Coming to Park City, but not a huge skier - here are 8 Great Things To Do In Park City, Utah Besides Skiing. There’s lots to do in Park City for those who prefer to hit the slopes, but not so hard.
1. Enjoy The Greatest Snow On Earth - Relive the 2002 Winter Olympics through memorabilia and interactive exhibits at Utah Olympic Park's free museums. In summer, watch aerial skiers hurtle through the air, landing with a splash in the Olympic pool. Or be a passenger in a bobsled if you dare. Take a sleigh ride to a remote Viking Yurt. After being tucked in with warm blankets, a snow-cat pulls you up 1,800 feet through fairy tale forests, past looming mountains and views of Park City’s twinkling lights.
Take a Saturday Morning Snow Shoe Tour of Swaner Preserve and EcoCenter. It’s cheap and snowshoes are provided. Or let a pack of huskies and their musher whizz you through the forest. Snowmobile along miles of groomed tracks, or, for a slower pace, enjoy horse-drawn sleigh rides at Park City Mountain or Deer Valley.
2. Luxuriate For The Day - For the luxury touches of herbal body products, fluffy robes, and soaking in hot water with mountain views, head to Stein Eriksen Lodge. Booking a spa treatment means access to other facilities, such as a steam room, sauna, whirlpool, and a heated indoor/outdoor infinity pool as well.
Or buy a day pass at Hotel Park City to use their heated pool, steam rooms, saunas, whirlpools, meditation rooms, fitness equipment, and hydrotherapy tub. (Passes are available spring and fall, and sometimes summer. Call for availability.) At Montage Deer Valley, day passes include access to an indoor mosaic lap pool, a co-ed or separate women’s relaxation area, selected fitness classes, and locker rooms offering a steam room, sauna, whirlpools, and deluge showers.
End with Montage Deer Valley’s free daily s’mores (open to all). Graham crackers, dark and milk chocolate bars, and gourmet, house-made marshmallows including cinnamon, mocha, salted caramel, and peppermint flavors are roasted up around a patio fire pit from 4 to 6 p.m. and later in summer.
Learn more about this history at Park City Historical Museum. The museum also offers summer walking tours during which you can learn more about some of Main Street’s 64 heritage-listed buildings. You’ll definitely want to book ahead.
You can also join a Last Friday Gallery Stroll (Monthly, June to December) for complimentary refreshments, music, and the chance to visit 19 local studios. To find Franz the Bear, an iconic bronze sculpture and photo-op sitting on a park bench (and an elusive Banksy mural) download the city’s Free Self-Guided Art and Sculpture Tour Map. Stop by the Alpine Pie Bar for a slice of pie and a cocktail made from locally crafted spirits from Alpine Distilling.
4. Hit The Shops- Once a mining town, these days Park City seems paved with gold. Stunning homes dot the hillsides and Main Street has many high-end shops. Personal favorites include Burns Cowboy Shop with hundreds of crafted designer boots, Alpaca International for wrinkle-resistant travel garments, and Cade and Co's for handmade leather baby shoes.
Dolly’s Bookstore showcases regional authors and Dolly the cat sunning herself in the window. Atticus Coffee Books and Teahouse offers comfy reading spots and pots of tea chosen from 65 loose-leaf varieties.
The street is steep, so catch the free trolley back up. My grandson adored this trolley. He was too young for skiing, so I wasn’t the only one hitting the shops.
Or catch a bus to Outlets Park City. All public transport is free (plan your route using the myStop app). Arrive and grab a free coupon book from Customer Service. Then it’s full-throttle ahead, foraging through 65 outlets including Old Navy, Levi, Gap, Nike, Vans, and Sun and Ski Sports. There are no onsite cafes, so fortify yourself with lunch beforehand.
You can also enjoy Sundance venues all year long. The Park City Film Series hosts films at “The Santy” (Jim Santy Auditorium). Film choices, projection, and sound quality are top-notch. Locals introduce films, popcorn comes with free refills and real butter, and local traders offer door prizes.
The Egyptian Theater has been associated with Sundance since the festival began in 1978. This 1926 Art Deco gem was built in the excitement surrounding the opening of King Tutankhamun’s Tomb in 1922. An Egyptologist supervised the theater’s decoration, which includes scarabs, lotus leaf motifs, and hieroglyphics. The venue offers famous musical acts and top stage shows throughout the year.
7. Explore The Local Food Scene - Park City has over 150 restaurants. Most have excellent ratings, making it hard to choose where to dine. For restaurant tips and deals, locals recommend the Park Record.
Queues indicate greatness. Five5eeds serves Australian-style coffee and avocado toast with whipped goats cheese. It’s easier to get seated here on weekdays. We also recommend Park City Food Tours for reasons as multi-pronged as a fork. You’ll experience a number of restaurants, a guide offers other local recommendations, and, as Julia Child said, “People who love to eat are always the best people.” So good company is assured. No two tours are identical, but the much-talked-about Riverhorse and Handle restaurants are often on the itinerary. Note that drink pairings are extra.
8. Enjoy Drinking (In Moderation)- Some tourists even fear not getting a drink in Park City. They shouldn’t worry.
Visit Alpine Distilling (located in Silver Creek) and the Alpine Pie Bar (lower level of 350 Main Street). Alpine Distilling is Utah's Distillery of the Year for the second year in a row and the Pie Bar was voted Best Casual Eatery be LuxLife. The Alpine Pie Bar is also home to the world famous Gin Experience.
Park City is home to High West Distillery and Saloon, Utah’s first legal distillery (opened in 1870!) and the world's only ski-in distillery. The food is excellent, but if you’ll be dining with under-21s, head out to their other distillery at Wanship, which is classed as a restaurant, not a bar.
