Do you know how your state was founded? Can you stand on the exact spot where someone once said, “YES! We shall begin a society here, let’s build things!”? (Trivia nugget: I think they can in Delaware.) When we took the kids to Salt Lake City, Utah on a family vacation full of activities, we discovered that Salt Lake City celebrates its founding and the exact spot where they started.
While we have been to Park City twice now to ski, this particular trip was special. We tacked on a few days to take time to explore the city.
Salt Lake City has such a unique history. It comes from a wild and independent group of people fleeing religious persecution to set up their own utopian society. And much of that attitude lingers and is evident wherever you go.
We were there when it was fairly warm (in the 50s), and we had a marvelous time. i didn’t have enough time to do all the things on my list, but the activities we did with our kids while in Salt Lake were a lot of fun – and brought a new perspective to the state.
Here are the Family-Friendly Activities We Did in Salt Lake City, Utah:
This is the Place Heritage Site State Park
We took the kids over to This is the Place Heritage Park to learn more about the state and the people who founded it. It turns out that I learned just as much as they did (probably more, since their attention span was short). Even though much of the park was closed during our winter visit (despite the good weather), we enjoyed the corresponding reduced rates and found it interesting.
First up was riding the “train” throughout the park. The guided tour was exciting, and the kids got a kick out of the right-sized train.
The train ride helped us get our bearings, so it was a great way to start. Blankets were provided to protect against colder temperatures.
After the train ride, we returned to the Visitor Center, where we found a small museum, a larger gift shop, and a short film.
Then, we wandered. We found the spot where it was said Brigham Young first laid eyes on the valley below and determined, “This is the place.”
Standing in this spot, looking out over Salt Lake City, hearing the story of how the Mormons were brutally driven from every place they went (generally over their outlying practice of polygamy), understanding the horrific journey to get to Utah, you can’t help but think, “Who would look out over this rugged, barren wasteland of a place and consider this home?!”
Young must have been weary of traveling, felt far enough away from the government, and wanted to offer his people space. They wanted to practice what they believed without persecution; they didn’t care so much where. Standing where Young stood, you see immediately that this area is not a reservoir of agricultural promise. It is rocky, steep, and quite unfriendly looking, a challenge asking to be tackled.
Walking
Today, of course, Salt Lake City is a bustling town home to many who love the rugged peaks. The metropolitan area boasts over 1.1 million people, and, of course, not everyone is there today for religious reasons. I read that less than half of the population today has an affiliation with the Church of Latter-day Saints. Something else drew them in.
So we took to walking around town to get a feel for it. What else here keeps people enamored with it?
Walking was the best way to see Salt Lake City, in my opinion. We took off out of our Airbnb lodging and just hit the neighborhood streets, meandering. The houses were nestled among rock outcroppings and conifers with gnarled and twisted arms. And always behind them, snowcapped peaks. It was lovely. Special. I hope the residents aren’t immune to the majesty over their heads.
Eventually, we fell prey to what so many do: we felt the insatiable need to climb those mountains. But, of course, we had kids (and absolutely no experience with rock climbing), so we looked for something easier.
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Hiking
Way up above Salt Lake City, constantly in our vision, was the large H Rock. It is called such because it is a rock painted with a large H. ( I learned the H stands for Highlands High School.) We were determined to make it up there.
There wasn’t much information available on how to get to the H Rock, surprisingly. We got very confused trying to make our way there. At first, it looked as though we could walk to the trail. But we realized that was some mirage, so we piled into the car and used these resources: the H Rock official site and Google had it marked on a map here. We started at Jack’s Peak Trailhead.
The trail that took us under the rock was gorgeous and easy. It had sweeping views of everything underneath us, the entire valley the Mormons claimed and tamed.
Once we got closer to the H Rock, things got steeper, rockier, and there was a bit of trash (which I read is from partying high schoolers). So while we didn’t get to touch the H, we got pretty close. But it wasn’t about the H, it was about the valley.
Tracy Aviary
We never made it over to Temple Square or took in a practice of the Tabernacle Choir. (When I go back to Salt Lake City, those are on my must-do list.)
But since the blue skies beckoned us outside, we took advantage of the cloudless skies. Our last family activity off-slope was Tracy Aviary.
This was a lovely adventure as well! We were pleasantly surprised. While the aviary isn’t large, it offered plenty of easily accessible family entertainment, especially for my younger kids.
We saw a show which, if you go, get in line for the show early! They have very limited seating, and even on the school day we were there, it maxed out about 15 minutes before the show started. But it was worth seeing. We were able to get up close and personal with the aviary population.
But even running around the aviary, we had a beautiful time. Again, always those mountains in the back. It is an experience to see ducks and parrots hopping around with snowy mountain ranges behind them. It seems like it shouldn’t be possible.
In fact, that was what most of Salt Lake City felt to me as I got to know it: Is this possible? Is it possible for all these people to create such a gorgeous city, with a vibrant economy and solid family entertainment, in a valley with such unfriendly terrain? How much do Salt Lake City outdoor enthusiasts love where they live?
I was so glad to experience this area – without skis.
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