"Different by nature" is Salt Lake City's tourism slogan, and that's for sure a phrase that says it all. The capital of Utah is definitely unusual, from its location in a blazing hot desert and proximity to mountain sports to the fact that it is arguably the center of one of America's two most important native-born religions. (The Mormon Church here, Christian Science in Boston.) These facts combine to assure visitors of an interesting place to visit, even if for a brief stay.
If travel is designed to inform as well as entertain, Salt Lake City should be a target high on your list. More than in any other state, religion plays a major role in Utah, one nervous resident confiding in me that "we live in a theocracy." What makes this intriguing to the non-religious is that Utah's history is so much a part of the opening of the great American West, reaching its peak in the 19th century, only a few generations ago.
In addition to the glories of Utah's natural scenery, many of them in the southern part of the state, be sure to check out the mountains of the north, where skiing in winter and hiking in summer make good use of the gorgeous mountain ranges here. Then head for Salt Lake City, with a detour maybe to the eponymous body of water itself (16 miles west), and look at how a hardy group of Americans made their mark on the landscape.
Temple Square
You can get a good crash course in American history just in Temple Square, home to the Mormons, officially known as members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, often abbreviated as LDS. Here you can see, easily in a day, the major monuments of that church, arranged around a green-lawned expanse of about three square blocks. Admission is free to all sites mentioned here.
Most important to visitors is the Tabernacle, from which the famed Mormon Tabernacle Choir beams its Sunday morning program, Music & The Spoken Word, on some 2,000 radio, TV and cable stations around the world, in what the church calls "the longest-running continual network broadcast in the world (since 1929)." Tickets for the broadcasts are free, but you must be there long before the 9:15 deadline to be sure of a seat for the 9:30 AM programs. You can also visit during choir and orchestra rehearsals on Thursday evenings or free organ recitals at noon daily except Sundays. Concerts are also given weekly in the nearby Assembly Hall, phone tel. 801/240-3323 for schedule.
You can visit the Tabernacle daily and can join guided tours or look around for yourself. For maps and other information about the square, visit either the North or South Visitors' Centers, interesting in their own right. The North Center has two art galleries, an interactive map of Jerusalem, with two films, one on the westward trek of the Mormon pioneers from Illinois. Tours daily 9am 8:15pm, info at tel. 801/240-1245. The South Center has two interactive exhibits, one on building the Salt Lake Temple, and a room for contemplation or meditation. Tours same times as the North Center.
If you are interested in genealogy, you may want to visit the Family History Library, which houses "the largest genealogical collection of its kind in the world." You can use it freely, open 8am-9pm except Monday when it closes at 5pm and Sunday, when it is closed. Next door is the Museum of Church History & Art, including Utah art and artifacts. Open daily except major holidays.
You can see a film on Joseph Smith, the founder of the LDS, in the Memorial Building bearing his name, and use computers here to research your ancestors. There are a café and gift shop and two public restaurants here as well. The Lion House (1856) was the residence of Brigham Young, Smith's disciple, as is Beehive House (1854), Young's official residence. Open daily 9am-9pm, last tour beginning at 8:30pm. Just around the corner is the Brigham Young Historic Park, where there are also occasional free summer concerts, ranging from rock and roll to military bands and a lot more in between.
The Salt Lake Temple, that imposing edifice in the center of the square, is open only to members of the LDS faith, and is used for ceremonies and rituals such as weddings. Note the gold-leafed statue of the angel Moroni blowing his trumpet on the center easternmost of the six spires.
For information on all Temple Square events, phone tel. 800/537-9703 or see www.visittemplesquare.com.
Outside the Square
A good way to get around town is the Connect Pass (https://visitsaltlake.com/visit/connect_pass.php?s=visit), costing from $20 for one day (less for seniors and children), with free admission to 12 sites, including the Museum of Fine Arts, the Utah Olympic Park, Utah Museum of Natural History, Clark Planetarium, and the Living Planet Aquarium, plus a $9.95 buffet lunch at the Lion House Pantry restaurant. The hop-on, hop-off City Tour costs $35 for adults, with free admission to 15 spots.
If you come to Utah in winter, you will want to visit one of Salt Lake's neighboring ski venues. The most famous are Park City, Deer Valley, Snowbird, Alta, Solitude, Powder Mountain -- the list goes on and on. Info at tel. 877/SLC-4FUN or www.ski-saltlake.com.
Lodging
A very good headquarters for looking at downtown Salt Lake City is the Hotel Monaco (tel. 877/294-9710 or 801/595-0000; www.monaco-saltlakecity.com), ideally located at 15 West 200 South, just two short blocks from Temple Square. Large rooms, high speed Internet, fitness center, excellent Bambara Restaurant.
Resources
Information on the Tabernacle Choir can be found at www.mormontabernaclechoir.org.
All you might want to know about Salt Lake City from its Visitors Bureau can be found at tel. 801/534-4900 or at www.visitsaltlake.com.
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