Discover Salt Lake City

Salt Lake City combines diverse cultural attractions with gardens, natural areas, and trails along the Jordan River. If you are looking for a vacation rental for your trip, you can therefore plan your stay according to your own interests: Would you like to discover museums and history, explore gardens, or include some activity by the water? The city and its surrounding area offer a variety of options.

Culture, History, and Special Places

The Natural History Museum of Utah is the official natural history museum of the state of Utah. Public programs such as DinoFest, a lecture series, and weekly gallery programs complement a museum visit. The Utah Museum of Fine Arts also offers tours led by educators and docents, both virtually and on site.

At the Utah State Capitol, you can choose self-guided, guided, or virtual tours focusing on architecture, Utah history, and state administrative processes. The building also displays artworks depicting researchers, pioneers, and notable figures from Utah. In the North Capitol Building, the Museum of Utah presents Utah’s history, culture, and art through exhibitions and programs.

The Pioneer Memorial Museum is dedicated to artifacts related to the history of Utah’s pioneers and early life in Utah. The memorabilia on display includes objects from the arrival of the first settlers in the Great Salt Lake Valley to the joining of the railroad lines on May 10, 1869, at Promontory Point in Utah. This Is The Place Heritage Park provides another historical focus: The 500-acre park includes a visitor center and a reconstructed pioneer village.

Gardens, Animals, and Outdoor Art

Red Butte Garden encompasses 3,000 plant and tree species across 100 acres of themed gardens and natural areas. It is located at the entrance to Red Butte Canyon, a protected watershed and designated Research Natural Area managed by the U.S. Forest Service. Five miles of trails lead through the extensive natural area. Public transportation operated by UTA and the free University of Utah campus shuttle are available for getting there.

Tracy Aviary at Liberty Park showcases birds from around the world in landscaped botanical gardens and opened to the public on July 2, 1938. Gilgal Sculpture Garden features a landscaped garden open year-round, 12 original sculptures, and more than 70 stones engraved with Bible passages, poems, and literary texts. It is the only designated visionary art environment in Utah.

Trails Along the Jordan River and Throughout the City

The Jordan River Parkway Trail runs through Salt Lake City between 2100 S and 2500 N. It is suitable for walkers, joggers, skaters, and cyclists. The Salt Lake City section of the Jordan River Water Trail has five official boat ramps. Salt Lake City’s Trails and Natural Lands Division manages the Water Trail, the boat ramps, and the parks between 2100 South and 2300 North.

In the wider regional area, the 46-mile Jordan River Parkway offers opportunities for walking, running, cycling, and paddling non-motorized watercraft such as kayaks, canoes, and SUPs. The regional trail section in Salt Lake City also includes 17 miles of unpaved mountain biking trails. For a shorter route, the 1.2-mile shared-use path through Memory Grove Park is available; it begins at the intersection of State Street and Second Avenue and leads to Bonneville Boulevard.

The Right Accommodation for Your Travel Plans

When choosing your vacation rental, you can first determine the type of trip you want. For culture-focused days, museums, historical topics, and tours are the main attractions. If gardens, animals, and natural areas are more important, Red Butte Garden and Tracy Aviary offer specific destinations to include in your plans. Those who want to spend as much time as possible on trails can compare the various details about the parkway, Water Trail, Memory Grove Park, and mountain biking route. The combination of self-guided visits, guided offerings, and trails for different activities can thus be tailored to your own pace.

If you would like to expand your search to additional destinations, you can also consider Cottonwood Heights, Holladay, Sandy, Taylorsville, West Jordan, Murray, South Jordan or Alta.

To the overarching travel overview: Salt Lake.