Stay, see, and eat in Salt Lake City
Last Updated on October 29, 2023
In April Ryan, Nick, and I went to New York, Washington and Salt Lake City.
I’d never thought about visiting Salt Lake City before, so I was intrigued when Nick suggested we add it onto our US itinerary.
I’m glad we added it, as it was unlike any other US city I’ve been to. It was spacious, quiet, and had enough to keep us entertained for the week we were there.
So, here are my recommendations on where to stay, what to see, and where to eat in Salt Lake City.
Where to stay
Hyatt Place Downtown/The Gateway
This hotel was fantastic. We were lucky enough to stay in one of the high floor rooms, which was like an apartment. There was a bedroom with its own bathroom, living area, and kitchen. At the time of this trip Ryan was two months into eating solids, so the buffet breakfasts were prefect. The hotel is walking distance to public transport, restaurants, downtown, and The Gateway and City Creek shopping centres.
What to see
Shopping – The Gateway
The Gateway is a less than 5 minute walk from Hyatt Place. I love shopping centres that are laid out in a way where I can systematically visit all the shops, and I couldn’t do that here. The layout was weird, plus it is predominantly outdoor, so on the days it was raining Ryan and I had to seek shelter in Barnes and Noble until the rain stopped.
The Gateway doesn’t have the range of shops that City Creek has, but it has a lot of entertainment options including a Megaplex, Planetarium and even a Day Spa.
Shopping – City Creek Center
City Creek Center is about a 15 minute walk from Hyatt Place. It’s a large undercover shopping centre, which has over 100 stores and even a creek running through it (hence the name).
Stores and restaurants include Anthropologie, Apple, Macy’s, Michael Kors, Nordstrom, Tiffany & Co, West Elm, Sephora, and H&M. There’s even a food court with a children’s play area.
What I loved the most about City Creek was its layout. It was so easy to visit all the stores. It’s split into two buildings, which are divided by a pedestrian bridge. Plus, all the food is in one area so you have a lot to choose from when hunger strikes.
Attraction – Temple Square
This is Utah’s most popular tourist destination, and I can see why. The Temple and its grounds are stunning.
You can spend a good couple of hours here admiring the Temple’s architecture and perfectly sculptured gardens. You can also learn about the Temple’s construction at the visitor’s centre, and stroll around the Assembly Hall and Tabernacle.
Temple Square is located in downtown, so once you’ve finished here you can spend the rest of the day shopping or eating to your heart’s content.
As a tip, make sure you drive past this attraction at night, it’s all lit up and looks gorgeous.
Attraction – Gigal Sculptural Garden
Nick is not a shopper, so trying to find something we both like to do when we travel can be challenging.
I stumbled across this little gem when I was trying to find something Nick and Ryan friendly. It’s a free to enter garden located on a street in amongst houses. If you blink you’ll miss it.
The garden has 12 sculptures including a birdhouse, cave, eagles, and even a sphinx.
Each sculpture has a quote, poem, or other type of description written to provoke further thought. To find out more about this garden please visit here.
Attraction – Park City
Park City’s website describes this attraction as “one of the premier skiing destinations in the world”.
This is the first place we visited when we arrived. It was off peak ski season, so many of the shops and restaurants on the main street were closed.
However, it was still worth visiting as there were a couple of places open, and the view of the mountains was fantastic.
Where to eat
Eva’s Bakery
Eva’s Bakery was one of the few shops open on the Sunday we were walking through the city centre.
From the entrance it looks like this is just a small bakery selling a handful of cakes and loaves of breads, but just past the counter there is a large seating area where table service is provided.
We came here for lunch. I had the tuna melt and Nick had the steak sandwich. Both were filling enough to keep us going until dinner.
The Bridge Café and Grill
Whilst in Park City we ate at The Bridge Café and Grill, another place with a great menu. I had fish tacos because they came with chips and I normally do whatever I can to eat chips! The tacos were amazing! Nick had the Carioca (pork, Swiss cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, and chimichurri sauce in a baguette). I also recommend this place!
I would definitely go back to Salt Lake City. In fact, whenever I think about this trip Salt Lake City is normally the part that I think about the most. Maybe because we were there the longest, or maybe because it wasn’t overcrowded and everything was easy to get to.
Do you have any other great Salt Lake City gems that I can visit if I go back?
