I’m one of those people that love to travel. I love everything about it! Even waiting in airports. The food, the shopping, the structure itself, the anticipation, it’s all cool! Except for my heavy suitcases. I need to learn how to pack light.
When I took in the Snap Conference, I knew I had to add a couple days to tour the surrounding areas.
That just made my stay there all that much MORE cool! And here is where that little trouble maker of a rental car took me…
Welcome to one gorgeous photo tour of Salt Lake City, Utah. It’s worth your scroll.
Temple Square
This amazing structure is VERY prominent and right in the middle of town. Visit this at night and it’ll look completely different again.
HERE is an excellent description of what exactly Temple Square is and does. The amazing presence alone was enough pull for me.
Doesn’t this look a little Downton Abbey to you?
Inside the square, a mini version of the temple is on display so you can peer inside. The temple itself is not open to the public.
Moving along in town, I don’t know what this beauty is called, but it resembled a castle. Anyone know what it is?
The homes
If you look very closely, this fence was created with wire mesh and loose strands of wire free twisting every which way. In person it was pretty wild. In fact, the entire landscaping had such a free flow to it, although it was quite structured. Beautifully done.
Please come home with me, pretty house? The rooflines… That PORCH!
Liberty Park
Liberty Park is massive! It takes up over 100 acres and also houses a bird sanctuary of sorts on the property. It’s a photographer’s dream to capture the rolling hills and lakes.
You’ll never guess who took me for this park tour. Chris from George’s Architectural Salvage!
It always pays to hang out with a local.
Near Great Salt Lake
If a city has a lake, I will find it. It’s my mantra.
While I took the easy way there, staying on the main highway, I took note of a side road that looked way more enticing. So on the way back, I approached a stopped bus driver, asking him if the side road led back to the highway.
“Yeah, I paint, so I take that route all the time with my bike. And there are spigots along the road you can pull over to take pictures at.”
Bingo! That’s my kinda travel.
I mean, check out rush hour…
This was my favorite route of the entire trip. Every few inches, the landscape changed dramatically. Gorgeous!
Doesn’t this resemble a Thelma and Louise grand canyon kinda shot?
Which is also on my bucket list.
Great Salt Lake
I will admit, there wasn’t much to see or do here. Just admire. So I did.
But I really think the ‘getting there’ was the main thrill for me.
I asked what all the rocks were from. It appears something crumbled close by and left all this. It really was quite beautiful in it’s own way. Every rock was either cement, hardened sludge from the ‘mine?’ next door, or natural rock.
Once back in town, I wasn’t ready to park the car yet. I finally had a handle where my hotel was, so I lived dangerously and intentionally got lost.
Just know? This is BIG. 🙂
I eyed what appeared to be a parliament building of some type (that’s what we call them in BC anyway), so I head for this amazing structure as my new destination.
I had no idea what I was about to embark on…
Utah State Capital Building / aka Top Of The World
I saw the building and clicked like mad! It’s gorgeous!
I’m not inclined to run into a photo, but for one I did. Yes, I was there! Haha… why we need to prove this stuff I don’t know.
But it wasn’t until I walked up the steps and turned around, that I really saw where I landed. It truly was on top of the world.
Left.
Centre. Can you even believe this picture is real?
My jaw dropped, and I sat down on the steps in complete awe. THIS is Salt Lake City, all in one shot.
So clean and orderly and beautiful.
With SO much history.
Some folks don’t care to travel. But I know I’ll never be one of them. With so much cool stuff to see in the world, what’s next?!
Thank-you little rental car, for taking good care of me. I’m not quite as frustrated with you any longer. 🙂
Nice photos! I was stationed near there in the army in 1971, which was my first time seeing a mountain. I was in awe when I woke up in the morning and saw them for the first time. I arrived there at night and couldn’t really see the beauty of the place until the a.m. I will be traveling through there this summer when I go on my camping tour, as I call it, of the west. I live in the Deep South where we don’t even have a hill (New Orleans). And you’re right, some people don’t like to travel, and they don’t. I’m definitely not in that category, thank God.
Glad you had a safe and enjoyable trip. Keep on doing it!
You know it, Najja! I adore touring around. Can’t wait for the next adventure!
