7 Amazing Things To Do In Salt Lake City – A Local’s Guide
As a travel blogger and slow traveler, my passion is exploring the world. But I do have a home base. And my home is in Salt Lake City Utah. I was born in Salt Lake and have lived in the area most of my adult life. While I’ve written a lot about Utah on this blog, I’ve never specifically focused on Things To Do in Salt Lake City. So I think it’s about time I did! Especially since there are some amazing things to do in Salt Lake City!
I discovered some of these activities over the last few months, during our usual summer break from international travel. Other suggestions on the list are long time favorites. But regardless, if I was a tourist visiting Salt Lake City, these are 7 great activities I wouldn’t want to miss.
Some of the links in this post may be affiliate links. If you buy something after clicking one of these links, I may earn a small commission. This does not cost you anything extra and helps support this blog.
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Scale an Iconic Building
Salt Lake City visitors should definitely spend some time exploring downtown. Two of the most popular things to do in Salt Lake City downtown are: 1) visit the famed Temple Square for insight into Utah’s Mormon history and 2) spend time shopping in the huge indoor/outdoor City Creek Mall (it occupies two city blocks).
However, I personally think that a more amazing way to discover downtown, while also learning about Salt Lake’s history, is from the rooftop of one of the city’s most iconic early 20th century skyscrapers – the Walker Center. This building was constructed in 1912. And at the time, it was the tallest office tower between the Missouri River and the West Coast.
Since the Walker Center is located smack dab in the middle of downtown, you can enjoy amazing 360 degree views of the city, the Wasatch Mountains, and the entire Salt Lake Valley from its roof….
But the only way you can gain access to this view is via an organized tour. Fortunately, the tour is fantastic! The guide is a former local media personality named Todd Tanner. Todd has a love for both tourism and this specific building. In conjunction with the building’s ownership, he’s put together an evening of historical perspective and beautiful rooftop views.
Todd will teach you all about the building’s history while also teaching you some of Salt Lake’s early Mormon (& non-Mormon) history. He starts out using graphics painted along two walls in the building’s basement.
You’ll then move into a conference room for a slide-show filled with more historical facts. These include stories of Harry Houdini’s straight-jacket escape while hanging from the Walker Center’s doorway. And stories of the early 20th-century Human Fly craze, when crowds would gather at the building to watch dangerous free hand climbing. Stories about polygamy and prostitution. And even stories about The Beach Boys who spent lots of time in Salt Lake.
Then at sunset, you’ll grab the elevator, ride up 20 floors, and climb an internal staircase to the building’s Bird Nest.
This is a smallish outdoor platform surrounded by 16 stone eagles – hence the name. Todd times it perfectly so that you visit the Nest at sunset. And Salt Lake City almost always has gorgeous sunsets – some of the best I’ve ever seen!
Afterwards, he takes you down to a second lower outdoor rooftop with the best views of the Walker Center’s iconic sign and tower. For those of us long-time Salt Lake residents, we know that the lights on this sign have been used as the city’s original Weather App for about 80 years. Blue means Clear Sky tomorrow, Flashing Blue means a Cloudy Day, Flashing Red means Rain, and Steady Red means Snow.
The 360 degree view from both of these rooftop platforms is certainly one of the very best in Salt Lake City. And Todd gives you plenty of time to take it all in, while teaching you even more history about the sights below. Todd also happens to be a great tour guide – one of the best I’ve had in all my travels. As a former television journalist, he knows how to tell an entertaining story, but do it succinctly.
Having very recently taken this tour myself, I really do feel it is one of the most amazing things to do in Salt Lake City. You can book this tour via this website – SLC Rooftop Tours
Take A Dinosaur Tour
One of the other amazing things to do in Salt Lake City is the Dinosaur Tour at the Natural History Museum of Utah. This huge museum is located in the foothills east of downtown on the University of Utah campus. The building itself is beautiful, and a visit to the museum is consistently rated on Tripadvisor as one of the Top 3 Things To Do in Salt Lake City.
Throughout this very family-friendly museum, you’ll find a variety of exhibits demonstrating Utah’s impressive natural history. But I honestly don’t think any of these can beat the museum’s huge collection of dinosaurs and ice age animals. Utah is one of the very top places in the world for discovering the remnants of these ancient beasts.
