Explore the District
Experience Foothill's Museums, Parks, Zoos, and more
Visit Foothill Cultural District- the heart of Salt Lake City's cultural life. With trails to hike, zoo animals to watch, trains to ride, dinosaur bones to dig, beds to sleep in, gardens to stroll, Olympic sports to remember, Buffalo Soldiers to visit, and fine art to enjoy, there's something for everyone. And it's all within two square miles in Salt Lake's foothills.
Click onto Hot Deals for discount coupons -- and hurry to Hogle Zoo, This is The Place Heritage Park, the Fort Douglas Museum, Red Butte Garden & Arboretum, the Olympic Cauldron Park, Utah Museum of Natural History, Utah Museum of Fine Arts and the University Guest House Hotel.
The Salt Lake 2002 Olympic Cauldron Park, located at the foot of the majestic Wasatch Mountains, is a stirring reminder of hard work and shared values of athletes from all countries and cultures as they faced their ultimate challenges.
The Visitors Center commemorates the XIX Olympic Winter Games in a photo gallery that captures the electrifying quest for excellence. The Visitors Center’s Theater chronicles the Games from the Opening Ceremonies through to the Closing Ceremonies, preserving the spectacle of competition.
As you exit the Visitor’s Center you will be inspired by the Olympic Cauldron rising from the Plaza floor. Once ignited to signal the start of the 2002 Olympic Winter Games, the Cauldron stands as a tribute to the Olympic Games, past and present, and to their power to unify and inspire.
The Hoberman Arch – where proud athletes were feted with their coveted medals and world renowned artists and musicians performed – is situated on the east side of the Plaza.
Adjacent to Rice-Eccles Stadium.
The Fort Douglas Military Museum, formerly a 19th century barracks built of Red Butte sandstone, was established in the Utah Territory to guard the Overland Mail route and telegraph lines. The Museum campus is a verdant expanse fronted by the original parade grounds and bandstand, historical officers’ housing, a chapel and a base theater.
The outdoor Cannon and Tank Park, marking the Museum’s entrance, gives visitors a glimpse at the awesomeness of military fire power, with displays of cannons, helicopters and armored vehicles. Indoor exhibits offer an up-close look at authentic military uniforms, weapons, and equipment from early Utah military exploration to the present. Panels also show the evolution of military architecture at the historic Fort.
Never before seen, Saddam Hussein’s combat boots – “liberated” by two Utah National Guardsmen -- are displayed in a glass case along with notable copies of newspaper headlines heralding his capture.
Housed within the Museum are a military library and archives available to researchers and scholars.
The Fort Douglas Museum gift shop (“The Post Sutler”) features a wide variety of military memorabilia, including history and photo books, replicas of medals and other items designed to engage and inform children and adults alike.
The gift shop is open from noon to 5 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday. Orders may be placed online by going to the Fort Douglas Museum website: www.fortdouglas.org.
The Fort Douglas Museum is free and open from noon to 5 p.m. Tuesday to Saturday. Docent-led group tours are available by appointment.
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Located just east of the University of Utah Campus Drive. Look for the Parade Ground where the big flagpole is located.
The museum is in the red sandstone buildings on the south side with the tanks.
The 430-acre This Is The Place Heritage Park is home to the famous This Is The Place Monument, marking the entrance into the Salt Lake Valley of the first Mormon pioneers in 1847, and Heritage Village, where “hands-on” learning about pioneer life is the order of the day.
In more than 40 Village homes, shops and outbuildings – many of them original structures – costumed “interpreters” demonstrate the crafts, trades and skills of frontier life. Among the Park’s offerings are replica trains, pony rides, petting corral and a host of crafts and activities for children and youth.
Spend a couple of hours or an entire day in pioneer Utah, an experience unlike any other.
The train runs everyday from 9am-5pm.
This Is The Place Heritage Park is located at the entrance of Emigration Canyon, in the north east area of Salt Lake City. We are located just south of the University of Utah and just accross the street from Utah's Hogle Zoo.
Our 134-room hotel features a spectacular view of the
Planning a wedding? Holding a conference? Our
The University Guest House Hotel is located in the Historic Fort Douglas section of the University of Utah Campus. We are just south of the Health Science Campus and directly east of the 2002 Olympic Legacy Bridge. We are adjacent to the Fort Douglas stop on the Trax Line.
We are located on Salt Lake City's East bench and 10 miles from Salt Lake City International Airport.
* Foster an understanding of science as a journey of discovery and wonder.
* Promote the preservation of biological and cultural diversity.
* Preserve collections in trust for future generations.
* Encourage new perspectives on and inspire passion for the natural world.
* Celebrate Utah's native peoples and cultures.
* Showcase Utah's unique and extraordinary environments.
* Create knowledge through innovative research.
* Demonstrate the myriad links connecting the past, present and future.
* Transcend scientific disciplines to reveal the networks inherent in nature.
* Serve as a center for science literacy, acting as a bridge between the scientific community and the public.
* Empower people to make thoughtful decisions about the future.
