Salt Lake PlazaSelections

Nestled among stoic mountains, the Temple Square Family History Library stands as a portal to people, places, and stories dating back hundreds and hundreds of years. The library draws tens of thousands of visitors each year with its extensive collection of books, maps, publications, and microfilm (of which there are 1.4 million rolls!) to give insight into worlds of years past. Whether you’re a seasoned genealogist or simply someone who has an appreciation for learning about your family’s history, this library is an absolute must-visit during your time in our beautiful city. Visitors have free access to films, books, and photo-scanning equipment to take home copies of what you’ve found. Bonus: the library is within walking distance and we have a Family Roots Package for those of you with a passion for historical explorations. Win-win!

One visit to our beautiful city and you’ll see what we mean—winding paths, sweeping views, and tall mountains. With the start of a new year, and decade, on the horizon, the city’s many outdoor adventures will be calling your name. One of our favorite winter hikes is one that everyone can enjoy, the Donut Falls trails. Short, secure, and easy for beginners, this trail is about three miles roundtrip and offers a perfect escape into Utah’s winter wonderland. The falls freeze during these winter months, but still serve an impressive sight for both locals and visitors. For those that prefer to hang back, you can still take part in some outdoor family fun. Close to the parking lot is a section ideal for sledding. Have fun!

Each year, through the month of December, Temple Square is all aglow with the most spectacular light display in the state. At the center of our beautiful city, and spanning across 10 acres, the square dazzles with over a million lights and beautiful displays to get you into the holiday spirit. You and yours can catch the evening lights from 5-10:30 p.m. most evenings—and while you’re there, check out the detailed nativity scenes from around the globe. This is one of those must-dos when in Salt Lake, and whether you have time for a quick stop or leisurely stroll, you’ll feel the magic of the season the moment you step foot in Temple Square.

One way to really enjoy the fall foliage at its finest is a day trip just outside our city center, to Big Cottonwood Canyon. Nestled in the heart of the Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest, this serene sanctuary is home to two ski resorts and endless paths for hiking, rock climbing, and mountain biking. The scenic byway winds through the canyon for an hour-long drive, for those in search of a quick ride through autumn’s vibrant landscape. Plan an afternoon taking in all of the natural beauty your way (it is your vacation, after all!)—whether it’s setting out on a trail, enjoying a picnic or simply admiring the beauty from the comfort of your car.

Thankfully, October delivers with endless activities around the city and beyond to get you in the festive spirit. Your first stop should be Wheeler Farm for their month-long pumpkin days. This annual event is family-friendly, great for groups, and packed with fun activities to keep everyone happy. If you have little kids in tow, this event is not to be missed! Find your perfect pumpkin at their pumpkin patch, explore a hay maze, and even enjoy a ride on a wagon. This historic farm also runs in conjunction with the popular Festival of Scarecrows, which features creative scarecrows all across the farm. Be sure to grab some cider while you’re there!

Join in on the fun on the third Friday of every month as the city’s galleries open their doors for the monthly Gallery Stroll. Founded by the Salt Lake Gallery Association, this local tradition has become a popular social gathering for the city’s artists and visitors alike. Whether you’re traveling with friends or family, this cool event offers the chance to meet with local artists and check out their work, along with live music and food and drinks to kick off the start of the weekend. Nearly 40 galleries participate in the monthly event, and you can explore each gallery at your own pace in order to immerse yourself in the unique, beautiful art that defines Salt Lake City.

Plan to head 20 minutes out from our property to Storm Mountain Park at sunrise—trust us, the early start is worth it! Watch in awe with the Salt Lake community as these impressive and beautiful balloons rise with the morning sun. There will be muffins, coffee, and other breakfast treats available to help get the day started. On the second evening, make time for the Balloon Glow celebration at South Towne Promenade! The festival will showcase a display of illuminated hot air balloons and serve up fun activities, a dance party, and local food trucks for tasty eats! This annual event is one of our favorite ways to round out the summer fun.

Whether it’s enjoying our national pastime, exploring museums, or hanging out at a park, we’ve rounded up all of the best ways for you to celebrate this beloved summer holiday.

Baseball Game With the SLC Bees
It’s only right to enjoy our nation’s favorite pastime on our Independence Day. Check out the Bees schedule to cheer on the team and enjoy their firework show after the game.

4th of July Block Party at Jordan Park
This patriotic neighborhood party is a must for families or groups! Stretch out at the park and enjoy some of the city’s finest food trucks, all lined up for the occasion. There will also be activities and booths as well as a thrilling firework show to end the night.

Natural History Museum of Utah Celebration
Stroll through the museum’s award-winning galleries before heading out to the Canyon Terrace for loads of Fourth fun. The festivities include yard games, hands-on activities, filling barbecue, and music to dance to! Plus, the terrace looks out onto the valley for a sweeping, beautiful view.

