The Ultimate Guide to Salt Lake City for Non-Skiers

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Taking a Trip to Salt Lake City, Utah

When I started telling people I was traveling to Salt Lake City, UT for a week, the first question ultimately was, “Are you going skiing?” Well, in fact, I don’t ski.

The opportunity arose when my husband was being sent out there for a work project. I had never been, so he asked if I wanted to tag along. Of course, my answer was yes. I’ve been on a mission to see more states, and I haven’t had many opportunities to fulfill this item on my bucket list.

It worked out that I was able to take off some time from work and finally explore a new state. But the question remained, what was a non-skier to do in Salt Lake City? Although it is well known for its ski resorts because of the plethora of mountains, there is still a ton of cool stuff to do for us non-skiers.

Before I dive in to the adventures, let’s go back to those mountains for a second. First and foremost, you should visit Salt Lake City for all the views! Trust me, I was literally agape from the minute we landed. It seriously feels like you’re in the middle of a movie set. I kept saying to myself, this can’t be real.

It’s real. It’s beautiful. And even before you read the rest of this guide, just book a ticket and go.

Things to do in Salt Lake City for Non-Skiers (And Skiers, too!)

Antelope Island State Park

Antelope Island is the largest island in the Great Salt Lake. It offers camping, wildlife sightings, hiking, horseback riding and mountain biking. Since it was cold and snowing when we went, we chose to drive around in search of wildlife. We mainly saw amazing herds of bison, but you might also see bighorn sheep, mule deer, and, of course, pronghorn antelope.

You also have amazing views of the Great Salt Lake, the Wasatch Mountains, Salt Lake City skyline and benches of ancient Lake Bonneville. Along with the trails and roadways that you can explore on your own, the State Park offers year-round educational programs, such as guided hikes, bird watches, astronomy programs and more.

The entrance fee is $10 per carload and the park is open 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily, excluding Thanksgiving and Christmas. For more information, visit stateparks.utah.gov.

Thanksgiving Point

Thanksgiving Point is a non-profit destination center with museums, gardens and farms. It’s located about 25 miles south of Salt Lake City and totally worth the trip.

We went to see the Museum of Ancient Life and the Christmas light display, called Luminaria, at their Ashton Gardens. Both were worth the admission price of $20 per person.

The Museum of Ancient Life was quite fun for adults, especially if you enjoy learning about dinosaurs and biospheres. While it’s family-oriented, even we spent a few hours walking around the dinosaur skeletons, galleries, hands-on exhibits and educational stations. This museum claims to be the world’s largest display of mounted dinosaur skeletons, boasting 60 complete skeletons and 50 hands-on displays.

Luminaria at Ashton Gardens was obviously a seasonal display, but I had such a blast there! I’m certain the gardens are beautiful to walk through during Spring, Summer and Fall when the flowers, trees and lawns are full and lush. During our visit the 55-acre property was adorned in display after display of Christmas light scenes along with holiday music. There were also stations with hot chocolate, s’mores and firepits. Definitely a must-see if you are there in November or December!

For more information, visit thanksgivingpoint.org.

Day Trip to Park City

Park City is the quintessential winter town. Historic Main Street is literally a scene out of a movie set to the backdrop of snow-covered mountains. You can meander through quaint shops, restaurants, bars and coffee houses.

Along with the two ski resorts that Park City is probably most known for, you can also enjoy other winter sports, museums and guided tours. And in addition to Main Street, there are a plethora of options for dining, entertainment, shopping and nightlife.

We only explored Historic Main Street during our trip and it was certainly worth the 40 minute drive from Salt Lake City. For more information, go to visitparkcity.com.

City Creek Center

Located in downtown Salt Lake City, City Creek Center is a large indoor/outdoor shopping, residential and commercial center. The main shopping mall has a retractable roof and the walkways are tree-lined, with streams and rocks so that you feel like you’re outside.

While we didn’t go for the upscale shopping experience, this was unlike any mall we’d ever been to. It was truly something that we needed to check off the list as it really felt like you were shopping in nature.

Across the street from the main mall is Temple Square. City Creek Center is owned by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, so we expected to see a temple near by. This 10-acre property was decked out with Christmas lights, so it was incredible to walk around the property at night.

For more information about City Creek Center, visit http://www.shopcitycreekcenter.com.

Ophir, Utah

If you’re willing to travel about an hour outside Salt Lake City, I highly recommend checking out the small city of Ophir. And when I say small, I mean population of about 55 and total area of 0.2 square miles.

If you go, it’s literally a street up a mountain with a few small houses on either side and evidence of the small mining town that once existed. If you like history and the old west, this is a place for you! Just imagine the small, old west towns in movies with a saloon, firehouse, Town Hall, church and country store all in a line. That’s exactly what this place is like!

It’s located in Tooele County, Utah which is part of the Salt Lake City, UT metropolitan statistical area. It was named after the biblical Ophir, from which King Solomon brought back gold to Israel.

Where to Eat in Salt Lake City

There are so many great restaurants around the city and surrounding areas that we visited. Here are just a few of our favorites:

Pago

Pago was an intimate farm-to-table restaurant in Salt Lake City. The food was really delicious, albeit on the pricier side. I really enjoyed the ambience here and it made for a nice date night restaurant. My favorite was the beet salad with goat cheese.

R & R BBQ

A trip out west wouldn’t be complete without trying the local barbeque joint. R & R did not disappoint. We were actually able to split a three meat platter and were both quite full in the end. The pulled pork, ribs, sausage and mac and cheese were all top notch in our opinions.

No Name Saloon & Grill

This is just a super chill bar and restaurant in Park City. They have an extensive beer and drink menu, tasty appetizers and friendly waitstaff. They were also decorated for Christmas when we went and it was a really quirky, fun atmosphere.

Lighthouse Lounge

The Lighthouse Lounge was probably our favorite food spot on the whole trip. We came across this by accident and it turned out to be a happy accident. Located in Ogden, UT, Lighthouse Lounge is an American brew pub. We got an order of nachos with shredded chicken and a burger which were both out of this world. We happened to meet the chef on his way home from his shift and you could tell that a lot of love went into the food.

Bonneville Brewery

Located in Tooele County, we went here after the Ophir exploration. They had a chill vibe and micro-brews made onsite. Our waitress was super friendly and we had an overall enjoyable lunch. I tried their smoked brisket chili which was phenomenal and their peach wheat ale which was also very good.

Final Note

I have nothing but wonderful thoughts about our trip to Utah. From knockout views to nature hikes to educational experiences to wonderful food, everything about this trip was memorable.

As you can see, we did a lot of travel during this trip, so I highly recommend renting a car if you’re flying in. We got one with four-wheel drive, which is also highly recommended if you’re going during winter weather or taking it up mountains.

I also recommend packing layers. We obviously went in late fall/early winter, which meant it could be snowing in the morning but a little warmer later on. The climate also changes as you travel up the mountains. Also, pack comfortable shoes/boots for hiking and for walking around town.

We stayed in West Valley City, right outside of downtown Salt Lake, and conveniently nearby to the airport and major highways. This made it extremely easy to get to our hotel after flying in and then easily navigate to our various tourist destinations.

Overall, I encourage everyone to see Salt Lake City as a non-skier. While I know they have world-class ski resorts, there are so many other great things to do, see and eat in Salt Lake City and the surrounding area.

Have you ever been to Salt Lake City? What were your favorite things to do and see? And if you haven’t been, what stands out as something you’d like to experience? Let me know in the comments below!