Why would anyone in Denver want to travel to another state’s mountain town? With the Colorado Rocky Mountain wonderland at our doorstep, how could any other place compare? A fair question. So when we were invited to visit Park City, Utah, to experience what their community offers, we were a bit skeptical. How could they measure up to our beloved Colorado? Our visit revealed a slew of unique experiences to justify cheating on Colorado with our neighbor to the West. Here’s what to do in Park City, Utah, plus where to eat, drink, sleep, and adventure!
Park City is an 1880’s silver mining town, only 25 minutes from downtown Salt Lake City and 45 from SLC airport. Downtown’s blend of historic structures and newer builds, full of galleries, shops and restaurants, make it a nice place to meander about. Mostly known for winter sports, warmer seasons in Park City are alive with markets and festivals in the streets. Getting around town is easy; a year-round, free trolley circulates the historic core (especially helpful for climbing up steep Main Street); free regional buses visit other attractions around the valley.
The Egyptian Theatre is a community gem, where celebrations for the locals shares calendar time with rotating shows of live theater and national concert tours. On our visit, we enjoyed a no-holds-barred, saucy theatrical performance of The Rocky Horror Show. (Totally challenged our preconceptions about Utah having a “buttoned up” culture compared with Denver – as did many of our other experiences…)
After a show, don’t miss the Alpine Pie Bar just a few doors down, featuring spirits from local family-owned and operated Alpine Distilling. In a warm and cozy speak-easy basement oasis, a charming bartender will patiently describe their award-winning selection and craft a gorgeous cocktail to delight you. (Oh, and yes, a slice of delicious locally made pie from Auntie Em’s.)
All around are family photos of the head distiller and owner Rob Sergent – his long roots in the distilling trade spans generations that started deep in the Kentucky woods. Rob’s expert gin-making wife Sara offers the Gin Experience, a make-your-own spirits distilling experience – the first and only such experience in the world! Start by learning a bit about the history of pleasures and perils inspired by gin, then selecting from a palate of aromatics to toss into the cutest little copper gin stills; while you enjoy dinner, the stills work their magic. By meal’s end, you leave with a bottle of your own, wholly-unique-in-the world, gin. Incredibly popular, schedule the Gin Experience well in advance of your trip.
Wasatch Brewery, at the top of Main Street, offers a lively atmosphere with excellent brews made on-site. Both the Apricot Hefeweizen (not-too-sweet fruitiness) and Polygamy Porter (smooth and satisfying) pair nicely with their tasty pub fare. Utah liquor laws are a bit quirky; to only drink a beer, you must sit at the bar, everywhere else requires you to order food. The Wasatch offers $1 snacks to help errant patrons stay out of the slammer.
Unlike Denver, Park City embraced the Olympics and celebrates their successful 2002 games in the must-visit Utah Olympic Park. Home of two museums and an official USOC training facility, this impressive complex gave us a bit of “What if Denver had hosted the Olympics” envy…
Wowing anyone with an interest in winter sports, the complex includes a surprisingly gigantic swimming pool for athletes in training to ski jump – plan ahead to watch them! The Alf Engen Ski Museum portrays Utah’s illustrious ski history and the George Eccles 2002 Olympic Winter Games Museum celebrates the hugely successfully games staged in the region. Full of memorabilia, stories and videos, it is worth at last a couple of hours. Admittance is free to both museums, with guided tours available for a fee. Other activities are offered for a fee, including a bobsled experience – a bit pricey, but a wholly unique Park City experience!
Not far from the museum is an amazing new complex called Woodward Park City. We had a pre-grand opening sneak peek and tour of this unique adventure sports complex offering inside and outside venues for year-round fun. A small private ski area offers groomed trails to carve turns and boarders can enjoy the half pipe and trick features. Fire pits and seating areas at the base offer perfect views of all the action for those who don’t want to hit the slopes. In summertime, this area converts to a skate boarder paradise.
Inside a cavernous hall, skaters and boarders and even cyclists can plunge down wooden slopes and show off their best tricks. Viewing platforms, cafeteria seating, bar and event spaces all overlook the action. The entire complex is designed to be family friendly – parents can drop off their kids, or stay and watch.
For those seeking a more quiet, back-to-nature experience, Park City is surrounded by hiking and cycling trails that wind through lovely pastoral neighborhoods, dedicated open spaces and pastures with bubbling creeks. We enjoyed an e-bike guided tour from White Pine Touring; with a trail right next to the bike shop, we were soon enjoying expansive views of the Wasatch range and valley meadows. The shop offers winter sports rentals for downhill and Nordic skiing as well as fat tire bikes and snowshoes.
For brunch or dinner, the Twisted Fern is a bit off the beaten path in a neighborhood shopping center, and worth the effort. The space is lovely and calming with mountain views out the large windows. Created by Chef and owner Adam Ross, the menu offers an array of delicious and unique offerings to please both meat lovers and vegetarians. All are carefully prepared with locally-sourced ingredients whenever possible. The plating pleases the eye without being precious. The surprise star of our meal was a deep fried mushroom dish that would give any fried chicken lover a reason to give up the bird. The trout salad was fresh and flavorful. Frankly, we were surprised at the sophistication and perfection of each dish – given its presence in a small mountain town. Dress comfortably and enjoy a great meal in this special place.
Sheraton Park City hotel offers a pleasant home away from home while taking in many Park City activities, with a beautiful lobby, nicely updated rooms, free shuttle bus to area stops and Main Street, as well as a location on the free Park City circulator bus line throughout town. The hotel’s restaurant, Timbers, serves up some of the only authentic BBQ in town; the chef told us he strives to offer local products with unique preparations, and not cookie cutter hotel food.
A notable spot to grab a tasty bite is Drafts Burger Bar at beautiful Westgate Park City Resort and Spa; it offers unique big burgers (ours had a Chile Relleno inside!), crispy plump chicken wings, loaded tots and fancy milkshakes, right near the base of one of Park City’s ski lifts.
Above it all, the ski slopes of Park City and nearby Deer Valley beckon… On our late Autumn visit, the slopes had not opened yet so we could only imagine the fun of exploring those mountains. We can’t wait to give the Park City snow a try on a future visit. And a return visit in Spring and Summer when the flowers are blooming and festivals fill Main Street.
A visit to Park City is full of fun thanks to the easy-going and friendly locals and their deep passion for a mountain lifestyle and natural environment. So go ahead Denver and flirt a little with our friends on the west side of the Continental Divide. Visit for so many reasons, not the least of which is the reality that it is a fast-changing, growing community. Enjoy Park City’s authentic small town charm before its gone.
What else is In Good Taste? Another place to Ski Utah is in the southern part of the state. Read about it on our sister site, RealFoodTraveler.com, a digital culinary travel magazine. After Utah, Sonoma is another escape Coloradans need to experience.
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