Fox School of Wine has a Weekend Wine Series known locally as “the educational happy hour.” Their Saturday Mines and Wines Tours allow participants to take in six historic places with wines paired to each location. Mountain Town Olive Oil offers The Next Course -- an opportunity to cook gourmet recipes paired with wine. At Paint Mixer, you can create your next artwork in a social setting and enjoy an on-site wine service.
Even the local market, Park Silly Sunday Market (June to September) has a DIY Bloody Mary beer garden. The drink becomes breakfast once you top your glass with offerings including asparagus, olives, sausage, pickles, and crispy bacon.
Wasatch Brew Pub (established in 1986) is Park City’s first brewery since Prohibition. Check out the tongue-in-cheek beer labels, such as Polygamy Porter’s, which asks, “Why have just one?” Wasatch’s founder also convinced the Utah Legislature to allow brewpubs in the state, making it possible for you to enjoy good pub grub, including burgers, mac ’n’ cheese, and spicy buffalo wings. As it’s a brewpub rather than a bar, you can dine here with your skiing family.
It’s a posh vacation spot for tourists seeking the beauty of the mountains no matter what the season. During the winter, Park City houses the U.S. Ski Team. In the summer, it hosts the training center for the Australian Freestyle Ski Team. The historic Egyptian Theatre, the home base of Sundance, brings films from across the globe to audiences. Celebrities are often spotted throughout the week-and-a-half-long festival that takes place in late January — so if you’re headed here then, be sure to keep your eyes and ears peeled.
Getting to Park City - Park City is one of the most accessible vacation destinations in the country. It’s just 25 miles from Salt Lake City International Airport (SLC). Shuttles from the airport to Park City are frequent and can drop you off directly at your hotel.
Where to hit the slopes - As you can imagine, if Park City was host of the 2002 Winter Olympics, its slopes are world-class. Deer Valley Resort and Park City Mountain Resort are the two major ski resorts in town — with more than 2,000 and 7,300 acres of terrain, respectively. The slopes are open from November to April and cater to thousands of visitors.
Where to stay near the slopes - While Deer Valley Resort and Park City Mountain Resort are awesome for snowy-weather activities, you have other options — especially if you’re using Marriott Bonvoy points.
Visit Utah Olympic Park- Ever wanted to visit an Olympic village? You’re in luck: The Utah Olympic Park offers tours year-round. The village includes the Alf Engen Ski Museum and the George S. and Dolores Doré Eccles Salt Lake 2002 Olympic Winter Games Museum. The facilities also offer an intimate look into the history of Utah’s winter sports.
During the summer, Olympic Park offers summer tubing and bobsled, zip-lining and ropes courses. The Nordic ski jump used by Olympic-level athletes gets converted into a summer tubing hill. With a custom plastic surface, the ride smoothly glides just as well, if not better, than on snow. The activity is perfect for thrill-seekers as speeds can get up to 50 miles per hour.
Where to stay near Olympic Park - The Utah Olympic Park is about eight miles from downtown Park City. While there isn’t lodging within walking distance of the park, some of the closest hotels are just a short 10-minute car ride away. The Hyatt Centric Park City offers ski-in and ski-out access to the Park City Resort and the Wasatch Adventure Guides slopes. With 120 deluxe guest rooms, the hotel is a cozy home-away-from-home.
Experience the beauty of summer- Even if you don’t ski, Park City is the perfect destination to explore the great outdoors — especially in the summertime. If you’re interested in hiking, biking or camping, visit the nearby Uinta National Forest. Other trails include The Armstrong Trail or the Mid-Mountain Trail at Deer Valley Resort.
When you’re done touring the trails in Park City, join a hot air balloon ride. Soar above the scenic greenery of Utah’s national parks and mountain resorts. For fishing and river rafting lovers, the forest offers beautifully preserved lakes and rivers, such as the Logan, Weber, Ogden, and Provo rivers.
Where to stay- Sunrise Lodge by Hilton Grand Vacations is a beautiful mountain resort nestled in the Canyons Resort and next to the Sunrise Lift. The resort offers free shuttles to restaurants and shops on the main street. With guest rooms and full suites with kitchen amenities, the Sunrise Lodge is perfect for families on vacation.
Head to Sundance and Slamdance- In late January, Park City is home to the largest independent film event in the country: Sundance Film Festival. Thousands of movie-lovers, industry executives and celebrities from around the world come for the 10-day festival. The entire town transforms into a film mecca with The Egyptian Theatre is the crown jewel. The festival has a total of nine venues scattered throughout town. Transportation around Park City is easy year-round with a free public transit system.
Another option is to visit Slamdance Film Festival during the last week of January. The artist-led festival focuses on low-budget and emerging talent as an alternative to Sundance. Though smaller than Sundance, Slamdance’s tight-knit community offers a more accessible and intimate experience.
Where to stay for the festivals - When finding a hotel during Sundance, it’s important to stick close to the festival’s bus route. There are three Marriott hotels directly on the route: Marriott’s MountainSide, Marriott’s Summit Watch and Sheraton Park City. The Sheraton is also Sundance’s festival headquarters and the location where industry members can pick up their credentials. Staying at the Sheraton means that celebrities come to your front door. The lobby is often known for celeb spottings and hosting industry meetings.
Bottom line - Park City can be your home base for many different types of vacations, from a traditional ski vacation to active adventures in the summertime to exhilarating film festivals. Choose the face of Park City that you want to see and use your airline miles and hotel loyalty points to help you plan an affordable trip. Just plan for those peak ski dates or trips that coincide with Sundance.
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