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If you’re looking to get away for a few days or even a week, there are always places to go and experiences to be had—especially when you get to visit one Southwest’s 99 cities across the United States and 10 additional countries! Nobody knows a city and its hidden gems better than the Employees who live and work there. Check out a few of our Employees' favorite places in the Salt Lake City area and share your hidden gems in our comment section below!   Salt Lake City Panorama and Capital Building. Salt Lake City, Utah, USA Arches National Park, Brighton Resort, Bryce Canyon National Park, Capitol Reef National Park, Cotton Bottom, Canyonlands National Park, Lamb’s Grill, Moab, Ruth’s Diner, Salt Lake Tabernacle, Snowbird Ski Resort, Solitude Mountain Resort, Squatters Pub Brewery, Temple Square, Zion National Park              Interested in sharing your travel inspiration? Leave a comment below or visit our Travel Inspiration Discussion Forum to share your knowledge with Southwest Customers.    Year-Round Fun Forty minutes from downtown Salt Lake is Snowbird Ski Resort. The resort offers a ton of activities for the winter sport enthusiast: skiing, snowboarding, snowshoeing, heli-skiing, winter tram rides, snowmobile tours, and more. I’m not a skier though, so I like to spend a day there in the spring, summer, or fall when you can experience all kinds of thrill rides, do a ropes course, or take a jump on a bungee trampoline. But my favorite thing to do throughout the year is to head up anywhere in the mountains at night and look out on the valley all lit up. Watching the sunrise over the mountains also never disappoints.   —Stephanie Rendon, Station Administrator   View of the mountains and a blue ski tram at Snowbird ski resort in Utah Great Eats in SLC Just 20 minutes from the airport you can enjoy breakfast at Ruth’s Diner, which has a menu with anything you could want for a morning meal. Next, take a couple of hours to climb to any nearby peak and enjoy the view. After a good sweat on your hike, you’ve earned a delicious lunch, so head over to the Cotton Bottom for a garlic burger and a beer. Take some time to walk around downtown, but make sure to stop for dinner at Utah’s oldest restaurant, Lamb’s Grill. And if you’re looking for a little more after dinner, you can’t go wrong with a trip to Squatters Pub Brewery for a nice cold beer.   —Dave Martinez, Cargo Customer Service Supervisor   Enjoy a burger and beer at Cotton Bottom Hit the Slopes When Brighm Young first came to the Salt Lake Valley, he said, “This is the place,” and if you are an outdoor enthusiast, this is certainly where you want to spend some time. If you enjoy skiing the powder, I would recommend Solitude Mountain Resort, where you can jump into Honeycomb Canyon days after the snow has fallen and still find fresh powder on the trails. If you snowboard though, then Brighton Resort is a fun place to be, with a snowboard park and a great family atmosphere.   —Tim Sorensen, Cargo Agent   Ski Lift in the mountains in the winterNational Parks Galore Utah is an extremely outdoorsy state, and if you’re willing to take a bit of a drive south of Salt Lake, you’ll find yourself in the middle of national park country. Utah is home to the Mighty Five National Parks: Zion, Bryce, Capitol Reef, Canyonlands, and Arches. Each has its own gorgeous natural wonders to offer, so you can’t go wrong no matter which one you choose. Just bring sturdy hiking shoes and a camera to capture all of the photo-worthy scenery you’re sure to see.   —Jolene Christiansen, Customer Service Agent   Narrows in Zion National Park, Utah Off the Beaten Path There’s plenty to do around Salt Lake City, but Utah is full of outdoor adventures just waiting for you. South of Salt Lake you’ll find plenty of opportunities for mountain biking, canyon hiking, rock climbing, and river rafting. Close to Arches and Canyonlands National Parks, Moab may be a small town, but it’s a great destination for the natural thrill seeker. Stop in this rural southern Utah town to take the excursion of your choice.   —Maureen Newland, Customer Service Agent   Dedicate Arch Sunset in Arches National Park, Utah Lights in the Big City You can take the light rail (called the TRAX) straight from the airport into the heart of downtown right next to Temple Square. The square includes several buildings important to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. There’s a free visitor center as well as a concert hall, where the acclaimed Mormon Tabernacle Choir practices. In the warmer months, the grounds are covered with beautiful flowers. When it turns colder though, the lights come out. Every year from Thanksgiving to New Year’s, the square is decked out in thousands of Christmas lights, and the whole area seems to glitter against the dark night sky.   —Helen Bird, Customer Service Agent   Temple Square at Christmas   Copyright : Anton Oparin Copyright : Marek Uliasz Copyright : Mariya Ermolaeva Copyright : Galyna Andrushko Copyright : lorcel Copyright : Johnny Lopez  ... View more