In short? This is one event you don’t want to miss out on. June 20-23, head over to Library and Washington squares to immerse yourself in the creative, colorful celebration of the visual and performing arts. The event features artists from all over Utah from a variety of mediums, including music, literary arts, 3D art, and so much more! You and your family will love exploring all that this multi-day event has to offer. Check out the art workshops, kid’s interactive activities, and even the artist’s marketplace to find keepsakes for your visit. With such prestige to its name, it’s no wonder why the Utah Arts Festival has become a staple in Salt Lake, and Utah, tradition!

This grand celebration will see 10 new public art pieces added to South Salt Lake (less than 15 minutes from our property!)’s growing artistic identity. Presented by the Utah Arts Alliance and South Salt Lake City Arts Council, Mural Fest attracts artists, art admirers, locals, visitors, and everyone in between to check out the new murals and get involved in the vibrant community here in Salt Lake. From 5-10 p.m., swing by for fun and exciting activities including live painting, music, food trucks, a beer and cocktail garden, kid-friendly activities, and so much more! Meet with art vendors, the muralists themselves, and peruse the amazing collection of artworks for a fun, community-driven event during your visit.

Stand in awe of the magnificent yellow fields before you, as over 230,000 daffodils are in full bloom. Another 230,000 beautiful flowers, including irises, hyacinths, and camassias will also be springing to life. The bulbs blossom at various times through March, April, and May, so try to plan a couple of visits during your stay to catch as many as possible! In addition to the breathtaking fields of flowers, magnolia trees, lilacs, wisteria, and flowering pear trees are also in bloom, lining the walkways as you make your way through this spring wonderland. Be sure to bring your camera—you’ll want to remember these vibrant flowers for years to come.

This time-honored tradition put on by the Hibernian Society of Utah is a fun, festive celebration of Irish heritage and culture here in Salt Lake. Join in on the excitement on Saturday, March 16, where, beginning at 10 a.m., tons of participants will march down 200 South and 500 East, proceeding west towards State Street (where the big finale will be held!). Feel the adrenaline pulsing through the crowds as you cheer on lively performers, bands, floats and more throughout the morning’s festivities. Once the parade completes its route, carry on the good times by exploring the city on this green holiday and filling up on Irish fare and crisp brews. No matter if you stay for an hour or the whole afternoon, you’re sure to have a great time!

This expansive building not only stands as an architectural marvel on the outside (designed by architect Todd Schliemann of Ennead Architects) but the open door to discovery inside with over 5,000 artifacts on display. Walk through each exhibit, down every hallway, to uncover beautiful gems and minerals from all over the world, preserved artifacts from the prehistoric land that would become the state of Utah, and fascinating paleontology discoveries. With just one afternoon spent at the museum, you can access and experience incredible finds from all over the world, right here in Salt Lake City.

Guest conductor Xian Zhang will lead the evening’s orchestra through six classic melodies from The Sleeping Beauty, Joan Tower’s Fanfare, and selections of vibrant Viennese waltzes. Whether you’re a huge fan of classical music or a first-timer to the symphony, you’ll love (and recognize) Utah Symphony’s lively renditions on fantastic classics. Before you’re whisked away by the stunning music, be sure to spend time in Abravanel’s main lobby to enjoy desserts and bubbly before the show or during intermission. If this is how the new year is starting, 2019 is sure to be one for the books.

INow through January 2, 2019, experience the most spectacular light display at the center of our beautiful city at Temple Square in Downtown. Spanning 10 acres and residing as the home to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, Temple Square shines bright with over a million lights and decorations for the holiday season every year. Catch the evening lights from 5-10:30 p.m. throughout the week and check out the nativity seasons from around the globe. Whether you have time for a quick visit or a leisurely stroll, Temple Square’s light display is a warm, celebratory way to get into the festive spirit.

Take note, one of America’s most prominent humor writers is making his way to Salt Lake City. Grab your tickets for David Sedaris, live at the Eccles Theater in Downtown on November 18. With sharp wit and thoughtful stories of his childhood, Sedaris has become beloved for his personal essays, short stories, and commentary on society and humanity. The author of revered works including Barrel Fever, Holidays on Ice and Me Talk Pretty One Day, Sedaris’ shows are as insightful as they are hilarious. Listen as he reads excerpts from his past work and gives insight into his next projects; a night with David Sedaris will have you laughing, crying, and inspired. With the beautiful Eccles Theater as your backdrop, this November event is a wonderful chance to meet with friends and watch a master storyteller at work.  

This month, our visitors and guests can select from a delightful variety of events. We realize it’s often difficult to choose among all of these, so here are a couple of suggestions for your consideration. First, imagine 2,000 Granny Smith apples’ worth of apple strudel, along with 4,500 pounds of chicken, and 6,000 pounds of weisswurst and bratwurst. These are all consumed annually at Snowbird Oktoberfest ongoing through October 21 at the nearby Snowbird Ski Resort. We haven’t seen any numbers on the amount of gallons of beer drunk, but we believe it’s a safe bet the numbers are in the higher ranges! This annual Utah Oktoberfest is the state’s most popular German Festival and will feature all the traditional food, drink, and fun. Rub, and bend elbows and enjoy authentic Bavarian food, live German music, and yodeling as you browse local and regional arts and crafts in Der Marktplatz. Local breweries will be on tap, along with one-liter ceremonial beer steins for enthusiasts. Next, treat the family to Pumpkin Days at Wheeler Farm. This historic farm features loads of fun, with an un-scary hay maze, a cow train, wagon rides, and pumpkins galore, all through October 31.

