With a long-standing reputation as a family-friendly destination, since the 2002 Olympics, Salt Lake City has added “world-class” to its internationally known attributes. Olympic facilities, new restaurants and shops and a light rail system have further enhanced the city’s well-established appeal as a state capitol, home to the historic Temple Square, gateway to great skiing, and of course, home of Utah Jazz basketball.

Salt Lake City’s Mormon legacy is responsible for its wide and well-kept streets laid out in an easy to navigate grid system. Temple Square, where visitors find the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and the Family History Library is at the center of it all, a monument to those who endured drought and a plague of crickets to escape religious persecution.

You would never know today this was once a barren land that tested the early settlers’ fortitude. Spring rains fill the canyons of the Wasatch Mountains to the east and the Oquirrh Mountains to the west with wild flowers and spontaneous waterfalls. In autumn, brilliant foliage adorns canyon walls. Sunshine and low humidity make hiking, rock climbing, and mountain biking spectacular for much of the year, and in winter, the “powder” at the areas’ ten world-class ski areas is so good, they’ve trademarked the phrase “greatest snow on earth™.” West of the city is the Great Salt Lake, five times as salty as any ocean, with sailing, swimming and abundant bird-watching along its white shoreline.

While Temple Square remains Salt Lake's biggest attraction, the city thrives as a cultural center, supporting one of the nation's finest regional symphony orchestras, world-class opera, dance and theater companies, and a myriad of art galleries. Salt Lake City also serves as the gateway to ten national parks, including Bryce, Zion and Yellowstone — all within a day's drive.