Sandy

The South Valley area is a perfect place to stay if you plan on spending most of your time near the resorts, but want to enjoy urban amenities. Sandy, the ultimate basecamp, is 20 minutes from all the hiking, mountain biking and mountain scenery you can handle, but is also home to great hotels, restaurants and bars.

EAT & DRINK

Sandy is dotted with pockets of dining hubs, and there is far too much savory charm to list everything, but here are highlights. Off of 11400 South and I-15, you’ll run into a wonderland of tasty and healthy dining choices. Or meander down 700 East and you’ll find some surprising delectable treasures. Order the finest handcrafted cheesecake you’ve ever had at Tin Roof Grill (tinroofgrill.net) as featured on “Diners, Drive Ins, and Dives.” Enjoy a variety of specialty entrees coupled with a finale of homemade sorbet at Tiburon Fine Dining (tiburonfinedining.com). Visit the subcontinent at Royal India (royalindiautah.com) for delectable curries, lamb korma and carb-loaded nan bread.

PLAY

Sandy offers movies and restaurants from urban hubs like Jordan Commons (megaplextheatres.com) and Union Heights (cinemark.com) to the horse and walking trails of Dimple Dell (slco.org/recreation). The Sandy Amphitheater (sandyarts.com) provides outdoor entertainment with views of the mountains.

SHOP

Mega sporting store Scheels, (scheels.com) isn’t just about shopping. The massive store doubles as an amusement park, with a 65-foot operating Ferris wheel, mini bowling, a nostalgic shooting gallery and several sport simulators. The Shops at South Town (shopsatsouthtown.com) offers mall shopping with 121 stores.

WHAT THE LOCALS KNOW

Food, superheroes, brides, babies, guns—Mountain America Expo Center (southtowneexpo.com) has a convention for it. The five-hall center hosts hundreds of shows annually.