Things to Do in Salt Lake City

Utah’s Great Salt Lake, the largest saltwater lake in the Western Hemisphere and the largest natural lake in North America west of the Mississippi, is the setting for some of the state’s best outdoor recreational opportunities; sailors and kayakers ply the waters, while sunbathers bask on sandy beaches and swimmers float in the high-saline waters. 

Seeing the Great Salt Lake typically means visiting one of two Utah state parks, Antelope Island State Park or Great Salt Lake State Park. Guided tours of the vast inland sea give visitors an opportunity to see the Great Salt Lake State Marina, catch brine shrimp (aka sea monkeys) in the salty water, swim in the lake, and spot some of the 250 species of nesting and migratory birds that spend part of the year in this wetlands habitat. Hikers and mountain bikers head to wildlife-rich Antelope Island or the lake’s long shoreline. At 75 miles (120 kilometers) long and 35 miles (56 kilometers) wide, the lake is all that remains of Lake Bonneville, an ice age lake that covered much of the region some 30,000 years ago.

The Great Salt Lake sits northwest of Salt Lake City. Exits on interstate 80 and 15 will take you there. Most visitors explore the various points of interest around the lake by car. A causeway (via Interstate 15 to State Route 127) gives automobile access to Antelope Island.

There’s no bad time to visit the Great Salt Lake—timing largely depends on what you want to do. Swimmers and sunbathers should visit during the warm summer months when the lake offers a refreshing break from the heat.

To get a sense of how big the Great Salt Lake was when it was a vast inland sea, pay a visit to the Bonneville Salt Flats just outside of Salt Lake City. The land here is among the flattest places on the planet, stretching across 30,000 barren acres (12,140 hectares).

Housed in what was originally the Hotel Utah, the Joseph Smith Memorial Building — named in honor the founder of the Latter Day Saint movement — opened in 1993 after 76 years as a hotel internationally recognized for its elegance.  The original Hotel Utah first opened in 1911, and before its closing in 1987 it hosted U.S. presidents, lawmakers, LDS Conference Attendees and many famous celebrities. 

The building is located on the corner of Main Street and South Temple in Salt Lake City. Its large, ornately decorated multi-story lobby features a large white statue of Joseph Smith Jr. and an enormous crystal chandelier. The complex also contains a FamilySearch center (where the public can do family history and genealogy research), three restaurants, 13 banquet rooms, catering services, a full-service floral department and the Legacy Theater, which has regularly scheduled free showings of church-produced films.

Imagine an island with white sand beaches where wild buffalo roam free, that's named for the pronghorn antelope grazing on the steep, mountainous slopes. A place where you can splash in the cool salt waters and board the decks of a sailboat, or simply hire a stable kayak to paddle off into the sunset. If it sounds like an exotic, Pacific island with a strange collection of wildlife, imagine your surprise when you find out this island is smack in the middle of Utah. Located an hour outside of Salt Lake City in the middle of the Great Salt Lake, Antelope Island State Park is a place unlike any other in the world. Larger than the Caribbean island of St. Thomas, this scenic island is covered in trails for biking, horseback riding, and hiking. Spend a night at a primitive campsite beneath a canopy of stars, where the distant call of a wild mule deer is paired with the lapping of waves. Get sweeping views of the Wasatch Range and surrounding Great Salt Lake, and step back in time at the Fielding Garr Ranch that was one of the largest in the West.

Completed in 1867, the Salt Lake City Tabernacle is an architectural marvel famous for its remarkable acoustics: A pin dropped at the pulpit can be heard clearly at the back of the hall 170 feet (52 meters) away. Home of the renowned Mormon Tabernacle Choir, the church hosts concerts and tours that attract visitors from all over the world.

Tours of the Salt Lake City Tabernacle are free, and you can time your visit to catch a live performance by one of the most recognized and beloved choirs in the world, the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. Visitors can listen to the choir practice on Thursday evenings or attend a live Sunday morning broadcast of Music and the Spoken Word, the longest-running national broadcast in the country.

Many guided tours of Salt Lake City include a stop at the tabernacle as part of a visit to Temple Square, Utah’s most visited attraction. In addition to Temple Square, some tours include other city sights such as the Utah State Capitol and the Pony Express Monument.

The Tabernacle, located in Temple Square in downtown Salt Lake City, is easily reached by bus or TRAX, Salt Lake City’s light rail system. Take the TRAX blue or green line to Temple Square or City Center, both within a block of Temple Square, or any number of buses that stop along North Temple Street. Bus and train transportation within the city’s Free Fare Zone, which includes Temple Square, is free. 

The Salt Lake Tabernacle can be visited year-round, although the Mormon Tabernacle Choir performs in the conference center on Temple Square during the summer months to accommodate larger crowds. The choir’s performance schedule may change during the holidays and tickets may be required for special holiday performances, so check ahead to avoid disappointment. 

In addition to the historical tabernacle, Temple Square also features two visitors center, the magnificent Salt Lake City Temple and reflecting ponds, monuments, fountains, gardens, and more. Free guided tours of Temple Square are available daily in over 40 languages. 

The 450-acre (182-hectare) ‘This Is The Place’ Heritage Park is dedicated to the 1847 arrival of the Mormons to Salt Lake City. It was here that Brigham Young first laid eyes on the valley that was to become the Mormon pioneers' new home, where they would settle and build their State of Deseret. Over the next several years, tens of thousands of Mormon pioneers would make their home here.

The centerpiece of the park is the living-history Deseret Village, where from June through August, costumed docents reenact what life was like in the mid-19th century. The village features 41 pioneer homes and other historical buildings, some of which are originals, such as Brigham Young's farmhouse, while others are replicas.

Liberty Park is the oldest and most prominent park in Utah. At 80 acres (32 hectares), it is also the second-largest public park in Salt Lake City. The park first opened in 1882 and has long served as a place to escape for the city’s residents who come to exorcise, picnic, barbeque or just relax in the open green spaces.

Liberty Park’s public facilities include playgrounds, restrooms, concession stands, children's play areas, picnic areas, horseshoe pits, a swimming pool, basketball courts, volleyball courts, tennis courts, a jogging path, seasonal amusement rides and a greenhouse. Seasonal activities include paddleboats, recreational games and various festivals. It is also a popular jogging, rollerblading and cycling location.

During the spring, summer and early fall, large crowds gather on Sundays for Drum circles that often last all day. Also located in the park is the impressive Tracy Aviary, which maintains a collection of approximately 400 birds, representing about 135 species, many of which are considered rare or endangered.