Must Do Salt Lake City: The Complete Local’s Guide to Top Attractions

Must do Salt Lake City experiences include a Walker Center rooftop tour, a dinosaur tour at the Natural History Museum of Utah, a safari on Antelope Island, and a trip up the Snowbird Tram into the Wasatch Mountains. With the city itself sitting minutes from genuinely wild canyon scenery, most first timers underestimate just how much variety fits into a short trip here.

Is the Walker Center Rooftop Tour Worth It?

Yes, and it’s one of the most distinctive must do Salt Lake City experiences precisely because so few visitors know it exists. Built in 1912, the Walker Center was once the tallest office tower between the Missouri River and the West Coast, and today access to its rooftop comes only through an organized tour. The tour walks through the building’s history, including stories of Harry Houdini’s straitjacket escape from the doorway and the early 20th century “Human Fly” craze when crowds gathered to watch daredevils climb the exterior. Guides time the visit to reach the rooftop’s Bird Nest platform, ringed by 16 stone eagles, right at sunset, and Salt Lake City’s sunsets consistently rank among the most striking anywhere. One genuinely fun detail worth knowing beforehand: the building’s rooftop sign has functioned as an informal weather forecast for about 80 years, with blue lights signaling clear skies, flashing blue for clouds, flashing red for rain, and steady red for snow.

Is the Natural History Museum of Utah Dinosaur Tour Worth It?

Yes, particularly for anyone with even a casual interest in paleontology. Located in the foothills east of downtown on the University of Utah campus, the museum consistently ranks among the top three things to do in Salt Lake City on traveler review sites, largely thanks to its extensive dinosaur and ice age fossil collection, since Utah is one of the richest fossil-bearing regions in the world. The real highlight is a small group tour led by an actual working paleontologist, bookable through Airbnb Experiences, which takes visitors directly into the paleontology lab to see rock blocks containing fossils still being processed, some over 200 million years old. Visitors on this tour have handled genuine 78 million year old dinosaur bone and tooth fragments during the visit. The honest catch is that this specific tour runs only some Saturdays, not every week, so checking the schedule and booking before finalizing the rest of your Salt Lake City itinerary saves real disappointment.

What Is the Antelope Island Safari Like?

Genuinely unique, and one of the more surprising must do Salt Lake City experiences on this list. Antelope Island is the largest island in the Great Salt Lake, entirely protected as a state park, and home to roughly 650 free-roaming buffalo along with the pronghorn antelope the island was named after in the 1800s. A local tour company called Safari Utah, run by a guide who trained at an actual safari school in South Africa, leads 4-hour tours spotting coyotes, porcupines, mule deer, burrowing owls, and sweeping views across the lake and dry lakebed from several viewpoints. This remains one of the best ways to actually experience the Great Salt Lake up close, and the tour operates even in winter, making it a viable pick regardless of when your trip lands.

Big Cottonwood Canyon vs Little Cottonwood Canyon: Which Should You Visit?

Canyon	Length	Highlights	Best For
Big Cottonwood Canyon	15 miles, 20 minutes from downtown	Silver Lake, Brighton Resort	Easy, family-friendly hikes
Little Cottonwood Canyon	A few miles south of Big Cottonwood	Alta Resort, Cecret Lake, Snowbird Tram	Serious hiking, tram rides

Big Cottonwood Canyon tops many local traveler rankings for good reason, stretching 15 miles just 20 minutes from downtown with year-round scenery, summer hiking, winter skiing, and standout fall color. Silver Lake, near the top of the canyon at Brighton Resort, offers one of the easiest and most rewarding hikes in the area, with a large parking lot and a short, flat, wheelchair-friendly walk to the water. Little Cottonwood Canyon sits just a few miles south and delivers a different experience entirely, home to Alta Resort’s popular Albion Meadows and Cecret Lake trails plus the Snowbird Tram. Travelers with only half a day should lean toward Big Cottonwood for its easier access and gentler hikes, while those wanting a more adventurous day, including the tram ride, should commit to Little Cottonwood instead.

Is the Snowbird Tram Worth It?