But even better, you can go on a small group Dinosaur Tour with one of the museums actual paleontologists. When I discovered this tour on Airbnb Experience , I signed up immediately. (It turns out that the museum specifically designed this tour for Airbnb.) I knew before I even showed up that it would be one of the most amazing things to do in Salt Lake City. And it was!!
Spencer is a self-described dinosaur nerd and his passion is very clear. Plus, he is not your average tour guide. As I just mentioned, he works at the museum as a paleontologist. He goes out in the field and searches for dinosaurs. He spend his other days in the lab meticulously working on those discoveries. And so of course, a small group tour with him is extremely insightful.
And the museum’s collection is very impressive indeed…
But the absolute highlight of this tour is the chance to actually go inside the paleontology lab with him. Here, he showed us blocks of rock they were actively processing for bones and other fossils. We learned how the huge chunks of 200 million year old rock are wrapped in plaster & burlap for safe transport and processing. We learned how it can take years to carefully work through the various layers using tiny tools. And we actually were allowed to touch a 78 million year old dinosaur bone and serrated tooth. Truly amazing!
In fact, if you look close at the rock in the foreground of the photo above, you can make out the ribs & spinal column of a duckbill dinosaur.
Clearly, this is a one-of-a-kind experience and certainly one of the very best things to do in Salt Lake City – especially if you love dinosaurs. Unfortunately, the tour is only available on Saturdays. And not quite every Saturday either (here’s the Airbnb link which will include the schedule). So hopefully your Salt Lake City itinerary works in your favor. If not, be sure to visit the museum anyway. The displays are all very educational whether you have your own guide or not.
Go On Safari
Yes, you read that correctly! Another of the most amazing things to do in Salt Lake City is offered by a company called Safari Utah. This is a tour company operated by a native Utahn who attended an actual safari school in South Africa, and then guided South African safaris for a year. When he returned home, he decided to use those skills and take Salt Lake City visitors on safari to a unique place called Antelope Island.
Antelope Island is the largest island in the Great Salt Lake. The entire island is a State Park and home to a diverse collection of wildlife. This includes a herd of Pronghorn Antelope (in the photo above) for which the island was named in the 1800s. It’s also home to one of the largest public owned herds of Buffalo in the country – a herd of 650 that roams the island freely.
On this 4-hour adventure, Clayton (your safari guide) will help you spot examples of the island’s wildlife which also includes coyotes, porcupine, mule deer, burrowing owls, and many other species of birds. And he’ll teach you lots about each species, about the island, and about the Lake.
Plus, visiting Antelope Island is one of the very best ways to actually see the Great Salt Lake. The island offers lots of views out to the surrounding water and dry lake bed. And Clayton takes you to several of the best viewpoints.
I’ve recently written a dedicated blog post on Ways to Visit the Great Salt Lake. That post includes even more detail on this unique safari experience – an experience that is available to visitors even in the winter. So be sure to check it out if you want to learn more. Or here’s a link to the experience on Viator.
See the Canyons
Northern Utah is famous for its Wasatch Mountains, and any visit to Salt Lake City would be incomplete without exploring its nearby canyons. In fact, Big Cottonwood Canyon actually tops TripAdvisors list of Things to Do in Salt Lake City. This 15 mile long canyon is located only 20 minutes from downtown and is filled with natural wonder. Hiking in the summer, skiing in the winter, amazing colors in the fall, and breathtaking scenery year round.
Some of my favorite hiking in Big Cottonwood Canyon is at Silver Lake (pictured above). This is a beautiful natural lake near the top of the canyon. This lake is easy for all ages to access – there’s a large parking lot and a short flat walk to the lake.
It’s located at the Brighton Resort where more serious hikers can also find some of the canyon’s most popular trails. I’ve written an entire blog post about some of these Brighton Utah hiking trails if you would like to learn more.
Little Cottonwood Canyon is another very popular canyon that Salt Lake visitors can explore. It’s located just a few miles south of Big Cottonwood Canyon. Alta Resort is located at the top of this particular canyon. Alta is home to two very popular hiking trails – Albion Meadows and Cecret Lake. I have a blog post on those two Alta Utah trails too.
