Park City, Utah VACATION !! Any Suggestions??

[mholdi1540]

Hi, thanks in advance for your advice. Plan for mid-October vacation and will have a car to visit local areas. Any suggestions for sites to visit, places to eat, shopping, museums, etc? Maybe a day trip to Salt Lake City if it is worth seeing?? This is a low intensity pleasure trip even if there is nothing to do at all but read a book.

[BYUvol]

Unless you have an activity planned (skiiing or the sundance film festival for instance), you're going to blow through the sites at Park City pretty quickly. Mid-October is an awkward time temperature wise where it is equally likely to be snowing or 75 degrees, so most high-altitude parks close in early September.

Salt Lake will have much more to see and do. If it was me personally, I would stay in SLC and spend a day in Park City, rather than the other way around.

[Rupert]

There's a great muni golf course in Park City (or at least there used to be - been about six years since I've played it).

[White Coat Investor]

October is one of my favorite months in Utah with the cooler temperatures, sunny relatively predictable weather patterns (I've seen snow as early as October 6 however), and nice foliage in the mountains (but not as impressive as the East Coast). But I'll bet very few people go to Park City that time of year. I bet you got a good deal on airfare, lodging, and a rental car.

Park City is a tiny little downtown area with a film festival at the base of some fancy ski resorts. There aren't very many "sites" to see. People go there to see the film festival and to enjoy the outdoors, not the town. Mountain biking, hiking etc. If you're not into those things, it might not be your favorite destination.

The alpine slides, zip-lines etc tend to be popular with the adventurous crowd.

http://www.utah.com/parkcity/alpine_slide.htm

The restaurants tend to be popular with the foodie crowd.

http://www.urbanspoon.com/n/54/5422/Sal ... estaurants

SLC is definitely worth a day. I prefer the West side of the Wasatch to the East side as far as outdoor stuff. Temple Square is a perennial favorite and the price is right for the cheapest of Bogleheads. This Is The Place monument is also an interesting place for pioneer/Mormon history. If you've never swam in something like The Great Salt Lake that's cool too, as long as you don't have any abrasions. Bingham Copper Mine is also interesting as an attraction. I'm not sure if it is more cool or less cool since the mammoth landslide happened. Thanksgiving Point might be worth the drive. You could even take a long day trip to Moab/Arches or Zion.

http://saltlakecity.about.com/od/landma ... ctions.htm

Lagoon is the big local theme park if you're bringing kids. Don't ride the wooden roller coaster. Cool? Yes. Historic? Yes. But there' s a reason they make the modern ones out of metal.

And if you get sick, you can come see me!

[travellight]

I love my early October trips to Park City; I go every year. You could catch some fall foliage although by mid October, it will be waning. Salt Lake should be in good bloom then though! If Mirror Lake is still open, I like doing the one hour drive up there which is gorgeous and then doing the circular hike around the entire lake and/or fishing.

There are lots of great restaurants in Park City. Some of my faves are Wahso, Riverhorse, Chimayo, Grappa, and there is a new steak house in Kimball Junction but I am blanking on the name... I think it is something like Lespres.

In SLC, I enjoy the Sugarhouse and Avenues neighborhoods. Check out 9th and 9th and 15th and 15th. Some places to eat: Trios (love their spaghetti carbonara), Pagos, Forage, Plum Alley, Gracie's. Try Dodo's for their desserts, great pies.

I am at the airport heading there right now..... this trip, I will be driving to Moab to do some white water rafting and canyoneering.

[LadyGeek]

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