Nestled in the valley of the Wasatch Back region of the Rocky Mountains, Park City in Utah offers an abundance of exciting activities and sights. If you’re visiting during the winter, take the kids to Gorgoza Park for tubing and mini-snowmobile rides. Attend plays, concerts, and other performances at one of the many entertainment venues, including the Park City Institute, the Egyptian Theatre, and the George and Dolores Eccles Center for the Performing Arts. Moreover, if you’re in town at the end of January, don’t miss the Sundance Film Festival. Accommodations include spacious condos and houses with great, sunny decks boasting mountain views. Book a Park City vacation rental today. Check out a few of the most exciting attractions in and around Park City.
1. Snyderville
Found either seven or 11 miles north of Park City depending on your route, Snyderville is near Powder Keg Farm. If your kids love dogs, they’ll adore this place, which is the home of champion Bernese Mountain dogs. They’re bred, like St. Bernard’s, to rescue folks stranded in the mountains. Snyderville is also near Trailside Park, which has trails for beginning, intermediate and advanced hikers and bicyclers.
2. Heber City
Vacation rentals in this city range from cozy log homes to condos with decks that give views of the mountains to homes where you and the kids can, really, ski in and ski out of each day. Heber City is a place for families who like action, and it offers kayaking, canoeing, four-wheel drive and ATV off-road tours, horseback riding and stands up paddle boarding. There are also air tours that give unsurpassed views of the surrounding countryside.
3. Oakley
Rodeo aficionados love Oakley for its annual rodeo, which takes place on the weekend of the Fourth of July. There are also playing fields for soccer, baseball and softball. Don’t forget to visit the Road Island Diner, which was made to look like a railroad dining car. The menu features mac n’ cheese, grilled cheese sandwiches, and spaghetti.
4. Solitude
This town is dedicated to winter sports, though it is open in the summer and has facilities for mountain biking, picnics, disc golf and chairlift rides. In the winter, enjoy skiing and snowshoeing. Best of all, there’s daycare for the little ones at the Play Academy.
5. Brighton
Brighton is found on a mountain that gets 500 inches of dry, powdery snow a year, and they know what to do with it. You and the family can not only ski, but you can ski at night. All that skiing’s going to make you hungry, so head to eateries like the Milly Cafe or the Alpine Rose cafeteria. You can even bring your own picnic lunch to the restaurant.
6. Wanship
Found where the Weber River and Silver Creek meet, this mountain community is the place to go if you like it rustic and quiet. Take the kids to the local barn-museum with its wild west memorabilia, or visit the Wanship Dam and the Rockport Reservoir. Experienced horseback riders can spend a day at the Wind in Your Hair Riding Center.
7. Salt Lake City
The capital of Utah lies 32 miles northwest of Park City. Visit the famous Temple Square, then take the kids to the Discovery Gateway and the Natural History Museum. Lots of traveling companies of Broadway plays visit SLC, so be sure to catch them at such places at the Pioneer Theatre Company. The city knows that you think it shuts down at sunset, but it doesn’t. It is home to a thriving jazz, rock n’ roll and hip-hop scene and other genres whose musicians prefer to play in the wee late hours. Make sure to attend at least one festival, including the Dark Arts Festival, or the Urban Arts Festival.
The Wasatch Mountains are nearby, so you’ll need to come in the winter for the skiing and snowboarding and in the summer for the hiking, bouldering and mountain biking.
8. Daniel
Found in a triangle made by State Highway 189 and State Highway 40, Daniel is home to Russ McDonald Field: Heber City Municipal Airport. A bit north you’ll find the Heber Valley Historic Railroad and the Avon Theatre, a little movie house that still sports a soda fountain.
9. Sandy City
Ever-improving Sandy City has a crack transit system, with light rail and bus service. This allows you to easily access its famous Mall, Shops at South Town. Bring the family to the spectacular Fourth of July fireworks, play a few rounds of golf at the River Oaks Golf Course, and attend a concert at the Sandy Amphitheater near your vacation rental.
10. Kamas
Kamas is famous for its cattle ranches and outdoor activities such as mountain climbing, fishing, and hiking. It’s also the start of the two-day bicycle race called the High Uintas Classic. The kids will love Fiesta Days, which happens around the Fourth and 24th of July, for no other reason than its demolition derby. Take a trip to Mirror Lake, which has picnic areas and a boat ramp for canoes or kayaks.