Tourists flock to our state to ponder the dwindling Great Salt Lake, tour the Salt Lake LDS Temple grounds and ski our peerless powder. But these interlopers will never know the joy of waking up to the crew from Radio From Hell, of shopping at Deseret Industries or of eating a Bear Lake raspberry. Those are pleasures reserved for true locals who've been around long enough to know where the good stuff hides.
But mere birthright alone doth not a Utahn create. What makes a true local? We posit that it is not the number of years you've lived within Zion's borders, but rather the zeal with which you explore all our state has to offer.
The true Utahn lives like a tourist in his own state, seeking out experiences beyond his front door but within (or barely beyond) the state's six corners.
The born-and-bred native who spends his life within the confines of his backyard is no more a Utahn than the California-to-Park-City transplant. If you're new, or if you're questioning your right to citizenship, we're here to help with a refresher course leading you to the Beehive's quintessential experiences. Greetings from a pretty, great state: wish you were here.
Take a photo at the Tree of Utah
Signs on I-80 between Salt Lake and Wendover warn you that stopping on the shoulder is reserved for emergencies only. We suggest that you have a photo emergency around mile marker 26 to appreciate "Metaphor: The Tree of Utah." Stand here for a moment, contemplate the work of Swedish (natch) artist Karl Momen and attain a true understanding of the emptiness surrounding you. Then hop back in the car and do 80 the rest of the way to Wendover.
Hike to the Living Room
A grouping of sandstone couches and chairs above Red Butte Gardens. Start at the Bonneville Shoreline Trail entrance behind the University Research Park near the Utah Museum of Natural History. Cross the wide trail and head east up a small gravel-covered path until you reach your destination, crack a beverage and watch the sun set.
Try to sink in the Great Salt Lake
It's practically in your backyard, but how often do you actually visit the city's namesake? If you're like most Utahns, you're scared away by rumors of odors and brine flies. The rumors are true, but only to a point. Once you leave the shore, the flies and odor disappear, and when you experience the lake's natural surroundings the magic of the inland sea trumps any silly little flies. We suggest the beaches at Antelope Island's Bridger Bay.
Drink a Fisher on Fisher Brewing's patio
There's a reason Fisher's patio feels like home. It's the descendant of Alfred Fisher Brewing. In 2017 the scions of the family revived the name, and a Fisher-branded hat or shirt has since become part of the official uniform of every Salt Laker.
Clamber across a piece of mining history
As Salt Lake's outskirts creep toward the Oquirrh Mountains, they give way to tiny Copperton, a town built by Kennecott Copper in the 1920s for its employees. The town's mining past is evident in its bungalows with copper downspouts and in its jewel of a city park, where used tires from the nearby mine live a new life as playground equipment.
Spend an afternoon at the Spiral Jetty
Drive forever, question your life choices, then discover one of the world's great works of land art. While you're out there, visit the Golden Spike National Historical Park, stand where the nation's first transcontinental railroad was completed and listen for the whistle.
Stand on the Bonneville Salt Flats after a rainstorm
When the surface floods, Utah briefly becomes the world's largest mirror.
Order a pastrami burger
Whether your allegiance is to Crown Burger, Apollo Burger or another local institution, a true Utahn should have pastrami on a burger at least once. Wash it down at Hires Big H and argue about whether Hires or Crown does it better. The debate is part of the experience.
Worship the Whale
Stroll through the 9th and 9th neighborhood and pay your respects to the giant, colorful sculpture that became an overnight local monument. Buy a scoop at Dolcetti Gelato and debate whether the idol successfully brought the historic winter snowpack the year it was installed.
Listen to the soundtrack of Salt Lake
Since 1971, KRCL has been the voice of Radio Free Utah. The proudly independent and locally passionate DJs, staff and volunteers bring us eclectic and diverse music with a healthy dose of community activism.
Also: gamble in Wendover. Watch the parade of newlyweds at Temple Square. Find shapes in the hoodoos at Goblin Valley. Summit Mount Olympus. See the remains of the Topaz internment camp. Ride the white roller coaster at Lagoon. Slurp an Astro Bar at Pace's Dairy Ann. Camp out for the Days of '47 parade. Stargaze at Natural Bridges, the world's first Dark Sky Park. Build a Halloween costume from the shelves at Deseret Industries. Drive Wellsville Canyon for the fall foliage. Watch the sunrise at Delicate Arch. Order a scone with honey butter — outside Utah, people think a scone comes with clotted cream, and they're wrong. Float the Provo River on an inner tube. Pick cherries in Santaquin. Complain about the Swig line, then get in it anyway. Carry your ID at all times. Even you, Tom Haraldsen.