We thoroughly enjoyed our time in this city, and are happy to prove how wrong people’s misconceptions are. Take a look at all of the fun we had in Salt Lake in our video below!
We think one of the best ways to get to know a city is through their food. We ended up finding a great food blog from a local where we found recommendations on the best restaurants in Salt Lake City. This list definitely didn’t disappoint! Most of the places we went to were directly from that blog.
REd Iguana
This restaurant was recommended to us by at least a dozen locals. It’s a beloved institution serving up delicious moles and Mexican food. While it’s not the most authentic Mexican food we’ve ever had, it was delicious Tex-Mex. To add, their moles are incredible. Even if you don’t get a mole dish, make sure to ask for a sample of their moles to start! This was a great way to start our dining adventure in Salt Lake.
Who doesn’t love a good bite of sushi. We definitely do! Takashi is a newer restaurant and is one of the top places to eat in Salt Lake City currently. We had to wait nearly an hour to get a table at this delicious restaurant. Everything we had was super fresh, bright, and delightful. If you are stuck waiting, don’t miss out on the great bar and restaurant next door, Post Office Place which is owned by the same people as Takashi.
Whether your on a budget, or ready to go ham, there is a lot to do in Salt Lake City.
Temple Square is home of the Mormon Church. It’s a beautiful church regardless if you are mormon or not, and attracts a ton of visitors and mormons from all over the world to appreciate it’s beauty. We enjoyed walking around looking at their beautiful grounds. As a heads up you won’t be allowed in the church but there is a museum in the square that is supposed to be beautiful.
There is no shortage of great hikes in Salt Lake City. Within a 15 – 20 minute drive there must have been 20 – 30 hiking options. We suggest using an app like All Trails to help you find the best hike for you. We ended up doing the “Living Room” which was a moderate hike that was around 2.2 miles roundtrip and just over 1,000 ft elevation gain. It was challenging but doable. The view at the top was super rewarding. We enjoyed resting in on the of the “couches” and taking in the view.
Homestead Crater is a natural hot spring inside of a crater. It’s water stays around 96 degrees year round and is the deepest hot spring that allows scuba diving in the nation. You can scuba dive, take a paddle board yoga class, or simply soak in the warm natural mineral water. It’s located in Heber City about an hour away from Salt Lake City and reservations are required. We suggest calling ahead and making sure there are times available because this really is such a cool experience!
If you would rather go to a free canyon for a gorgeous drive here are some other options:
- Cottonwood Canyon (most popular)
- Emigration Canyon
- City Creek Canyon
- Butterfield Canyon
- Bingham Canyon
10 Comments
Liz & Dennis
ESRV Team
We’re two travel-loving, real estate investing, foodies exploring North America as full-time RV’ers. This blog is where we share our lessons learned, tips and tricks, and favorite places to eat, see, and RV across North America! We hope it helps you find your wanderlust, plan and prepare for RV life, and get out on the road!
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What a surprise to discover SLC during an “overnight” during our first year of travel in our RV. Although we could only spend a day it makes our list of states/cities to explore in future trips.
Awesome you were able to discover it! We believe 1 night or 1 day is better than never experiencing it at all and at least you know you want to go back now!
I’m glad that you were able to eat at so many great places! Thanks for mentioning Female Foodie in your post- hope you come back to visit soon! -Brooke
Of course – thanks for providing great places to eat in SLC! I enjoyed your blog 🙂
Hello from Salt Lake City. I am a resident of this beautiful city and have lived here all my life. I wanted to let you know how awesome it is to see people from another state talk so highly of my state, as I think this state is totally awesome with so many things to do and see. From Mountains covered in the best snow on the planet to red rock canyons and natural monuments in the southern half of the state. This state is an outdoors enthusiasts dream. There is so much to do, you will definately find something that will make you smile. I really enjoyed watching your visit, the places you visited are all wonderful picks, as you mentioned there are plenty more to enjoy. Thanks for sharing, hopefuly you will be able to return again on your travels and can enjoy more of what this state has to offer.
Hey Brian! Thanks for reading and commenting. Yes SLC really is an outdoor enthusiasts dream. We would love to come back to go skiing! Anything else we missed but should explore next time?
Hey!! I am from Utah and it’s so nice to hear that you enjoyed your time here! Not trying to be weird by saying all this, but just wanted to let you know that you referred to as the Mormon church at Temple Square is actually the temple of the Church of Jesus Christ! There are tons of Church of Jesus Christ churches all over Utah where anybody and everybody is always welcome. Temples are considered the ultimate sacred place to connect with yourself and with God and there are almost 200 of them around the world. Members of the Church of Jesus Christ have to get a special recommend that qualifies them to go inside the temples to worship. A lot of people think that this is the Church encouraging secrecy, but it is actually the members of the Church wanting privacy while they pray and ponder in such a sacred place. But after every temple is built, there is a big open house where anybody in the world can take a tour of the temple and learn more about what members of the Church of Jesus Christ do inside the temple. https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/gospel-topics/temples?lang=eng
Thanks for clarifying and taking the time to read the blog.
Last time I tried to hike the “living room” I was 13wks postpartum! This reminds me I need to go back and do the entire hike. I’d love to do Homestead Crater though, that looks so cool!
Wow! You go girl! Definitely have to give it another try. Homestead Crater was great. A super unique experience.