Yes, and it’s arguably the single most impressive canyon-based experience near the city. Located at Snowbird Resort up Little Cottonwood Canyon, the tram uses the world’s largest tram cars, each holding 125 people, with floor-to-ceiling windows and glass floor panels for a genuinely vertigo-inducing view on the way up. During ski season the tram serves skiers heading to the highest runs, while in summer it carries hikers and sightseers to 11,000 feet in about 10 minutes. Once at the top, a peak-level cafe and several hiking trails let you take in views across the Wasatch Mountains for as long as you like before heading back down. Checking Snowbird’s website for current pricing and hours before your visit is worth doing, since both shift seasonally.

Do You Need a Car in Salt Lake City?

Not necessarily for downtown, but reaching the canyons genuinely benefits from one. Uber works as an alternative for anyone without a car, though rides out to Big Cottonwood or Little Cottonwood Canyon add up in cost given the distance and lack of competing pickups in more remote canyon areas. Downtown attractions, Temple Square, City Creek Mall, and Red Iguana are all easily reachable on foot or via light rail, so a car mainly matters if canyon hiking or the Snowbird Tram are on your must do Salt Lake City list.

What Is There to Do at Tracy Aviary?

Tracy Aviary offers a lower-effort alternative to the canyons for anyone without easy transportation, sitting right inside downtown’s 80 acre Liberty Park. Founded in 1938, it holds the distinction of being the oldest aviary in the country and remains ranked among the best in the US, home to more than 300 birds including Chilean flamingos, a South African iNsingizi, and a King Vulture. Walk-in exhibits let visitors get close to birdlife throughout the day, and scheduled bird shows plus feeding opportunities for pelicans and lorikeets round out a visit that works well for families and stays open year round.

Where Is the Best Mexican Food in Salt Lake City?

Salt Lake City’s large Latin American community has built a genuinely strong food scene, spanning Mexican, Salvadoran, Venezuelan, and Colombian restaurants across the city. Red Iguana stands out as the local institution most consistently recommended to visitors, a longtime dining fixture built around an extraordinary mole menu offering 11 distinct varieties, each made from 20 to 30 ingredients including chiles, chocolate, cinnamon, nuts, and herbs. First time visitors should start with the complimentary mole sampler before ordering, since it makes choosing between dishes like chicken enchiladas verde or almond-based mole sirloin tips considerably easier. The restaurant sits close to the city center, easily reached by Uber or light rail, and regularly draws visitors specifically seeking it out well before they even arrive in town.

What Is There to Do Downtown in Salt Lake City?

Temple Square remains the most visited downtown attraction, offering deep insight into Utah’s Mormon history and architecture, while City Creek Mall, spanning two full city blocks of indoor and outdoor shopping, sits right nearby for anyone wanting a shopping break between sightseeing stops. Both pair naturally with the Walker Center rooftop tour, since all three sit within easy walking distance of each other in the heart of downtown.

Final Thoughts

Checking off the real must do Salt Lake City list comes down to balancing downtown history with the mountain scenery sitting just 20 minutes away. Book the dinosaur tour and Walker Center rooftop tour ahead of time given their limited scheduling, pick one Cottonwood Canyon rather than rushing both if time is tight, and save room for a proper mole sampler at Red Iguana. Whether it’s watching sunset from the Walker Center’s Bird Nest or spotting buffalo on Antelope Island, the best must do Salt Lake City experiences consistently reward travelers who plan around a mix of city and canyon.

FAQs

How many days do you need in Salt Lake City?

Three to four days works well for balancing downtown attractions with at least one canyon visit, though adding both Big and Little Cottonwood Canyons or an Antelope Island safari comfortably stretches a trip closer to five days.

Can you visit Antelope Island in the winter?

Yes, Safari Utah’s guided tours run even during winter months, making it one of the few must do Salt Lake City activities that stays genuinely accessible year round.

What is Temple Square?

Temple Square is downtown Salt Lake City’s most visited historic site, offering insight into Utah’s Mormon history through its architecture and grounds, and it pairs easily with a walk to nearby City Creek Mall.

What is the best time to visit Salt Lake City in summer?

Summer brings the best conditions for canyon hiking and the Snowbird Tram’s summer schedule, while the Walker Center rooftop tour’s sunset timing works particularly well during summer’s longer daylight hours.