Neighborhoods

Salt Lake is truly found downtown, where a clean and bustling scene bursting with shops, restaurants, and nightlife hotspots serves as the center of your Salt Lake experience. Our burgeoning downtown has new restaurants and bars popping up all the time. Main Street downtown even closes its streets to cars during the fall months with Open Streets, where the street comes alive with entertainment, art, music, and community. Downtown Salt Lake is full of unexpected surprises, with a steady stream of art gallery strolls and festivals, a ripe and juicy Downtown Farmers Market and chic adventures awaiting you with the Salt Lake Brewery Pass, a handy mobile pass that lets you try some of Salt Lake's best breweries and brewpubs.

Getting around Salt Lake’s downtown is a breeze, with state-of-the-art public transit available or the ultramodern GREENbike SLC bike-sharing program. Downtown also has many brands of electric scooters making it even simpler to scoot around downtown.

Central City is where a college town vibe combines with family-friendly flair and an eclectic set of attractions for everyone. Outdoor attractions are highlighted by the playground, picnicking, and pools of the spacious Liberty Park, and the outdoor art museum elegance of the Gilgal Sculpture Garden. A must hit is the famous 9th and 9th area chock-full of local shops, restaurants, and even some things “Out of the Blue.” Or head more north and visit the intriguing Trolley Square, the former hub of Salt Lake’s trolley system, where you can grab a beer or wings in one of the old trolley carts at Trolley Wing Company. If you’re more of the adventurous type, Central City serves as the forefront of Salt Lake’s ethnic food renaissance with a range of international cuisine options, and a headquarters for mountain, hiking, and biking enthusiasts with lots of shops to help gear you up for extreme sports.

One of Salt Lake’s oldest neighborhoods has been sweetened up with a 21st-century wave of vanguard shops, restaurants, and condos, but the Sugar House District still retains Salt Lake’s artisan flair.

Sugar House remains the epicenter of the “shop locally” movement, with a diverse, eclectic lineup of art galleries, bookstores, and boutiques in its now-booming business district. The centerpiece of the neighborhood is the breathtaking and scenic Sugar House Park, 110 acres of gorgeous rolling hills packed with bike trails, a lake and stream, and trees, all surrounded by spectacular views of the majestic Wasatch Mountains.

Few US cities are laid out as easily and intuitively as Salt Lake, but there’s nowhere easier to get around than the perfectly grid-like and inviting neighborhood called The Avenues, and the incredible views and hip vibe of Capitol Hill. Perhaps the quirkiest and artsiest neighborhood of Salt Lake, The Avenues/Capitol Hill combines beautiful historic residential neighborhoods with hip contemporary features like yoga and pilates studios, spas, and bed-and-breakfasts.

The highest levels of hipness are attained at Capitol Hill, the neighborhood that offers an unforgettable high-elevation view of the entire Salt Lake metropolitan area from Ensign Peak.

But there are plenty of other treats for your eyes (and camera!) from Capitol Hill, with an architecturally diverse array of gothic and victorian homes, world-class hiking and biking on the Bonneville Shoreline Trail, and even restaurants that let you dine on the roof while enjoying the incomparable views.

There’s a true college town energy in the University/Foothill neighborhood, home of the esteemed University of Utah campus and 35,000 of the coolest college kids you’ll ever meet.

The clubs, bars, and restaurants mix a college and professional vibe; vintage and indie shops preserve a counterculture beat; and art museums, arboretums, and theaters make University/Foothill one of Salt Lake’s can’t-miss cultural hubs. That said, don’t let the campus vibes fool you, this neighborhood is also full of family-friendly activities with top attractions like Utah’s Hogle Zoo, This is The Place Heritage Park, Utah’s Natural History Museum, and more—all of which can be found at discounted rates on our Salt Lake Connect Pass. 

The buzz is growing around the emerging craft brewery district of , with a generous lineup of gourmet gastropubs and warehouses being carefully restored into high-end microbreweries.

One of Salt Lake’s most up and coming hotspots is the Granary/Ballpark District. Once the epicenter of manufacturing and storage, The Granary is now undergoing a big transformation and becoming a hub of creativity, gastronomy, brewing, and local businesses. The buzz is growing around the emerging craft brewery scene here, with a generous lineup of gourmet gastropubs and warehouses being carefully restored into high-end microbreweries. It’s also home to Salt Lake’s newest outdoor music venue, Granary Live, a trending hot spot bringing top-tier talent to Salt Lake’s music scene.

Even if you’re not lucky enough to visit during the Utah State Fair, this neighborhood that’s home to the Utah State Fairpark is still a midway of hip attractions all year long.From large music festivals like Kilby Block Party to local classics like The Days of ‘47. Hotels and first-class convention centers naturally surround the Salt Lake City International Airport, as do hotspots for travelers and conventioneers to let loose and enjoy their stay. This neighborhood is also home to the beloved and renowned restaurant, Red Iguana, which many visitors recognize from the Food Network's Diners, Drive-ins and Dives.

Take note, outdoor adventure types, because Millcreek and Holladay are the gateways to skiing, hiking, and mountain climbing in the mighty Wasatch Mountains that surround Salt Lake. There’s even indoor rock climbing in Millcreek, plus other rainy-day indoor activities like bowling, retro arcades, and hipster and biker bars. One of the biggest new developments to this area is Millcreek Common—a vibrant new neighborhood hangout right in the heart of Millcreek. It’s open year-round with an energetic roller rink in the summer that becomes an ice skating rink in the winter. There are always new events and activities happening in this popular area.