The building you were asking if anyone knew what it was……It is the city and county building. The mayor of Salt Lake has his offices there.
So glad you liked our beautiful city. It truly is a wonderful place to live and raise a family.
Hope you come back again. You are always welcome in our great state. 🙂
Thanks Julie! I remember seeing a sign out front but couldn’t remember what it said! What gorgeous architecture!
wow – these shots are amazing! I too, wish I could have stayed a couple extra days to take in the sites. Next time I attend SNAP, I am gonna stay a few extra days so I can sight see. Thanks for sharing – these are amazing! 😉
Thanks Laura! I had such a blast taking my time, putzing around at my own leisure. I say do this with any biz trip! So worth even one extra night.
It was so fun to see SLC through someone else’s eyes! Gorgeous photography, girl.
Thanks so much Jill! It’s hard not to take a great pic of such a pretty city. 🙂
Beautiful, Donna. I feel like I never need go there, now I’ve seen it all. When you get a little more adventurous, come to the midwest, Wisconsin in particular! You can stay with me, I have a guest suite all ready for you. Come in July or August. We have great fairs, lakes to swim in, boating, capitol building to tour,4th of July fireworks on lakes, wonderful junque and anteeky shopping ( a huge 4 story antique warehouse ), farm tours and breakfasts, flower gardens to die for, ohhh, I can’t hardly wait!
Now this sounds positively dreamy! Wisconsin… I hope my travels take me your way one day. Thanks for the invite, you never know…
Sounds like you had a wonderful time. Great pictures! Thanks for sharing.
Gigi @ Old World Patina
I have never been to a lot of those places Donna! I love your photography skills. Next time, let’s go to Zion and Grand Canyon!! xoxo
YEEEESSSSSS!!!
What fun it is to see our city through your eyes! This makes me want to explore where I live more. I need to go to the Utah State Capital and take it all in. Your pictures are beautiful!
Oh Amy… your city is so gorgeous! I think we ALL need to take a look at where we reside and explore a bit more. It’s all too easy to take where we live for granted. It’s on my own list!
This post reminds me of how blessed I am in to live in such a beautiful state/city! I love your photos and your perspective… and your story telling!
Donna,
Your pictures are beautiful! I totally wish I could have stayed an extra few days and taken the tour with you….especially the salvage yard!
Happy day to you friend!
karianne
Hi Donna! Such beautiful photos! My husband and I were there in the fall of 2011 and oh my goodness we loved it! We sat on those very same steps in awe! We love to travel too…if only we had more time to do it!
So glad you enjoyed your visit to our wonderful state! I’ve lived here almost 40 years and hope I never have to leave. I also love to travel – in fact, today I’m writing from St. Louis.
Loved the photo tour! I have never been to Salt Lake City. It looks like a very pretty place!
Have a great weekend 🙂
We live very close to the southern Utah border, and have been across that part of the state many times, but never up to Salt Lake City. I had no idea what a gorgeous city it is! Thanks so much for the magnificent photo tour. Just breathtaking!
You made our State Capital and Temple look gorgeous!!! Also thanks to you I want to head out to the Lake and take the back road. I’m so glad you enjoyed your stay. Some time you need to hit Moab, and Southern Utah. They are both gorgeous with changing landscapes frequently. Thanks for reminding me what a beautiful and unique place I live in. I need to slow down and enjoy it more.
You have amazing photography skills as well as many other talents. Thanks for sharing them with all us on your blog! You have many creative wonderful ideas that I need to try.
Thanks Donna for sharing. God’s creation is breath taking. I love beautiful landscape. I would travel to Salt Lake City just for the beautiful natural view.
Hello Donna,
I am so glad that you found Salt Lake beautiful. I have lived here all my life. Moved to California for a year and went right back home. Salt Lake has so many beautiful buildings and places. Our mountains are also so beautiful. Moab, is another wonderful place to visit. Your pictures are awesome. Having lived here all my life, I have never taken pictures of our beautiful structures. It’s always the mountains. You want to wake up feeling like you died and went to heaven. Stay at the Lodge at Snowbird ski resort and when you wake up and open your curtains, the mountains are right there. They look like a painting. It’s so beautiful. I lay in bed for about an hour and stare at he beauty and wished I didn’t have to get up. We go there in September every year. And the smell, you will never forget.
