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35°F / 1°C
(Passing Clouds. Chilly.)
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Since the city's beginnings, various avenues of entertainment have multiplied in Salt Lake City as fast as the inhabitants of the valley. Whether you are in Salt Lake City for a day, week, month or years, rest assured there is entertainment just around every corner.
The Greatest Snow On Earth!
With nearly a dozen ski resorts within an hour of downtown, you are never far from the swish. If you want to stay near the city, try Alta Ski Area, Brighton Ski Resort, Snowbird Ski and Summer Resort or Solitude Mountain Resort. If a smaller town setting is what you desire, Park City lies minutes east of Salt Lake, nestled in a gorgeous mountain valley. Park City is home to world-class resorts such as the The Canyons, Deer Valley Resort, Park City Mountain Resort and Sundance Ski Area. Whether your interest lies in downhill, cross-country, night skiing, snowboarding, sledding, snowshoeing or any other snow sport, you will find it here.
Outdoor recreation
Even the greatest snow on earth is only here for six months a year. When you put the skis and sleds away, break out the hiking boots, picnic baskets and rock climbing gear. The numerous canyons that surround the Salt Lake valley are filled with hiking trails without number. There are five National Parks just a few hours south of Salt Lake. If you enjoy red rock vistas, enormous canyons, rock arches, bluffs, petrified sand dunes, towering plateaus or just plain breathtaking scenery, do not miss Arches, Bryce, Canyonlands, Capitol Reef or Zion National Parks.
Stage and Screen
Looking for live entertainment? Consider the Capitol Theatre, home to the Utah Opera Company and Ballet West. Capitol Theatre also hosts traveling Broadway shows. Kingsbury Hall, on the campus of the University of Utah, is also a good bet for live entertainment, concerts, traveling plays and student productions.
If you prefer the two-dimensional screen to the live stage, stadium seating, wall-to-wall screens, digital surround sound, plush seating, hot popcorn and all the extras, then you are in luck. With theatres like Megaplex 17 at Jordan Commons, The Century 16, The Hollywood Connection, Tinsletown, Loews Cinaplex and Cinemark at Jordon Landing, to name just a few, there is always a theatre nearby. The independent film fan should plan on visiting Salt Lake in late January and early February for the world famous Sundance Film Festival, offering a chance to rub elbows with the Hollywood crowd.
For those who wish to be educated as well as entertained, the Clark Planetarium offers star shows presented in a dome shaped theatre. At night the same theatre entertains with a vengeance as it lights up with a 3D-laser light show synchronized to popular music.
Sports
The biggest ticket in town is basketball, and for those who love the game, Salt Lake City has a double bonus. The Energy Solutions Arena in downtown is home to the basketball's Utah Jazz. Less than three miles east, the Huntsman Center is home to the University of Utah Utes. Franklin Covey Field is one of the most inviting baseball parks in the country.
Salt Lake City is also lined from top to bottom with golf courses that are competitive and diverse. The surrounding natural beauty makes the courses works of art in their own right.
Water & Amusement Parks
There are a few places to enjoy the water as well, although surfboards will have to be traded for floating tubes, the sand for mats and the beach for a water park. Raging Waters has much to offer including a wave pool and the world's only H2O roller coaster.
Fifteen minutes north of downtown Salt Lake, perched on the foothills of the Wasatch Mountains, you will find Lagoon, Utah's only amusement park, and a thrill seeker's delight. It boasts several thrill-seeking opportunities including an old wooden roller screamer and Colossus, a high-speed coaster with a double loop. Other intense rides include "The Rocket" a 217-foot tower that pushes you to the top and then lets you free fall back to the ground.
Live Music
Salt Lake's club scene has much to offer. Most local clubs are "private clubs" for members, but do not be intimidated. "Private club" is basically another name for "bar" in Utah in order to comply with the state's somewhat arcane liquor laws. You must be 21 or older to purchase a club membership, which are generally pretty cheap. Most clubs offer a two-week membership if you are in town for more than a night or two.
Pioneer Day
July 24th is a state holiday in Utah, Pioneer Day, and the day is set aside to remember the first colonists that set their sights on the West. It is the day to remember the overwhelming feat of wrestling a desert valley atop the mountains into a prosperous city and state. The festivities officially begin in the morning with one of the largest parades in the country, and continue until nighttime when several locations offer Independence Day-style firework displays. Travelers to the state are welcome to join the celebration, although it is wise to make plans and reservations early as hotels fill up fast. Be warned that outer and inner-city travel is a mess the morning of the parade.
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