Salt Lake City, Utah

The Host City

Salt Lake City, Utah, is the host city for the Society of Toxicology’s 49th Annual Meeting and ToxExpo™ 2010. Scientific Sessions and exhibitions will be held at the Salt Palace Convention Center during the week of March 7–11, 2010.

Nestled against the Wasatch Mountains, this Rocky Mountain town and Capital of Utah offers an urban oasis just minutes away from an alpine escape. Where city culture meets sublime outdoor beauty, Salt Lake City is known to feature one of the most scenic backdrops in the country. A beautiful, safe, and vibrant city, Salt Lake combines unparalleled access to natural recreation, a bustling economy, lively nightlife, remarkable history, warm hospitality, and Utah's Greatest Snow on Earth™.

Mormon settlers who laid out the city in 1847 when Mormon prophet Brigham Young proclaimed this site the "right place" for new settlement. Many residents and visitors would agree, and today the city has evolved into a bustling urban center, welcoming millions of visitors each year.

The city also offers a spectrum of cultural and entertainment options. Salt Lake is home to the world-famous Mormon Tabernacle Choir, several professional theater troupes, two nationally acclaimed modern dance companies, five professional sports teams, and 30 golf courses. For those bringing the family, you’ll be pleased to know that Salt Lake City has a number of family-friendly activities, including museums, shopping, and the most resource-rich Family History Library in the world. The city also is the culinary capital of Rocky Mountain Cuisine, with over 140 restaurants and cafes in the downtown convention district alone.

The perfect gateway for some of the world’s most acclaimed outdoor escapades, Salt Lake puts you within a few hours drive of 21 national parks and monuments. The region also hosted the 2002 Winter Olympic Games and remains a winter sports paradise, with seven world-class ski resorts within a 45-minute drive of the valley.

Join your Society of Toxicology colleagues in this beautiful and extraordinary city! Consider bringing the family along and extending your stay by a few days to fully experience Salt Lake City and beyond. For more information about Salt Lake City, visit www.visitsaltlake.com.

Salt Lake City Area Activities

Salt Lake's diverse assortment of unique activities and attractions will make sure the only thing you'll never do in Salt Lake is run out of things to do. Take in a concert by the world-famous Mormon Tabernacle Choir, enjoy the animal antics and winged wonders at the zoo or aviary, or step back in time at the Family History Library. Even from your downtown hotel room or the Salt Palace Convention Center, you can walk to many historical sites, museums, artistic venues, and the beautiful cathedrals and temples of several different religious faiths. Here are just a few of the many popular attractions in Salt Lake City:

Clark Planetarium
110 South 400 West (part of The Gateway Mall) | (801) 456-STAR (7827) | www.clarkplanetarium.org
The Clark Planetarium includes a state-of-the-art Hansen Dome Theatre, ATK 3-D IMAX® Theatre, Planet Fun store and free admission to exhibits. The IMAX® Theatre is five stories high and has 12,000 watts of surround sound, making it the Ultimate Film Experience and the next best thing to being there. Opens at 10:30 AM seven days a week. A new stop on TRAX, the Planetarium stop, drops you at the front door.

Family History Library
35 North West Temple | (801) 240-2584 | www.familysearch.org
Established in 1894, this library is the largest depository of genealogical records in the world and is open to the public at no charge. Its collection includes millions of records from over 110 countries. Discover everything from a simple family tree, with branches reaching back through centuries, to original documents such as marriage records, ship manifests, court proceedings, probate records, and more. Open 8:00 AM–5:00 PM Mon, 8:00 AM–9:00 PM Tues–Sat. For beginners, the nearby FamilySearch Center offers easy-to-use genealogy computers and friendly, supportive staff.

Gallivan Center
239 South Main Street | (801) 535-6110 | www.slcgov.com
The Gallivan Center is Salt Lake's outdoor living room and is furnished with an array of unique art projects, an amphitheater, an ice rink and pond, a huge outdoor chess board, and an aviary. During the 2002 Olympic Winter Games, the Gallivan Center was one of the busiest hotspots in downtown. Check their Web site for a calendar of events.

