Salt Lake City: Diversification and Beauty at the Heart of Utah

Salt Lake City, the capital of Utah, is famous for its location next to the Great Salt Lake and the nearby otherworldly salt plains. But there is much more to visit in Utah's most populous city. This bustling metropolis offers a stress-free life, a low cost of living for residents and is surrounded by natural beauty, which also makes it an exciting and picturesque holiday destination.

1. Clark Planetarium

The Clark Planetarium is a relatively new institution in Salt Lake City, having replaced the Hansen Planetarium back in 2003. It offers Hansen's dome-cinema, a state-of-the-art dome-shaped digital cinema with interactive seat control buttons, which provides cinematic experiences in high-definition 3D (without the need for 3D glasses). There's also an ATK IMAX cinema presenting scientific and nature documentaries in the daytime and Hollywood movies in the evening along with a large number of free exhibitions.

2. Gilgal Sculpture Garden

The Gilgal Sculpture Garden is a fantastic place to visit which won't even cost a penny. This small public park contains an incredible hidden treasure within Salt Lake City. Gilgal, named by Thomas Battersby Child Jr. is a place of biblical origin where Joshua ordered the Israelites to place a memorial of twelve stones. Translated, it means 'erected stone circle' and is also present in the book of Mormons as a city and valley.

The Gilgal Sculpture Garden features symbolic Mormon statues throughout the park. The Sphinx and the head of Joseph Smith are two sculptures created with love by Thomas Battersby Child Jr. in his spare time. The park contains twelve sculptures and more than 70 stones engraved with poems, literary texts, and scriptures, which have been designated Utah's only 'visionary artistic environment.' The gardens are a beautiful and unique place that offer an original, educational and somewhat spiritual experience unlike anywhere else.

3. Hogle Zoo

Opened in 1932, Hogle Zoo is one of Salt Lake City's most visited attractions. Covering 17 hectares, the beautiful tree-lined trails lead you through the zoo, home to more than 800 animals.

The zoo offers a safe, fun and educational experience for the whole family and consists of a variety of different themed worlds. Watch the lions, giraffes and other creatures of the African savannah stretching over 1.5 hectares or visit the high Asian plains that hosts five threatened species of cats and a recreation of a village in the Himalayas. Or check out the Elephant encounter exhibition, which allows you to admire African elephants and rhinos up close.

4. Utah Museum of Fine Arts

If culture and art are your passions, make sure not to miss out on the Utah Museum of Fine Arts while in Salt Lake City. Located on the University of Utah's campus, art exhibitions from many cultures rotate regularly, offering an incredible variety in more than 20 galleries. In addition to the cultural variety, you will find works of art from the ancient and classical worlds. The museum's permanent collection contains more than 17,000 pieces of art. There is also a shop and a cafe in the museum that are both worth checking out.

5. Temple Square

Temple Square is one of Salt Lake City's most visited attractions. Located in the center of the city, the square of fourteen hectares offers historical sites, restaurants, beautiful landscapes and should be one of the first places to check out here. With more attractions than we can list, Temple Square provides a unique experience. You can visit the Beehive House, the home of Brigham Young, and experience life as it was here in 1856, or listen to the famous Mormon Tabernacle Choir.

6. Great Salt Lake

The largest salt lake on the American continent, the Great Salt Lake stretches over a huge area of 4400 square kilometers. It's also the largest lake in the US outside of the Great Lakes region. The lake has no water flow, and so its level is affected only by evaporation and precipitation. The salinity level of the lake is much higher than that of seawater and the lake's mineral content is always continuing to increase.

Of course one popular activity around the lake is heading into the water for swimming. Due to the high salt content (27%), it makes it easy to float on the water, allowing you to swim there with ease. With the freezing temperatures during the winter, swimming in the summer is the only viable option.

7. Joseph Smith Memorial Building

The former Utah Hotel was built in 1911 and restored again in 1987, now used as a community center. The building has retained its elegant entrance, the original stained-glass windows on the ceiling, its marble columns along with the grand staircase. You'll find a 53-minute film called Legacy constantly played which retraces the historic story of Mormon pioneers and their journey west. The Family Search Center helps visitors in their genealogical research with computers giving access to a database of hundreds of millions of deceased relatives worldwide.

8. Bonneville Shoreline Trail

An incredible diversity of natural beauty surrounds Salt Lake City. Whether you're wanting to stay in the city or venture out further, you'll have the opportunity to explore and experience the city's side of nature via the Bonneville Shoreline Trail.

In town, if you look to the northeast, you'll see the Bonneville Shoreline Trail meandering through the foothills. Located outside the city, the trail is excellent for mountain biking, running and hiking, and offers numerous different tracks covering over 160 kilometers and giving incredible views of the city below.

9. Family History Library

If you've ever been concerned about your family history, aching to know where your ancestors came from, then Salt Lake City is one of the best places to find out more. often known as the world capital of genealogy, a visit to the city would not be complete without checking out the Family History Library.

The family history library is the largest of its kind in the world and offers more than two million genealogical microfilm tapes, over 700,000 microfiches, 300,000 books, 4,500 magazines and 3,725 electronic resources providing family archives from the United States, Canada, Europe, Asia and elsewhere.

10. Beehive House

The official home of Brigham Young and his large family from 1854 to 1877, this beautifully restored National Historic Landmark is full of antique designs and furniture. The guided tour travels through the family rooms, bedrooms, kitchen and office of this two-story house in typical New England colonial style. It owes its name of 'hive' to one of the symbols of the State.

Conclusion

Make sure not to miss out on the best tourist attractions in Salt Lake City by taking a guided tour. For those that want to make their own way around, it's easy to book tickets on a sightseeing bus which will take you around all the famous and historic locations, allowing you to explore the city at your own leisurely pace.