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Salt Lake City is the Capital of Utah and its most vibrant city. In the mountains around you will find some of the best powder skiing in the world, which is principally why the 2002 Winter Olympics were held here; the proximity of the resorts to the city is the other reason since you can get to no less than 10 ski resorts in under 45 minutes from the airport.
Nestled between the Wasatch Mountains, the Great Salt Lake Desert and the Great Salt Lake (some 8 times saltier than your average ocean) the city is an ideal starting point for all sorts of outdoor activities. Daytrips can be made to Antelope Island, the Bonneville Salt Flats, Park City, the Sundance Resort, Provo, Ogden, the Wasatch Mountains, the Uinta Mountains and the Mirror Lake highway, and others. These locations are all within 1 hour driving distance.
Utah is a great destination for anyone who enjoys being outdoors -- from mountain biking to hiking, skiing, flyfishing and snowboarding.
Many of the historical sights in town have to do with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, whose members moved to the valley in 1847. Within a lushly landscaped, ten-acre refuge in downtown Salt Lake City stands the multi-spired Salt Lake Temple; the Tabernacle, and other Mormon historical buildings.
The "Avenues" district around the State Capitol features wonderful houses from the 19th century; many elegant mansions have been carefully restored to their original splendor. Other sights include the spectacular Cathedral of the Madeline, the Olympic Cauldron Park at the University of Utah, Trolley Square, Red Butte Gardens, Clark Planetarium and the Gardner Mill.
Culture
Arts
Gateway District, where the Clark Planetarium is located.The Utah Museum of Fine Arts, Utah Museum of Natural History, and the Museum of Church History and Art are some of the museums located in Salt Lake City. Other museums include the Utah State Historical Society, Daughters of Utah Pioneer Memorial Museum, Fort Douglas Military Museum, and the Social Hall Heritage Museum. Clark Planetarium at the Gateway Mall houses an IMAX theater.
Salt Lake City provides many venues for both professional and amateur theatre. The city attracts many traveling Broadway and off-Broadway performances. Local professional acting companies include the Pioneer Theatre Company, Salt Lake Acting Company, and Plan-B Theatre Company.
Salt Lake City is the home of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, founded in 1847. The Choir's weekly program, called Music and the Spoken Word, is the longest-running continuous network broadcast in the world. Salt Lake City is also the home to the Utah Symphony Orchestra, which was founded in 1940 by Maurice Abravanel and has become widely renowned. The orchestra's original home was the Salt Lake Tabernacle, but since the 1990s has performed at Abravanel Hall in the western downtown area.
The city also has a local music scene featuring blues, rock and roll, punk, and emo groups. There are also many clubs which offer musical venues. Popular groups or persons who started in the Wasatch Front area or were raised and influenced by it include The Used, Shedaisy, and the lead singer of The Killers, Brandon Flowers. In 2004 over 200 bands submitted tracks for a compilation by a local music zine, SLUG ("Salt Lake Underground"). The 15-year-old free monthly zine trimmed the submissions to 59 selections featuring diverse music types such as hip-hop, jazz, jazz-rock, punk, and a variety of rock and roll.
The University of Utah is home to two highly-ranked dance departments, the Ballet Department and the Department of Modern Dance. Professional dance companies in Salt Lake City include Ballet West, Rire Woodbury, and Repertory Dance Theatre.
Many films, music videos, commercials, and sitcoms have been recorded in the Salt Lake metropolitan area; they include, Touched By An Angel, Everwood, Big Love, Dawn of the Dead, Drive Me Crazy, Dumb and Dumber, Independence Day, Poolhall Junkies,The Brown Bunny, The World's Fastest Indian, Carnival of Souls, and The Postal Service's "Such Great Heights". In 2006 it was revealed that Dan Brown, the author of The DaVinci Code, was in the city studying the symbols on the Salt Lake LDS Temple and the Masonic Temple, among other historical buildings, for inclusion in an upcoming book.
Events
Although the city is often stereotyped as a predominantly LDS city, it is culturally and religiously diverse. The city is the location of many cultural activities,Mormon and otherwise. A major state holiday is Pioneer Day, July 24, the anniversary of the Mormon Pioneers' entry into the Salt Lake Valley. It is celebrated each year with a week's worth of activities, including a children's parade, a horse parade, the featured Days of '47 parade (one of the largest parades in the United States), a rodeo, and a large fireworks show at Liberty Park.
Salt Lake City has a significant gay population, and the second-largest parade in the city is a gay pride parade, part of the annual Utah Pride Festival held every June.
First Night, a New Year's Eve celebration emphasizing family-friendly entertainment and activities held at Rice-Eccles Stadium at the University of Utah, culminates with a fireworks display at midnight.
The Greek Festival, held the weekend after Labor Day, celebrates Utah's Greek heritage and is located at the downtown Greek Orthodox Church. The 3-day event includes Greek music, dance groups, Cathedral tours, booths and a large buffet. Attendance ranges from 35,000 - 50,000.
The Utah Arts Festival has been held annually since 1977 with an average attendance of 80,000. About 130 booths are available for visual artists and there are five performance venues for musicians.
Salt Lake City also hosts portions of the Sundance Film Festival. The festival, which is held each year, brings many cultural icons, movie stars, celebrities, and thousands of film buffs to see the largest independent film festival in the United Sates. However, the main location of the event is in nearby Park City.