We may be biased, but at the Salt Lake Plaza Hotel, we’re hard-pressed to name a place with more breathtaking landscape than the state of Utah. You’ll definitely want to venture out of the city to explore a bit during your stay here, and of course, no sightseeing trip in Utah would be complete without a visit to the Great Salt Lake. With a surface area of around 1700 square miles, the Great Salt Lake is the biggest naturally occurring lake anywhere this side of the Mississippi, and because the water can escape only through evaporation, salty deposits build up in the lake, hence the name. The friendly and energetic staff at the visitor’s center will be eager to help you get the most out of your day, whether you’re looking for a refreshing morning swim, a relaxed family picnic, or an afternoon of wildlife gazing. Also, while there are lots of access points for the lake, we’re partial to Antelope Island, located some 60 miles northwest of the city and open daily from 6 A.M. to 10 P.M.

If you’re looking to catch an outstanding concert during your time in Salt Lake City, look no further than The Depot, our city’s premier live musical performance venue. Located in a former train depot along the historic Union Pacific Railroad, this venue opened a little over a decade ago and very soon became the go-to spot for touring acts from across the nation. The Depot has hosted everyone from Jeff Beck, BB King, and Robert Plant to Brockhampton, Cody Jinks, and Dua Lipa. With the capacity to seat an audience of 1200, The Depot offers visitors the opportunity to experience big stadium energy without sacrificing the intimacy of a more traditional nightclub setting. Performers coming to The Depot during the month of August include Beach House, Lil Night ft. DJ Flash and Flare with Concise Kilgore, The Wayne Hoskins Band, The Cadillac Three, and SALTernative.

Address: 13 North 400 West, Salt Lake City, UT 84101

Spanning 42 acres of pristine land on the edge of Emigration Canyon, the Hogle Zoo has been delighting visitors for over a century with majestic creatures from across the globe. Hogle’s many claims to fame include Princess Alice, whose son, Prince Utah, was the first elephant born in the state, and Shasta, the first liger (that’s a lion/tiger mix) born anywhere in the country. Princess Alice, Prince Utah, and Shasta are long gone, but there’s still plenty to keep you entertained during your day at Hogle. The African Savanna transports you to the Serengeti, where you’ll encounter giraffes, zebra, and lions. Rocky Shores showcases animals native to the coastal areas of North America, including river otters, seals, sea lions, grizzlies, and polar bears. Our favorite exhibit is probably Elephant Encounter, which houses not only the expected pachyderms but also a rare white rhinoceros. Just a quick 15-minute drive from our hotel, Hogle Zoo is the perfect family-friendly spot for a day of outdoor fun.

Address: 2600 Sunnyside Ave S, Salt Lake City, UT 84108

At the Salt Lake Plaza Hotel, we love to get lost in a good book, and while your room at the hotel is as cozy a place as any you’ll find away from home, you simply must experience the Salt Lake City Public Library during your stay. With approximately half a million volumes in-house, you’ll certainly find something good to read, but the building itself, designed by celebrated architect Moshe Safdie, is a truly breathtaking work of art. Four of the library’s floors are adorned with spiraling fireplaces reminiscent of the blazing pillars of Exodus, and virtually every part of the library is saturated with natural light. Stroll along the six-story wall that curves gently along the central plaza. Have a bite at the café; then sit down in the reading area at the southern end of the building, where you can alternate between your book and the sublime views of the city and mountains, or opt instead for the full, 360-degree perspective afforded by the roof-top garden.

Address: 210 East 400 South, Salt Lake City, UT 84111

The world’s largest genealogical archive, the Temple Square Family History Library, draws tens of thousands of visitors annually. Over half a million books, maps, and other publications, along with 1.4 million rolls of microfilm, hold many secrets waiting to be discovered. The archive expands constantly. Visitors have free access to film, book, and photo-scanning equipment to preserve and share their own documents. The library’s 45 staff and 550 volunteers stand eager to help. Having said all that, this might be hard to believe: these facilities are free to use.

Planning your visit to the Family History Library

Here at the Salt Lake City Plaza Hotel, we created a Family Roots Package to make your historical explorations more affordable. You’ll enjoy a brisk walk across Temple Square to the library, our comfortable amenities during your downtime, and the opportunity to connect with fellow genealogists in our private library.

Hours:
Monday: 8:00 am – 5:00 pm
Tuesday through Friday: 8:00 am – 9:00 pm
Saturday: 9:00 am – 5:00 pm
Closed Sundays

Location:
35 N West Temple
Salt Lake City, Utah 84103

Contact:
(801) 240-6996

Website:
www.familysearch.org