|
Salt Lake City may be the center of the Mormon faith, but the city has as much to offer non-LDS visitors as pilgrims. The City's namesake, the Great Salt Lake, attracts tourists of all kinds—scientists, artists and anyone interested in nature love to marvel at this unique lake. When it's nice out, sunbathers can be found on the Great Salt Lake's many beaches. The Bonneville Salt Flats is another Salt Lake City attraction that draws crowds of visitors. Many land-speed records were set at this expanse of hard, flat earth. The SLC's largest attraction, though, is the Temple for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. It took 40 years for this immense temple to be built, and though it's not open to the public, visitors can stroll through the 10-acres of perfectly manicured grounds or learn about the Mormon religion at the visitors' center.
Great Salt Lake
17 miles NW of Salt Lake City UT
The Great Salt Lake may be a scientific mystery, but its jade and azure expanse attracts tourists, artists and water enthusiasts as well. Seventeen miles northwest of Salt Lake City, the lake is nearly 90 miles long and 50 miles wide. The lake doesn't support much marine life (brine shrimp are a notable exception) but Antelope Island National Park located in the Southwestern portion of the lake supports bison, bighorn sheep and plenty of waterfowl. For those who prefer sun to safari, the Great Salt Lake also has several beaches for sunbathing.
|
Bonneville Salt Flats
I-80 between Salt Lake City UT and Wendover NV
The flat and cracked remains of the now desiccate Bonneville Lake are home to hundreds of land-speed world records. Unless you're in a car commercial or a racecar driver, the Salt Flats may not hold much interest. Its vast expanse of hard, salted earth attracts a number of campers and geography enthusiasts. Or, perhaps, those looking for an alternative site for a Latter Day Burning Man. Since 1981, the Bonneville Salt Flats have been the home of the 87-foot tall "Tree of Utah" abstract sculpture. |
Temple for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints
50 West North Temple, Salt Lake City UT; Tel. 801.240.4872
Mecca, Rome and Jerusalem all rolled into one big Mormon edifice. The LDS Temple is indisputably the largest attraction for visitors to Salt Lake City who travel across the globe to find the Latter Day Saint's own vision of Zion. It took 40 years to complete this six-spired granite temple capped by a golden re-creation of the Angel Moroni. While the temple itself, located on the Northeastern end of the 10-acre Temple Square, is not open to the public, manicured grounds and a visitors center satisfy secular curiosities and offer monuments and tributes to the founders of the Mormon religion. |
City and County Building
400 S. State St., Salt Lake City UT
One of the most interesting and attractive sites in downtown Salt Lake, this Romanesque sandstone structure served as Utah's capitol building for nearly 20 years at the turn of the last century while Utah courted statehood. The municipal seat is open to the public and houses portraits of the city's forefathers, as well as gifts from delegates from the various countries that participated in the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City. The surrounding Washington Square with its statuary and abundant flora is a perfect spot for a sunny picnic lunch. |
Family Search Center
Joseph Smith Memorial Building, 15 East South Temple St., Salt Lake City UT; Tel. 801.240.4085
Salt Lake City bills itself as the Genealogical Capital of the World and the LDS-sponsored Family Search Center, along with the nearby Family History Library makes the claim hard to refute. The Family Search Center hosts census records, emigration records, compilations from family bibles, and birth, death and marriage records in both online and microfilm form. Whether searching for a missing relative or merely tracing family lineage, the Center is unmatched in the information available. Mormon volunteers are available to help facilitate the searches but be prepared to listen to stories of Joseph Smith and other "Living Prophets" of the church. |
Clark Planetarium
110 South 400 West, Salt Lake City UT; Tel. 801.456.STAR (7827)
Should the wide arc of sky above Salt Lake City not provide enough stellar spectacle, the Clark Planetarium will fill the bill. Daily star shows and nightly music/laser light programs attract different crowds, but other Planetarium exhibits, including a scale model of the solar system, bring the school groups together with the Pink Floyd aficionados. |
Delta Center
301 West South Temple St. Salt Lake City UT; Tel. 801.325.2000
Home of the NBA's winning Utah Jazz team and the newly prominent women's Utah Starzz, this 20,000-seat arena also hosts rock concerts, circuses and other large-scale events, including the Figure Skating competitions during the 2002 Winter Olympics. |
—Reviews by Michael Stabile
|