Thanks for seeing the beauty in our state that we are so proud of. It’s a very clean state and friendly.
Happy Travels,
Valerie
You took some great photos, Donna, as always. Liberty Park has a house in the center of the park. I’m not sure if you saw it or not. Last time I was there, it was a art gallery/museum. That house was my husband’s great-great-great grandfather’s house (give or take a great). It’s a fun connection to the city. We move back to Utah in a few weeks and we are looking forward to being back in a place we love, although we will miss the green in Ohio.
Love how you persevered with the little black rental car 🙂 I live in Arizona and would so love to show you our Grand Canyon. Anytime!
What a treat to look through your wonderful photography. What camera were you using? I know it’s the photog and not the camera… But when I travel I’m tempted to leave my heavy dSLR at home. What is your camera of choice? 🙂
Hey Linda! I have a Nikon D800 full frame. It’s a wonderful camera! And it’ll take me years to figure it out I’m sure. 🙂
I love Utah!
When I was growing up my Uncle and Aunt and a bunch of cousins lived in Salt Lake City. I loved it in the winter and summer! We always drove up to Park City and always toured the Temple. My Uncle had a boat and would take us on adventures all over the state, I especially loved the Flaming Gorge, a redrock canyon area. I actually floated in the Salt Lake and back then (I’m 52) they would give you a little bottle with a cork and you could collect some of the water and you would see brine shrimp in it.
I haven’t explored as an adult, hmmm…I may need a road trip soon! (I live in Calif.) Thanks for sharing your adventure! karen…
I’d never heard about the brine shrimp bottle thing. I’m 40 and we used to go to the GSL to play in the water. I remember finding one or two dead in my swimming suit, or on my belly. I also remember it was great when you got in the water but getting through the strip of gnats, or whatever they were, wasn’t pleasant, and it was always the stinkiest part. By the time I was a teenager they had some showers near the old Saltair (maybe they did before, but we’d never been near there, but in the late 80’s or 90’s they kind of renovated that area for a bit), so that was nice. But going home before that you’d feel your body get all tight from the salt, huh. 🙂
Absolutely beautiful photos! The one with the flag is wonderful!!
Those buildings are amazing and I really love the Great Salt Lake shots. I’ve enjoyed your posts about your trip!!
Salt Lake City looks immaculate in every way! I wouldn’t mind living there based on these stunning photos…
It’s so neat to see my hometown through someone else’s eyes. I grew up near the mountains on the right from your view from the Capitol building, not quite as West as the Great Salt Lake, but a bit south of there. Anyway, I live in Idaho now and I really miss downtown SLC. It is beautiful. I have a lot of memories of going downtown to the temple grounds and the State Capitol with friends, sometimes by myself just for a drive or after I’d finished delivering my flowers for the day. I love it down there, my kids do too. It’s changed so much in a lot of ways, but those views are still the same. When you said, “Can you believe this is even real?” I tried to step out of myself and see it through your eyes. To me it looked like home, but I kind of thought about how I look at pictures of other people’s home towns or places they travel. I guess in that way it is beautiful too. I hadn’t thought about it really before. I mostly just miss the views of the mountains and the sunset over the lake. I don’t miss the traffic though, I’m a little more small town these days and the freeways are different since I delivered flowers 22 years ago!
Thanks for this post!
Had no idea it was so beautiful in Salt Lake. Thanks for taking and sharing your photos. They are wonderful!
Your clock tower/castle is the historic City and County building. It only has city offices now. It was built in 1894 and restored and re-dedicated in 1994. Inside is just as gorgeous as outside. The wrought iron railings inside are made like beehives with curlings that represent bees doing their flower dance. Along the base of the stairs are the flowers for the bees to harvest. There is a painting in the City Council Chambers of Brigham Young, the first civic leader of Salt Lake and of Utah. The frame of the painting has a beehive on the top bar and agricultural tools and mining tools on either side. The beehive represents the State’s motto of industry because bees are always busy. I LOVE YOUR PHOTOS. thank you!!