Check out these places to visit and things to do in Park City, Utah in Winter for the non-skier.
Wow, life has been so busy since the new year began, I haven’t had time to sit down and write this post that’s been spinning around in my head, but now I’m ready for it. The 2018 holidays were huge for us! For the first time, we traveled on a plane together as a family of four, and we visited Park City, Utah. What an incredible experience! Warning: I have SO many photos to share, it was hard to narrow them down to this many. I hope you enjoy them and feel inspired to travel to Park City, Utah in Winter, even if you aren’t a skier.
Park City – Fun in the Snow
Last year, we had a few “snow days” in Gainesville, which meant it was in the high 20s, frost on the windshield and ground, and some icicles hanging from buildings. No actual snow falling from the sky. That made our trip to Park City even more exciting for the kids – It was their first time seeing real snow. We purchased an inexpensive plastic sled to go down the snowy hills, and they had a blast! We tried to build snowmen, but we were not so successful. We kinda cheated by taking a photo with an already-built snowman. But even just throwing snow in the air, walking through snow, it was so fun to see their excitement!
Park City – Enjoy Nature
For the non-skier, it’s fun to just wander through Park City and enjoy nature. I had never been to Utah or any of the surrounding areas before, so it we enjoyed just exploring the outdoors. The trees look beautiful this time of year, covered in snow. We saw different types of leaves and berries than we are used to seeing in Florida, and little rock-lined streams that trickled between the snowy patches.
Park City – Sightseeing
There’s so much to do and see as you travel through Park City. The local transportation is free, convenient, and reliable, so you can get pretty much anywhere you want to go without renting a car. We spent a lot of time exploring all of the little shops along Main Street. There you will find coffee shops {more on that below}, bakeries, restaurants, clothing boutiques, jewelry stores, and more. You can tour the Park City Museum or just visit the gift shop to see some of the antique-inspired items for sale. If you’re like us and not skiing, you can still enjoy visiting the ski resorts, like The Canyons Village. In order to get to the shopping and dining area, you must take a lift that will get you there. I’m not a fan of heights, but it was actually a nice view of the mountains below. The Park City Mountain Resort is also a fun place to explore, with lots of little shops and dining options. If you’re looking for a great photo opp, visit the site of the Olympic Winter Games 2012.
Park City – Pick a Great Hotel
Since we were not looking to stay at a ski resort, we selected a hotel that was actually midway between all of the local activities. That way we could easily go to any locations around town. This was the Park City Peaks Hotel, newly-renovated in a mid-century modern style, it was the perfect place to celebrate Christmas out-of-town. The warm fireplace greats you as you enter this hotel. The back area has a fire pit and courtyard, so the kids were able to play in the snow. The rooms were nicely decorated. There was an indoor and outdoor pool area, along with hot tub and sauna. One of my favorite features of the hotel, included in the price, was the delicious breakfast served daily. Waffles, pancakes, eggs, bacon, sausage, bagels, home fries – So much to enjoy each day! There is an Italian restaurant on-site, but we did not have the opportunity to try it.
Park City – Food + Drink
What do I love most about vacationing {other than the awesome family time}? Eating AND drinking! Here’s a quick review of the places we visited:
Tupelo – This is a Modern American restaurant with Southern-inspired offerings. We actually enjoyed our Christmas dinner there. The menu changes daily, based on what is seasonally available. We tried the deviled eggs and biscuits as the appetizers, trout and pork tenderloin as entrees. Everything was fresh and well-seasoned.
Atticus – This is a fun, hip cafe that features teas, coffees, smoothies, baked goods, and a menu of fresh breakfast and lunch items. They also sell used books, greeting cards, and other fun novelty items.
Squatters Roadhouse Grill – Even though this is a casual restaurant, I had the hands-down best bite of food on our trip there. Fried cheese curds with marinara sauce anyone? So. Darn. Good. They also have a nice selection of craft beers and bourbon, tasty burgers, and other sports bar-type food. This is not located in one of the main resort areas, which is actually good if you are not staying in one of the resort areas. It offers a great alternative to high-end dining options.
Ritual Chocolate – This chocolate and coffee shop is located in an industrial part of town. They offer a variety of small-batch dark chocolates. Each chocolate sold comes with a description about where the bean is from and what makes it a unique flavor. They serve tasty hot chocolate and coffee drinks. Try one of their brownies, too!
Chimayo – Looking for some Southwest cuisine? This is the restaurant to go to! This is a beautifully-decorated upscale restaurant, featuring some of my favorites, like chile rellenos and queso fundido. It’s a good place to get several appetizers to enjoy family-style {with a nice glass of sangria, of course}.
Unfortunately, two of the main non-skiing attractions were closed this year: tubing and the alpine coaster. I definitely think if those were available, we would have had a lot to do in Park City, Utah in winter. Regardless, the kids loved the flying for the first time and playing in the snow. It was an awesome family vacation!
Have you visited Park City, Utah? What did you enjoy most?
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