Travel Salt Lake City - How to Survive Downtown without a Car!
This is not sponsored content, but our experiences while traveling Salt Lake City. I hope you find some useful travel tips and great places to visit!
Travel Salt Lake City and surviving without a car is easy in downtown SLC! Dan and I recently visited Salt Lake City for a Food Conference. (I think I'd mentioned the conference a couple weeks ago). Everything Food Conference (aka EFC by us foodies!) is a yearly conference that shares anything and everything about food blogging. It's a great opportunity to learn a TON about blogging and meet your colleagues.
This year, my hubby decided to go with me! We stayed downtown and rented a condo thru HomeAway. A recently remodeled condo, just steps away from the heart of downtown Salt Lake City with a breathtaking view of Temple Square.
Have you used HomeAway in your travels? We have and enjoyed the BEST experiences. Here's what I would recommend.
- Find several accommodations that meet your needs - i.e. location, number of rooms, etc.
- Message the owner(s) to inquire about the residence.
- Share a bit about what you're doing with the owner. Are you attending a nearby conference? Going to a sporting event? Hiking? Skiing? Is it a fit?
- Read all of the reviews! Choose the accommodations that are best for YOU! Accommodations thru these types of website can often be less expensive, but you have to be willing to do your homework!
Ok, back to Salt Lake City! If you're staying downtown - there's no need to rent a car! Most hotels offer free shuttle service from the airport right to your door.
If you're staying in a condo (like we did) there's also a FREE shuttle service from the Salt Lake City Airport to Temple Square. There is great public transpiration to easily get around downtown or even to the airport. We opted for Uber to get back and forth on travel days.
Downtown is very walkable (that's a word... right? 😊) It is a great city for foot transportation. City Creek Outdoor Mall offers every type of restaurant imaginable from casual to upscale dining with tons of shopping! Want it? Need it? Check there first!
Everything Food Conference was at the Eccles Center only a half mile away from the condo. It's a beautiful concert hall and is a great venue.
The NBA playoffs were happening while we were in Salt Lake City and because we are Warrior Fans, it seemed like going to a game would be tons of fun and it was! The Vivint Smart Home Arena, home of the Utah Jazz is less than a mile from Temple Square.
Because we were out of town fans we were kinda concerned about walking but it wasn't an issue. It's a great venue and you know me.... of course, we had to have some great game-day grub!
Speaking of good eats, we also enjoyed a fabulous meal at Brio Tuscan Grill - my hubby had steak and I enjoyed this amazing pasta!
Homemade pasta in a rich decadent sauce studded with lobster and shrimp. I was in pasta heaven right here! If we had more time, I would have done my best to talk my way into the kitchen to speak with the chef - this pasta was definitely something to write home about and I'm recommending this restaurant! But....since I don't have that recipe to share - I'm going to suggest you try this recipe for light Creamy Lemon Pasta - easy and delicious, it's a wonderful meal!
The State Capital Building was just steps away from the condo.It may seem easier to rent a car, but touring Salt Lake City on foot offered us amazing views. We were able to see things we wouldn't have seen if we were in a vehicle.
Like Fresno, Salt Lake City has a huge homeless population. Do your homework, ask questions and travel smart. We did not have any issues.
We spent two entire days walking the city. Spring is a great time to Travel Salt Lake City - the city was absolutely alive with beautiful spring flowers. It was hard to pick a favorite, so I'm going to leave you with a couple!
Travel Salt Lake City - how to survive downtown without a car!
- Plan ahead
- Do your research
- Bring comfortable walking shoes
- Appropriate clothing for the weather
- A water bottle and camera are must-haves!
Love to travel? Me too! I hope you enjoyed Travel Salt Lake City! Check out more fun adventures here - Explore Mesa Verde, CO to tour the ancient ruins, visit White Sands National Monument New Mexico to see the white sparkling sand dunes or visit Family Fun Night for a night at the ball park and Essential Tips to Hike Half Dome in Yosemite National Park.
There's a ton of fun adventure on the blog!
Kacie Morgan says
Salt Lake City looks so vibrant. Just look at that shrimp and lobster pasta - mmm! I'm drooling...
Bowl Me Over says
That pasta was amazing! I don't often eat pasta and it was a real treat - so rich and delicious!
Sharon says
I love this post! Salt Lake City is a great stopover place to visit enroute to Yellowstone. I am definitely saving this post to refer to when we go. Your photos are so pretty, thank you!!
Bowl Me Over says
Thanks Sharon, it was such a great visit - the perfect time of year - thank you for stopping by!
Laura says
Lovely photos and great tips. Hope the festival was interesting. A good opportunity to visit the town
Bowl Me Over says
The conference was great Laura, so much to learn I think my brain was full at the end. It was great to take advance of the visit and see the town.
Debi says
What a great place to visit. I haven't traveled much but would love to go there now that I've seen how pretty it is. Thanks for sharing this.
Bowl Me Over says
It is so pretty Debi - what I neglected to show is the mountains surround Salt Lake - so beautiful and such a great couple of days!!
Rini says
Salt Lake City looks so beautiful! The idea that I can walk the town sounds like so much fun. I am putting it on my bucket list!
Bowl Me Over says
It was a wonderful time of the year to visit Rini - warm and sunny and the flowers were so pretty! Although I was watching the news and last week there was a snow storm, eek! Glad we hit it at just the right time! Thank you for stopping by and have a great weekend!
Helene D'Souza says
I try to always use public transport in cities if possible or get a cab or depending on the location in the world, a riksha. Sounds like you enjoyed your stay in salt lake City. 🙂
Bowl Me Over says
Oh a riksha sounds like a ton-o-fun Helene! I like the way you roll!!
Lois says
It looks like you had a wonderful time. So glad you went and that Dan was able to go with you. Beautiful pictures.
Bowl Me Over says
We did have a wonderful time! It was a great experience and we really enjoyed our time in the city - Thanks Mom!
Claire @foodiequine says
Sounds like a great trip! Amazing food and great to see all those spring blooms. I love all the signs too - very Instagram worthy!
Bowl Me Over says
Yes!! Salt Lake City was a lot of fun. We definitely visited at the best time because the following weekend there was a snowstorm, eek! Thank you so much!
Emily | Oat&Sesame says
The flowers are gorgeous! I've never been to Salt Lake City, but I'm moving out West this summer- so this is great for when I start to explore! Seems like a very clean and walkable city.
Bowl Me Over says
Yes, the flowers were just amazing! So you are moving out west? How fun!! I am from Oregon originally but have lived pretty much all over. I hope you enjoy the change and love your new home! Thank you for stopping by!
Liza says
Such amazing photos! I never knew thought that SLC was such a beautiful place! Thanks for sharing all the insights about your beautiful trip to SLC, Debra!
Bowl Me Over says
You are so welcome! Salt Lake City is a beautiful city and we sure enjoyed our visit, thanks Liza!!