Beginning in 2004, Salt Lake City has been the host of the international Salt Lake City Marathon. In 2006 Real Madrid and many of the nation's best cyclist had engagements.
Sorry, no tips were foundNestled between the Wasatch Mountains, the Great Salt Lake Desert and the Great Salt Lake (some 8 times saltier than your average ocean) the city is an ideal starting point for all sorts of outdoor activities. Daytrips can be made to Antelope Island, the Bonneville Salt Flats, Park City, the Sundance Resort, Provo, Ogden, the Wasatch Mountains, the Uinta Mountains and the Mirror Lake highway, and others. These locations are all within 1 hour driving distance.
Utah is a great destination for anyone who enjoys being outdoors -- from mountain biking to hiking, skiing, flyfishing and snowboarding.
Many of the historical sights in town have to do with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, whose members moved to the valley in 1847. Within a lushly landscaped, ten-acre refuge in downtown Salt Lake City stands the multi-spired Salt Lake Temple; the Tabernacle, and other Mormon historical buildings.
The "Avenues" district around the State Capitol features wonderful houses from the 19th century; many elegant mansions have been carefully restored to their original splendor. Other sights include the spectacular Cathedral of the Madeline, the Olympic Cauldron Park at the University of Utah, Trolley Square, Red Butte Gardens, Clark Planetarium and the Gardner Mill.
Culture
Arts
Gateway District, where the Clark Planetarium is located.The Utah Museum of Fine Arts, Utah Museum of Natural History, and the Museum of Church History and Art are some of the museums located in Salt Lake City. Other museums include the Utah State Historical Society, Daughters of Utah Pioneer Memorial Museum, Fort Douglas Military Museum, and the Social Hall Heritage Museum. Clark Planetarium at the Gateway Mall houses an IMAX theater.
Salt Lake City provides many venues for both professional and amateur theatre. The city attracts many traveling Broadway and off-Broadway performances. Local professional acting companies include the Pioneer Theatre Company, Salt Lake Acting Company, and Plan-B Theatre Company.
Salt Lake City is the home of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, founded in 1847. The Choir's weekly program, called Music and the Spoken Word, is the longest-running continuous network broadcast in the world. Salt Lake City is also the home to the Utah Symphony Orchestra, which was founded in 1940 by Maurice Abravanel and has become widely renowned. The orchestra's original home was the Salt Lake Tabernacle, but since the 1990s has performed at Abravanel Hall in the western downtown area.
The city also has a local music scene featuring blues, rock and roll, punk, and emo groups. There are also many clubs which offer musical venues. Popular groups or persons who started in the Wasatch Front area or were raised and influenced by it include The Used, Shedaisy, and the lead singer of The Killers, Brandon Flowers. In 2004 over 200 bands submitted tracks for a compilation by a local music zine, SLUG ("Salt Lake Underground"). The 15-year-old free monthly zine trimmed the submissions to 59 selections featuring diverse music types such as hip-hop, jazz, jazz-rock, punk, and a variety of rock and roll.
The University of Utah is home to two highly-ranked dance departments, the Ballet Department and the Department of Modern Dance. Professional dance companies in Salt Lake City include Ballet West, Rire Woodbury, and Repertory Dance Theatre.
Many films, music videos, commercials, and sitcoms have been recorded in the Salt Lake metropolitan area; they include, Touched By An Angel, Everwood, Big Love, Dawn of the Dead, Drive Me Crazy, Dumb and Dumber, Independence Day, Poolhall Junkies,The Brown Bunny, The World's Fastest Indian, Carnival of Souls, and The Postal Service's "Such Great Heights". In 2006 it was revealed that Dan Brown, the author of The DaVinci Code, was in the city studying the symbols on the Salt Lake LDS Temple and the Masonic Temple, among other historical buildings, for inclusion in an upcoming book.
Events
Although the city is often stereotyped as a predominantly LDS city, it is culturally and religiously diverse. The city is the location of many cultural activities,Mormon and otherwise. A major state holiday is Pioneer Day, July 24, the anniversary of the Mormon Pioneers' entry into the Salt Lake Valley. It is celebrated each year with a week's worth of activities, including a children's parade, a horse parade, the featured Days of '47 parade (one of the largest parades in the United States), a rodeo, and a large fireworks show at Liberty Park.
Salt Lake City has a significant gay population, and the second-largest parade in the city is a gay pride parade, part of the annual Utah Pride Festival held every June.
First Night, a New Year's Eve celebration emphasizing family-friendly entertainment and activities held at Rice-Eccles Stadium at the University of Utah, culminates with a fireworks display at midnight.
The Greek Festival, held the weekend after Labor Day, celebrates Utah's Greek heritage and is located at the downtown Greek Orthodox Church. The 3-day event includes Greek music, dance groups, Cathedral tours, booths and a large buffet. Attendance ranges from 35,000 - 50,000.
The Utah Arts Festival has been held annually since 1977 with an average attendance of 80,000. About 130 booths are available for visual artists and there are five performance venues for musicians.
Salt Lake City also hosts portions of the Sundance Film Festival. The festival, which is held each year, brings many cultural icons, movie stars, celebrities, and thousands of film buffs to see the largest independent film festival in the United Sates. However, the main location of the event is in nearby Park City.
Beginning in 2004, Salt Lake City has been the host of the international Salt Lake City Marathon. In 2006 Real Madrid and many of the nation's best cyclist had engagements.
Last edited by Anna (7:12, 30 August 2006)
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