KAHS

KAHS - 2011 Reunion

Things to do and see in the Salt Lake City Area

There will be plenty of things to do and see during your stay in Salt Lake City. We have highlighted several suggestions below.

Note that Salt Lake City is served by a light rail system called TRAX. One of the main stops is located right outside the front door of the hotel. There is a Free Zone extending in both directions where riders can get on and off at any stop for free. This free zone includes plenty of restaurants, bars, and nightlife spots.

The list below is only a sampling. The brochures which many of you have received contain information on many more attractions. Besides the list below, you may want further information available at: http://www.thingstodo.com/states/UT/salt_lake/, and/or

http://www.visitsaltlake.com .

So, here are our initial suggestions:

Within walking distance of the Hotel or a short TRAX ride:

Family History Library - a two minute walk from the hotel's front door. The library contains the largest repository of genealogy records in the world - much of it computerized. If you are interested in tracing your roots, you'll want to spend some time in here. For more information, click here: http://www.familysearch.org/eng/library/fhl/frameset_library.asp

Historic Temple Square - just across the street to the east from the hotel. This is the site of the Salt Lake Temple, the Tabernacle, the Assembly Hall (with frequent free concerts) and a couple of visitors' centers. You may wish to attend one of the free noontime organ recitals in the tabernacle and visit other nearby museums and historical sites. For more information, go to: http://lds.org/placestovisit/eng/historical-sites/salt-lake-city-temple-square

Tabernacle Choir - named after the famous Tabernacle on Temple square. Dubbed "America's Choir" by Ronald Reagan, the Tabernacle Choir was recently inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame for having the longest continuous radio broadcast in the world - ever since July 15, 1929. The choir is currently celebrating the 100th anniversary of its first recording and continues its tradition of the non-denominational "Music and the Spoken Word" broadcast every Sunday morning. If you can't stay for the Sunday broadcast, you will probably want to attend the regular Thursday evening rehearsal which is considered by many to be like a concert. For more information, click on: http://mormontabernaclechoir.org

The Gateway - three blocks west of the hotel - an easy walk. The Gateway is home to shopping, night life, restaurants, a great planetarium, and a 12-screen Megaplex theater, including a large screen I-Max facility. Click here for more: http://www.shopthegateway.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=7&Itemid=14

Trolly Square - not in the TRAX free zone, but one block from a TRAX stop - 10 minutes from the Hotel. This is another favorite venue for shopping, restaurants and night life. The square, a full city block, was once the garage and maintenance facility for the city's trolley system. Many of the original buildings still stand but have been renovated into a popular eating and shopping destination. Click here for list of stores, restaurants and activities: http://www.trolleysquare.com/info.php.

Capitol Theater - 2 blocks South of the hotel - Verdi's Opera "Falstaff" will be playing Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday of the reunion. For those who might wish to extend their stay in Salt Lake, "Les Miserables" starts on Wednesday, May 25 and runs through June 5.   http://www.arttix.org/shared/venues.aspx

Within about an hour's drive

This is the Place Heritage Park - about a 15 minute drive east of the hotel. The park is a living history museum (a la Williamsburg) with a large number of restored or replicated buildings and exhibits from Utah's pioneer past. For more details and history, see:

www.thisistheplace.org, and/or

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/This_Is_the_Place_Heritage_Park

Park City - about 40 minutes from the hotel - A historic mining town, now a delightful tourist destination. It was the main skiing venue for the 2002 Salt Lake Winter Olympics and is home of the Sundance Film Festival. In the winter it's primarily a skiing resort. Spring and Summer activities include an alpine slide, a 1/4 mile long zip line, and an alpine roller coaster. The town is full of quaint shops, art galleries and other unique shopping opportunities. Check out: http://www.parkcityinfo.com/ http://www.parkcitymountain.com/summer/summer-activities/alpine-slide, http://www.parkcitymountain.com/summer/summer-activities/ziprider, and/or http://www.parkcitymountain.com/summer/summer-activities/alpine-coaster

Snowbird Resort - about 45 minutes from the hotel. This is another mining area turned into a winter skiing and summer recreation site. . Summer activities include an aerial tram rising almost 3000 vertical feet to the 11,000 foot summit of Hidden Peak with spectacular mountain and valley vistas in every direction. The resort also includes an alpine slide and a zip line. More information at: http://www.snowbird.com/events/summeractivities.html

Kennecott Copper Mine - located about 25 minutes Southwest of Salt Lake City. Kennecott is one of the largest copper mines in the world and has produced more copper than any mine in history. It is one of the most memorable things you can see in the Salt Lake City area - almost 3 miles across and 3/4 of a mile deep. Check out: http://www.kennecott.com/visitors-center/amazing-facts/ , and/or http://www.kennecott.com/visitors-center/plan-your-trip/

Hill Aerospace Museum - about 35 minutes north of Salt Lake city. For the military, aviation and aerospace buffs among us, this museum contains more than 90 military aircraft, missiles, and aerospace vehicles on the grounds and inside the galleries. The collection also includes a wide variety of ordnance and munitions, an assortment of aerospace ground equipment, military vehicles, uniforms, and thousands of other historical artifacts. For more information go to: http://www.hill.af.mil/library/museum/

Antelope Island State Park - about an hour and a half northwest from the hotel. For those whose Bucket List includes floating in some of the saltiest water in the world, this is probably the best location. The water in the Great Salt Lake is approximately six times as salty as sea water and is therefore very dense. You can actually float with your feet out of the water and your hands holding a newspaper. They say the water is therapeutic but you don't want to drink it. Also there can be a lot of bugs during the early spring. It may be a good idea to call the park office to check on the bug conditions. Everyone should do this once in your lifetime J.   Click here for more: http://www.utah.com/stateparks/antelope_island.htm , and/or http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antelope_Island_State_Park

Powered Parachuting - 45 minutes south of Salt Lake City - but only before or after the reunion. Here's another Bucket List item for those interested. Kent Price is an FAA certificated flight instructor for powered parachutes (one of only three in Utah) and has offered to give any of our reunion attendees an introductory flight in this new way of getting in the air. No cost, but subject to weather and how many want to try it. The charm of this kind of flying is "low and slow." For pictures and more info, click on: http://www.priceaero.com.

Golfing - various locations. So far, about half a dozen of you have indicated an interest in golfing on Wednesday. Glen & Joyce Hebert's son-in-law is the golf coach at the University of Utah and knows the best places to play. Glen has offered to coordinate this activity. Feel free to contact him with any questions or comments at 254-742-6565 or gjhebert@earthlink.net. For lists and information on Salt Lake's world class courses, click on: http://www.utah.com/golf/courses/slc_courses.htm.

Within the wider area

For those who wish to extend their trip before or after the reunion, you may be interested to know that Utah is home to some five national parks, ten national monuments and recreation areas, and forty state parks. The best known of these are probably Bryce Canyon National Park, Zion National Park and the Moab area which includes Arches and Canyonlands National Parks. In Moab you can run portions of the Colorado River or rent jeeps and ATVs and go on guided or unguided trips through the area. There are many other places in Utah where you can enjoy spectacular mountain, desert and canyon areas. In addition to the website mentioned at the beginning of this page, you can go to http://www.utah.com for more information.

If you have any questions or comments about the above information, including things that you think should be included, please give Kent Price a call or an email at 801-768-2608 or khprice@aol.com.