[2024] Is Salt Lake City Worth Visiting By Itself? Maybe.

Salt Lake City still has beautiful scenery

People oftentimes associate the state of Utah with "Mormons". Instead, the word should be "mountains".

Salt Lake City International Airport (SLC) is one of the prettiest airports in the country to fly into, as you'll see the mountains surrounding the airport as you descend from the sky.

I wish I had a picture of this from inside the plane. Sometimes, you just need to enjoy certain views with your own eyes and not through the lens of a camera.

The interior of SLC is pretty nice too.

When exploring the neighborhoods of Salt Lake City on foot, like downtown and the Temple District, you'll be able to catch glimpses of the mountains surrounding the city.

Below is a picture I remember being taken somewhere between Delta Center (where the Utah Jazz play) and the Temple District. Look at the scenery in the background!

What about street art? Well, Salt Lake City did not have too much of it. I did happen to find a pretty cool mural of a lightbulb somewhere in the city.

There was another cool mural outside a nightclub called the Rust and Relic which I will post in this article later.

Salt Lake City has gorgeous architecture

Most of the interesting architecture in Salt Lake City is located in the Temple District.

As you can probably decipher by the name, the Temple District is the hub for the Latter Day Saints.

Aside from, of course, gorgeous temples, buildings such as The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints Office Building (a mouthful, I know), The Church of Latter Day Saints Conference Center, and Church History Museum all have impressive architecture.

My favorite of the aforementioned buildings was the Office Building. It has globes carved into the building, which is pretty cool.

At the intersection of South Temple and State Street is a really cool art sculpture which arches and spans across both sides of State Street. It is called the Eagle Gate Monument. It's actually been there for quite a long time-- it was completed all the way back in 1859!

For some more modern architecture and a chance to do some shopping, check out City Creek.

Salt Lake City has an active nightlife

When I was walking around the city the first night we arrived, I was pleasantly surprised at the nightlife. Perhaps the reason I was surprised was me thinking a city with a large Mormon population wouldn't have much to do after dark.

Turns out, I saw bars, nightclubs, and music venues.

As I was just walking around the city and didn't partake in anything, I don't have much else to say beyond this point.

The people are very friendly

In my experience of exploring the mountain states thus far, I have to say one consistent trait is that the people are especially friendly.

When you are surrounded by such astounding natural beauty day-to-day, I'm sure that helps a bit with a person's mood!

When we were exploring Salt Lake City on a Sunday morning, we saw several members of the Mormon church walking around. They too were very polite. No one tried to preach to us or anything. They just went about their business, as we did with ours.

Other places to check out

For city explorers like myself, Utah has far more to offer when it comes to state and national parks than city life.

Salt Lake City is worth visiting for a day. Maybe two tops.

After seeing the city, rent yourself a car and drive down to Moab to see Arches National Park. It's about a 4 hour drive if you don't stop.

Arches National Park is a must-see for anyone visiting Utah. Bear in mind, because the park has experienced a massive influx of tourists in recent years, you may have to make a reservation to see the park.

Yeah, a reservation. Like a fancy restaurant. We had to. Check their website and see if a reservation is necessary for when you visit.

Conclusion

So, is Salt Lake City worth visiting in 2024?

For a day. Maybe two tops. Even with the shorter duration, I still enjoyed my visit. I would revisit the city again, though, like I said, only for a day or two.

Thank you for reading!


Thank you for reading! Like... seriously. So many people just skim sh*t and don't read anything past the headline. You're one of the good ones!

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