Utah’s Hogle Zoo is a Utah treasure. Located at the mouth of Emigration Canyon since 1931, the Zoo is one of the top visited attractions in the state. It’s natural hillside terrain and meandering tree-covered pathways enhance your experience as you discover the wonders of the natural world. With nearly 1,000 animals to visit, the splendor of the animal kingdom is yours to behold.
Guest amenities include the popular Zoofari Express train ride, the new Conservation Carousel which features 42 hand-carved, exotic animals, yummy treats at four popular concession areas and our award-winning gift shop, Wild Zootique.
Open 363 days a year, the Zoo has something for everyone that will keep you entertained and busy - learning and exploring.
Visit the new Asian Highlands, a re-creation of a Himalayan village featuring five endangered Asian cat species, and visit Elephant Encounter - where the Serengeti meets Salt Lake City - and spotlights African elephants and white rhinoceros.
Guest amenities include:
| Zoofari Express The Conservation Carousel Wild Zootique The Beastro |
Oasis Café Bear Grotto Cat Wok Café |
For information about these amenities, Zoo memberships, special public events, education programs and classes, how to become a Zoo volunteer, Zoo employment and much more, visit www.hoglezoo.org.
Located behind the University of Utah and across the street from This Is The Place Heritage Park, just before entering the mouth of Emigration Canyon.
Mark the changing seasons by your visits to Red Butte Garden. Enjoy the flowering of 150,000 bulbs crabapples, magnolias, and hawthorns in early Spring, to be closely followed by stunning displays of wildflowers in May, roses in June, an ever-changing kaleidoscope of flowering plants through the summer, dazzling ornamental grasses in the fall, and the quiet blanketing of the Garden with snow throughout the Winter.
One of Red Butte Garden’s most attractive features is its award winning Terrace Gardens, which contain Herb, Medicinal and Fragrance gardens where visitors can bathe in the sensory glow of lilac, mock orange and lavender as well as the pungent, spicy smells of the culinary and decorative herbs. Enjoy also the new Rose Garden, Four Seasons Garden, Creekside Gardens, Water Pavilion, and waterfalls.
If you have little ones with you, be sure not to miss the Children’s Garden with its Canyon Waterfall, Butterfly Walk, Em’s Sprout House, sandbox, and snake-squirting water fountain.
Red Butte Garden & Arboretum’s Orangerie offers a stunning view of the Salt Lake Valley and is available to rent for that very special occasion.
Perhaps nowhere in the region does the landscape create the vast pleasures of sight and smell as at Red Butte Garden & Arboretum.
Tram tours are available from May through September, 10 am to noon daily. Thursday evening walking tours during May, June and September give visitors an intimate interpretive experience.
Please call for hours and tour information.
Visitors can now access the Garden via TRAX from downtown on weekdays. Take the 702 -UNIVERSITY TRAX LINE eastbound and disembark at Primary Children's Medical Center. Catch the YELLOW ROUTE on the University of Utah's shuttle system heading SOUTH. Let the driver know you wish to be taken to Red Butte Garden when you board the shuttle. When you wish to leave the Garden, ask a Visitor Services Staff member to call the shuttle dispatcher for you; proceed in the reverse order back to your original starting point.
Spanning more than 5,000 years of human creativity, the UMFA’s permanent collection features some 17,000 works from Greek and Roman antiquities to contemporary American art. Museum visitors will observe the piety of medieval Europe, marvel at the intricacies of Native American weavings, walk with Egyptian Pharaohs, battle with Japanese Samurai, and experience African village life.
The UMFA features a host of special touring exhibitions from among the most distinguished collections worldwide. The recent and highly successful exhibition, Monet to Picasso from the Cleveland Museum of Art, attracted 80,000 visitors during its three-month run.
Children and adults can enjoy a variety of free public programming and art education opportunities at the UMFA all year round. Films, symposia, artist talks and gallery tours enhance each Museum visitor’s experience, and family-friendly programs such as family backpacks and Third Saturday art activities provide enthralling Museum adventures for children of all ages.
Commemorate your journey at the UMFA with art-inspired merchandise from The Museum Store, and drop by the f/Stop Café for sweet and savory delectables like sandwiches, soups, salads and pastries.
Visit the Utah Museum of Fine Arts today and let the artistic adventure begin!
From the North or South: Travel on I-15 to the 600 South exit then turn left on State Street and right on 400 South. Head east on 400 South to 1300 East. (400 South becomes 500 South). From 500 South and 1300 East, proceed east on 500 South to 1580 East. Turn left at the light and take the next immediate right before the roundabout onto South Campus Drive. Continue east to the next light and turn left onto Campus Center Drive (1725 East). The UMFA is on your immediate left. The visitor parking lot is located east of the Museum.
Visitor parking is free weekends and is available in the Visitor Parking Lot east of the Museum, except for marked private permit spaces. Remember to register your license at the front desk.
Other Information
If you are planning a trip to Salt Lake City, be sure to check out some of the city's best attractions. Our Travel Planning section is full of great information to help you get started.