Southwest gets it. They understand that Customer Service is important.” —Quintin Cole, Regional VP of Operations, Integrity Rehabilitation Group     Quintin Cole has many passions in life, from physical therapy and brewing beer to flying Southwest. Although Quintin lives in Chicago, his career in the physical therapy industry sends him all over the country. He doesn’t mind the commute, though. He enjoys the chance to take a few Customer Service pointers from Southwest and apply them to his other business—brewing. As co-owner of Vice District Brewing Company, Quintin knows the importance of valuing Customers. Whether it’s using points to bring his son on a trip or enjoying no change fees, he appreciates the flexibility Southwest offers. Thanks for choosing us, Quintin!    photo by Taylor Castle   Ready or Not “With any type of travel, there will always be things outside your control. Things happen; just be prepared for when they do.”   Remote Office “I’m gone Monday through Friday for my work with physical therapy, but thanks to Southwest, I can manage my brewing business at 35,000 feet.”   Lend a Hand “One valuable thing I’ve done with my Rapid Rewards points was donate them to my sister so she could see a specialist when she was having serious health issues.”       ... View more

Thanks to the generosity of The Kidd Kraddick Morning Show listeners, 54 children with life-altering conditions, and their families, left today on the five-day, all-expenses-paid trip. It all begins with a joyous send-off event hosted by Caroline Kraddick (daughter of legendary radio personality Kidd Kraddick), the show’s cast, and Southwest Airlines.     The excitement started building at 10 a.m. as most of the participating families arrived at White Wave Foods’ private hangar at Love Field (2750 Burbank Street, Dallas). The boarding ceremony began at approximately 11:15 a.m., when each Kidd’s Kid and accompanying family members proceeded down the red carpet for the jubilant “Line of Honor.”   “I absolutely love watching the faces of those beautiful boys and girls when each of their names are called and they go through the receiving line of volunteers and supporters shaking pom-poms, cheering, and high-fiving them all the way to the plane,” said Kraddick, CEO and Chief Happiness Officer of Kidd’s Kids. “My father, the late Kidd Kraddick, would be so proud to see the charity he founded celebrating our 25th Anniversary!”     The Kraddick Foundation has posted photos and information on each of this year’s Kidd’s Kids at KiddsKids.com so fans can get to know them before they depart.   In addition to celebrating 25 years of Kidd’s Kids, 2016 marks the tenth year of Southwest Airlines’ sponsorship of the trip. The Dallas-based airline provides a chartered plane to Orlando for DFW-area families, and each year the airline receives several requests from their pilots and flight attendants to work the flight on a volunteer basis. Southwest also provides the airfare for all other families flying to Orlando from markets outside of DFW, and employees at those airports get involved by decorating the gate area and providing gifts to Kidd’s Kids families, giving them similar superstar treatment to the kids and families in Dallas.   “From the time the first telephone rings on Kidd's Kids Day to the moment the plane lands at home, our Employees lovingly volunteer their time and talents to make this magical trip happen,” said Sonya Lacore, Vice President Cabin Services. “In the ten years we’ve partnered with Kidd’s Kids, we’ve had the privilege of flying over 500 families to Orlando for this unforgettable experience.”   Kraddick added, “I just can’t say enough about what an incredible partner Southwest Airlines has been to us over the last decade. I hate to say the Kidd’s Kids Trip wouldn’t happen without them, but I’m honestly not sure how we possibly could do what we do. We are forever grateful for their generosity.”     