Last month, my family took a road trip to Salt Lake City. What a fun city to visit! The mountain and desert views are amazing. We had some really good food and visited some fun places. I wrote a post about the road trip itself, but didn’t include what we did while we were in Utah. I mean, the road trip was half the fun, but Salt Lake City is a great place to visit whether you drive or fly there. We only had three days in Salt Lake City, so the ideas found here just scratch the surface of the fun there is to be had.
Day One in Salt Lake City
The kids and I tagged along with my husband on this trip. For him, it was mostly business. For us, it was all fun and games. So on our first full day in town, he went to meetings in a conference room and we went out and explored our surroundings.
Ruth’s Diner
You can’t explore without eating a good breakfast, so that was first on our agenda. I visited Salt Lake City five years ago and a friend introduced me to Ruth’s Diner. Ruth’s is the second oldest restaurant in Utah and has been in business 88 years. The original building was torn down in 1949, and Ruth (yes, there was a real Ruth) bought an old trolley car, moved it up Emigration Canyon, and the place has been there ever since. You can eat in the original trolley car or out on the back patio overlooking Emigration Creek.
Every meal I’ve had at Ruth’s, whether my own or sampled from another’s plate, has been delicious. They start by bringing the table a plate of their mile-high biscuits. They’re served with butter and homemade raspberry jam, but they’re fantastic all by themselves. My kids ordered the hot chocolate. It is served in a tall glass mug and is everything a good mug of hot chocolate should be. My son ordered the biscuits and gravy. He couldn’t finish them and that boy eats a lot. I had the daily quiche. It had mushroom, tomatoes, and artichoke hearts in it. So yummy! Needless to say, we were quite full when we left the diner and headed to our next destination.
Natural History Museum of Utah
Just a few miles away from Ruth’s is the University of Utah campus. And on that campus is the Natural History Museum of Utah (NHMU). This museum turned out to be one of our favorite outings of the trip (if you don’t count Ruth’s Diner). The tagline on the museum’s website says “Explore billions of years of awesome” and that’s exactly what we did. If you visit every exhibit (which we did) you can plan on spending several hours here.
If you have a dinosaur fan in your family, they will not be disappointed at NHMU. My middle daughter still loves dinosaurs and she’s eighteen. She was in heaven here. We also visited the exhibit on early peoples of Utah. It was really interesting. The exhibit is extensive and the artifacts are amazing.
A Pretty Nice Walk
We left the NHMU and went back to our hotel (the Radisson on South Temple) to regroup for the afternoon. Child number one wanted to take a nap. Children two and three were only slightly hungry. So we walked to the the nearby City Creek Center and had a quick bite at the food court. Child number three wanted to go back to the hotel afterwards. So that left middle child and I to explore the area.
We started across the street from the mall at the Joseph Smith Memorial Building. This building was originally the Hotel Utah and was built in 1911. It ceased being a hotel in 1987. Renovations were completed in 1993 and it was renamed the Joseph Smith Memorial Building after the founder and first president of the LDS Church. Today, the building houses restaurants and cafes, conference rooms, wedding venues, and even a theater for special events.
From there, we walked down Main Street. I wanted to find a fun street mural made of books I saw on Pinterest. Street art and books are two of my favorite things, so this was perfect for me. Google maps led us to a local used and rare bookseller. Eborn books is the kind of place you could spend all day in. If you love the smell of old books, searching for a literary treasure, or just buying cheap used paperbacks, Eborn is the place to be. After browsing a bit, I asked the man at the counter about the mural and he gave me directions. We had to backtrack half a block, go down a long alleyway, and turn left. I think it was worth the hunt.
Dinner and a Show
My husband made it back to the hotel in time for an early dinner and a movie. His coworker recommended the Red Iguana. We got there early on a Tuesday, so we weren’t expecting a line outside. But there we were with at least 30 other people waiting in the 90+ degree heat. Was it worth it? Yes. It was. This place serves super delicious Mexican food in a colorful atmosphere. The staff were great. They even tried to get us in a little faster when they heard we had tickets to a movie. A quick visit to their website shows they’ve won over 20 awards in the past 10 tens and were featured on “Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives.”
The show was Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom and we viewed it at the Megaplex Theaters at the Gateway Mall. I would like to give the movie as glowing a review as the Red Iguana. But I can’t. It was alright, but no where near as good as the first one. Luckily, it was a Tuesday and our tickets were only $5.
Day Two in Salt Lake City
Our original plan for day two of the trip was to meet a friend and her family and go to Utah’s biggest amusement park, Lagoon. The weather forced us to change plans. There was no way I was spending the day waiting in line for roller coasters in 104 degree heat. Lagoon has some really fun looking rides, but that experience will have to wait for a future trip.
Instead, we went to the movies and shopped a little. We also had lunch at Crown Burgers, a local chain. Apparently, fry sauce is a big deal in Utah and this place has some of the best. If you’ve never tried fry sauce, it tastes like a mix of mayo and ketchup with some spices. Sorry, Utah, I don’t get the appeal. Please don’t hate me.
We also had a nice dinner at my friend’s new home. The builders just finished it this spring and it was my first time visiting since they moved in. The kids played out back on the trampoline and with their border collie mix dog. We stayed well into the evening. It was a fun and relaxing day.
Day Three in Salt Lake City
Our last full day was spent sleeping in, playing in the hotel pool, and then meeting friends at the Leonardo. What is the Leonardo? It’s an art and science museum with loads of hands-on exhibits. At first, I thought it might be a little too “young” for my teens, but I was wrong. We especially enjoyed the perceptions and Lego exhibits. The exhibits change frequently, so there is always something new to see. I recently read, however, that the museum is having financial troubles. So if you’re interested, get there soon.
From there, we drove back to our hotel and walked to a downtown landmark for lunch. The Lion House Pantry is housed in part of the Lion House, home of Brigham Young. Does that name sound familiar? His name is found on three LDS church universities and he was the second president of the LDS church. Young was the leader who led the Latter-Day Saints to Utah and settled them there. His house is quite large (he was a polygamist and had a large family, after all). You can tour the house for free. The Lion House Pantry is famous for it’s rolls. We sampled three types of rolls (dinner, cinnamon, and sweet orange), and they were all delicious.
Day Four, On the Road Again
Day four of our trip meant hitting the road back home. We had a long drive ahead of us, but my husband wanted to try Ruth’s Diner for himself. So we drove up Emigration Canyon one last time. We ate out on the patio and, once again, everyone was thrilled with their meal. Once we filled out stomachs and the car’s gas tank, we were on our way.
This time, we stopped at the rest stop out on the salt flats. In all my trips through this area, I had never gotten out and looked at the salt up close. The salt gets everywhere. The building, fences, and sidewalks had salt on them. It was a surreal landscape. From the pictures, you can see it looks like a different planet.
After our stop on the Salt Flats, we still had 10 hours of driving to get home. But the flats were a fun way to say “goodbye” to Utah and I’m glad we stopped. Like many of our stops in Utah, it was a fun and interesting life experience. It was great to have these experiences together as a family. Even when the car or the hotel room felt a little too tight, I was glad we were all together. As my kids get older, I know I can’t take these experiences for granted.
I highly recommend taking road trips and exploring new places with your family. The memories you make will last a lifetime.
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