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
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