Ride a Tram to 11000 Feet
But I think the most amazing of the canyon-based things to do in Salt Lake City is ride the Snowbird Tram. This activity is located up Little Cottonwood Canyon at the Snowbird Resort. During the ski season, this tram transports skiers to the highest ski runs. But during the summer, it transports tourists and locals to the top of the Wasatch Mountains for some amazing views at 11000 feet!
The two tram cars that comprise the Snowbird Tram are the world’s largest. Each can transport 125 people at a time. They feature floor-to ceiling-window for spectacular canyon views. They also feature glass panels in the floor for a really great look below. Plus you can even ride on top of the tram for an extra thrill – if you dare.
After a 10 minute ride, you’ll reach the top of the mountain, where you can relax in a peak-top cafe or wander along several hiking trails. All while taking in some amazing top-of-the-world views far across the Wasatch. This is unquestionably one of the very best things to do in Salt Lake City!
I’ve written a blog post all about my own experience riding the Snowbird tram. Be sure to check it that out for a more thorough look at this activity. And you can check the Snowbird Tram website for updated pricing and hours.
Visit One of the Country’s Best Aviaries
If you don’t have a car, it could be difficult to visit the canyons (though Uber is definitely doable from downtown…for a price). So if you would prefer some natural wonder a little closer to downtown, then visiting Tracy Aviary is another of the great things to do in Salt Lake City.
Tracy Aviary is the oldest aviary in the country (founded in 1938). And it’s still considered one of the very best in the US. Tracy Aviary is located within downtown Salt Lake’s huge 80 acre Liberty Park. The aviary website explains that it’s “home to over 300 birds from around the world, including many that are endangered or extinct in the wild.”
Birds like these Chilean Flamingos…
or this South African iNsingizi…
or this majestic King Vulture….
You’ll also find several walk-in bird exhibits where you can observe avian life up close and personal….
Plus there are opportunities to feed pelicans and lorikeets. And various bird shows throughout the day. The Aviary is definitely a family favorite for both locals and tourists alike, and is open year round.
Discover Mole Heaven At Red Iguana
And finally, when you visit Salt Lake City, you gotta eat. Fortunately, one of these amazing things to do in Salt Lake City involves food. For me, eating is one of the great joys of travel. So I will always include a food stop in every Things To Do travel list I post (like this one about the best pierogis in Gdansk Poland).
Salt Lake City has a large Latin American population. This means you can get all kinds of really good food from south of the border when you visit. Great Mexican, Salvadoran, Venezuelan, and Colombian food just to name a few options.
My personal long time favorite restaurant in Salt Lake City is a Mexican restaurant called Red Iguana. It’s a local dining institution. I’ve been eating at Red Iguana for 40 years, and it’s usually sought out by Salt Lake City visitors in the know.
If you are a Mexican food lover, then eating at Red Iguana is certainly one of the things you absolutely need to do in Salt Lake City. It’s located adjacent to the city center and is easy to reach by Uber or light rail.
What makes Red Iguana unique is a menu that especially focuses on Mole – a traditional Mexican sauce. Moles are complex and each recipe contains a vast number of ingredients including things like chiles, herbs, vegetables, fruits, nuts, chocolate, cinnamon, and other various spices. It’s not unusual for a mole to contain 20-30 different ingredients! The flavor profile of each mole is equally complex – sweet, savory, and spicy all in one bite.
At Red Iguana, they offer 11 different kinds of mole! And you should always start your first visit by asking for the complimentary mole sampler…
This will help guide your ultimate menu choice. A choice that could include these Chicken Enchiladas covered in Mole Verde and pepitas…
Or these Sirloin Tips sitting on a bed of an Almond-based Mole (their most popular dish!)…
I actually have an entire blog post dedicated solely to the wonders of Red Iguana, so be sure to check that out if you would like to learn more.
And if Mexican Food isn’t your thing, then I’m currently working on a post about my Quest to Find the Best Sandwich in Salt Lake City. So stay tuned for that! I found some great ones!
Final Thoughts
So when you come visit my hometown, I’m confident that you will have a great time. As you can surely see, there are indeed some really amazing things to do in Salt Lake City. I hope you get the chance to experience them for yourself!
Also, if your Utah itinerary includes time in the southern part of the state, then I also have several blog posts that cover activities in beautiful southern Utah. These include:
The Two Best Hikes in Bryce Canyon National Park