Eight years after hosting perhaps the most successful winter Olympics ever, Salt Lake City is thriving like never before. In fact, this metropolitan city perched on the western slopes of the Rocky Mountains is flourishing beyond all expectations, both as a four-season tourism destination and meeting location, as evidenced by its recent hosting of MPI's 2009 World Education Congress.
Long-known as a gateway for the nation's most stunning national parks (Zions, Bryce, Arches and Yellowstone), Salt Lake now offers visitors anything and everything imaginable throughout the year: 11 resorts within one hour of Salt Lake City International Airport featuring "The Greatest Snow On Earth" on which to ski and snowboard; access to thousands of miles of hiking and biking just 30 minutes from downtown; art and cultural offerings on par with New York and Chicago; and a thriving restaurant and bar scene, pleasantly surprising most first-time visitors.
Following the completion of a $58 million expansion, the Salt Palace Convention Center in downtown Salt Lake now boasts 675,000 square feet: 515,000 square feet of exhibit space and 164,000 square feet of meeting space in 67 high-tech meeting rooms, including a 45,000 square foot ballroom. The Salt Palace Convention Center is within walking distance of 7,000 downtown hotel rooms and more than 100 restaurants, while Greater Salt Lake offers more than 17,500 hotel rooms.
Of course, Salt Lake and Utah are still best known for their unmatched outdoor recreational offerings and the accessibility if offers to anyone looking to visit the great outdoors, winter or summer. The Olympic legacy can be seen far and wide at each of "Ski Salt Lake's" four resorts (Alta, Brighton, Solitude and Snowbird) as well as the other winter resorts just a bit further from the capital city, not to mention the Olympic venues where visitors can try their hand at speedskating, bobsledding, Nordic jumping or skiing, right alongside world-class athletes now calling Utah home for the incredible training and competition facilities in the area.
To simplify the process even more for visitors, the Salt Lake Convention & Visitors Bureau has created inclusive, easy-to-use packages for both winter and summer visitors. Skiers and snowboarders can take advantage of the ultra-convenient, money-saving Ski Salt Lake Super Pass, allowing skiers and riders the ability to visit a different Ski Salt Lake resort (Alta, Brighton, Solitude or Snowbird) every day of their stay. A similar pass, the Visit Salt Lake Connect Pass, is offered year-round and features 13 of Salt Lake's top attractions, from museums (including the world's largest dinosaur museum) to Utah's Hogle Zoo to the Utah Olympic Park and more. New to the mix is the Golf Salt Lake Super Pass, a value-laden pass offering play at 10 of Salt Lake's most popular courses. Whatever your interest, Salt Lake's pass programs has what you're after.
Combine the convenience of these passes with the metropolitan look, feel and offerings of Salt Lake City, not to mention the stunning backdrop of the Wasatch Mountains and ultra-accessible international airport with more than 750 daily flights and just eight minutes from downtown, and you have what is arguably one of the most complete and diverse vacation and meeting destinations in North America.
Discover for yourself what make's Salt Lake truly "Different by Nature."