The Kidd Kraddick Morning Show is a syndicated morning radio program that can be heard on more than 65 stations across the country, and on American Forces Radio, from 6 to 10 a.m. CST. The award-winning show is also featured on television’s Dish Nation, a fast-paced entertainment program airing weeknights nationwide. For more information, visit KiddNation.com.   For more information on Kidd’s Kids, visit KiddsKids.com, or follow the charity on Facebook (Facebook.com/KiddsKids) and Twitter (Twitter.com/KiddsKids).   ABOUT THE KRADDICK FOUNDATION® The Kraddick Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization founded in 1991 by award-winning morning show personality Kidd Kraddick. The Foundation and its programs were created to make a difference in the lives of children with life-altering conditions. The Kraddick Foundation is certified by the state of Texas and registered with the appropriate department of each state in the country. To learn more, visit KiddsKids.com. ... View more

If you’re looking to get away for a few days or even a week, there are always places to go and experiences to be had—especially when you get to visit one Southwest’s 99 cities across the United States and 10 additional countries! Nobody knows a city and its hidden gems better than the Employees who live and work there. Check out a few of our Employees' favorite places in the Portland area and share your hidden gems in our comment section below!   Columbia River Gorge, located just east of Portland            Interested in sharing your travel inspiration? Leave a comment below or visit our Travel Inspiration Discussion Forum to share your knowledge with Southwest Customers.    Something for Everyone No visit to the “City of Roses” can be considered complete without a short side trip out into the magnificent Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area. Make sure to view the country’s second tallest waterfall, which is also Portland's most mispronounced word. Multnomah (muhlt-noh-muh) Falls is a spectacular natural wonder. After seeing the falls, take the time to enjoy a cold Ruby Ale at the state’s hippest beer campus. McMenamins Edgefield in Troutdale has live music, an onsite brewery vineyard, multiple restaurants, exquisite gardens, a disc golf course, spa treatments, hotel accommodations, and really something for everyone. Cheers!   —Richard Nylander, Customer Service Agent   Multnomah Falls is a spectacular sight just east of Portland. Lemon Drops! Sometimes called Stumptown, City of Roses, River City, Rip City, Bridgetown, or Portlandia; Portland has just as many things to do as it has nicknames. If hiking is your thing but you don’t want to leave the metro area, check out Macleay Park in northwest Portland. Here you can take a short walk to visit an abandoned stone structure known as the Witch’s Castle, or you can hit the five-mile trail to the historic Pittock Mansion. Portland is also known for its food, and one of my favorites is the Observatory on SE Stark St. Not only is the food excellent, but there is an extensive list of specialty cocktails such as Hibiscus-Acai Margaritas, Lavender Gin Lemon Drops, or Guava-Ginger Mimosas. Be sure to try the cinnamon-sugar bread pudding for a special treat after your meal. Enjoy!   —Greg Brown, OPS Agent     View of Portland, Oregon, overlooking the Willamette River on a fall afternoon Awe-Inspiring Portland has a vast number of things to do. Within 1.5 hours from the hustle and bustle of Portland is Camp 18 in Elsie, Oregon. The restaurant is the perfect stop for any breakfast lover. The first thing you’ll notice about the restaurant is its architecture; the building is a tribute to the area’s logging industry. The interior is dominated by large log beams supporting the entire structure. But the greatest allure of this eatery is the delicious food it serves up. You will not leave hungry because the meal portions are as grand as the log building! But if you are more in the mood for the great outdoors, there is beautiful Mount Hood, which I call my home. You won’t see anything else like it anywhere else in the world. As the tallest peak in Oregon, Mount Hood is legendary, awe-inspiring, a real tribute to the rugged spirit of the Pacific Northwest. If you’re looking to stay in the area, there is lodging on Mount Hood at Timberline Lodge with year-round skiing and mountain biking trails in the summer. But perhaps Timberline Lodge’s biggest claim to fame is that this is where the movie The Shining was filmed.   —Jan U’Ren, Ramp Supervisor   View of the Columbia River from Mitchell Point, Columbia River Gorge, Oregon   Copyright: diro / 123RF Stock Photo Copyright: warrengoldswain / 123RF Stock Photo Copyright: appalachianviews / 123RF Stock Photo ... View more