Where to stay in Salt Lake City for the weekend?

March 4, 2015 9:02 AM

Going out to Salt Lake City for a conference next week and staying through the weekend to see the area. Current plan is just to stay an extra few nights in my current downtown hotel and explore from there but am now thinking about doing an Airbnb somewhere for those days instead.

Is there a great neighborhood to stay in that I should be filtering on in SLC? A lot of Airbnb listings seem to be downtown.

Not looking for anything too special, just a fun neighborhood that's easy to get around from (either via Uber or public transport) that has some nice coffee shops, bars, sights to see, etc...

Gimme watcha got mefites!

posted by jourman2 to Travel & Transportation (4 answers total)

If you want a great neighborhood, most people consider Avenues and Sugarhouse the more "hip" areas of town. The Avenues is relatively close to downtown but Sugarhouse has a more even commercial/residential mix in a smaller area and a pretty active evening crowd by Utah standards. Downtown definitely has most of the bars and entertainment, but you won't really be able to stay in walking distance of that unless you are at a hotel or Airbnb in an apartment.

I can't really speak to Airbnb but I can tell you that the Hampton Inn downtown is the best mid-range hotel in town as far as cleanliness, service, and the rooms themselves. It's reasonably close to trax (light rail) and walking distance to some decent restaurants.

The best things to do in SLC aren't really in town, but out of town. If the weather clears up by the time you get here, definitely find a way to hit some of our hiking trails before you leave.
posted by _DB_ at 9:50 AM on March 4, 2015

Going to Cosyne? Hey, fellow brain researcher! I'll 2nd _DB_'s comment, there's not a ton to do in town, but nearby hiking and a visit to the Great Salt Lake seem to be popular amongst conference-goers. I can't comment on places to stay since I've typically stayed at low-budget places in nondescript neighborhoods.
posted by phoenix_rising at 10:19 AM on March 4, 2015

I've stayed at Silver Fork Lodge up Big Cottonwood Canyon before, and highly endorse it - especially for breakfast.

The catch: you'll need a car. The benefit: mountain lodge with B&B environment.

It's about halfway up the canyon to Brighton and Solitude, is about 40 min to Temple Square (center of the city) and almost an hour to Park City. As long as you don't mind a little bit of a drive to do your sightseeing, the Lodge is a worthy place to spend a couple nights if the rates are in your ballpark.
posted by GamblingBlues at 12:33 PM on March 4, 2015

Go to Homestead and swim in the warm volcano. (It's not really a volcano, but it's like a volcano.) You can stay out there too, if you like.
posted by 2soxy4mypuppet at 4:40 PM on March 4, 2015