Salt Lake Art Center
20 South West Temple | (801) 328-4201 | www.slartcenter.org
Located right next to the Salt Palace Convention Center, the Salt Lake Art Center presents contemporary visual art exhibitions, which have aesthetic and social consciousness, and which are thought provoking to the community and to other artists. The center also offers a variety of education programs for all ages. Admission and all programs are free and open to the public.

Temple Square
50 West North Temple | (801) 240-6615 | www.visittemplesquare.com
Occupying two full city blocks in the heart of downtown, Temple Square is Utah’s most popular attraction, drawing in millions of visitors each year. Visitors can learn about The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints or just enjoy the spotless, manicured series of gardens, buildings, and sculptures. Tour the Salt Lake Tabernacle, home to the world-famous Mormon Tabernacle Choir. On Thursday evenings, Choir rehearsals are open to the public at the Tabernacle. For more information about the Choir and their performances, visit their Web site at www.mormontabernaclechoir.org.

The Utah State Capitol Building
350 North Main Street | (801) 538-1800 | www.utahstatecapitol.utah.gov
An architectural masterpiece built from Utah granite, the Utah State Capitol Building in Salt Lake City is one of the most popular tourist attractions for many reasons. Completed in 1915, the State Capitol is a lovely Renaissance-style building featuring depression-era murals in the rotunda, which depict events from Utah's past. The beauty of its architecture is available to see as well as the incredible views of the Wasatch and Oquirrh mountains, the Great Salt Lake, and the valley floor. Docent-guided tours available. Open Mon–Fri 8:00 AM–8:00 PM and Sat–Sun 8:00 AM–6:00 PM.

Tracy Aviary
589 East 1300 South | (801) 596-8500 | www.tracyaviary.org
Tracy Aviary maintains a collections of approximately 400 birds representing about 135 different species in a tranquil wooded setting. Many of these birds are considered rare or endangered. Year-round exhibits, bird shows, and educational classes are offered. Open daily 9:00 AM–4:30 PM.

Utah Museum of Natural History
1390 East 220 South, near the University of Utah | (801) 581-6927 | www.umnh.utah.edu/home
You will enjoy your journey through the evolving world of natural and cultural sciences at the Utah Museum of Natural History. Visitors can enjoy Native American artifacts, dinosaur displays, and hands-on activities for the kids. See new discoveries in Utah's dinosaurs and Range Creek archeology. Learn about Utah's first humans. Enjoy special touring exhibitions. Open Monday–Saturday 9:30 AM–5:30 PM, Sunday NOON–5:00 PM.

Utah’s Hogle Zoo
2600 Sunnyside Avenue (840 South) | (801) 582-1631 | www.hoglezoo.org
Utah’s HogleZoo is one of the top visited attractions in the state of Utah and the number one paid tourist attraction in Salt Lake City. Spread out over 42 acres, it’s natural hillside terrain and meandering tree-covered pathways enhance the visitor experience as you discover the wonders of the natural world. Enjoy an animal adventure and see hundreds of exotic animals including bears, elephants, giraffes, snakes, tigers, and more. Open daily 9:00 AM–5:00 PM.

Utah Opera and Utah Symphony
123 W South Temple | (801) 533-5626 / (801) 533-NOTE (ticket office) | www.utahopera.org or www.utahsymphony.org

Utah Opera produces four professionally staged, fully costumed operas with nationally and internationally known artists. Founded in 1940, the Utah Symphony has become a vital presence on the American music scene through its distinctive performances worldwide and its well-known recording legacy. The Symphony performs in the Abravanel Hall.

Visit Salt Lake Connect Pass
The Visit Salt Lake Connect Pass is the best way to gain access to Salt Lake's most famous and fascinating attractions. With the pass, visitors can go to any of the 15 area attractions for one flat rate. The pass even includes one free meal at the Lion House Pantry and a free admission to an IMAX film and a planetarium film. Get these passes online at www.visitsaltlake.com, or you may purchase them at the Visitor Information Center in the Salt Palace Convention Center.

Ski Utah

Discover for yourself why Salt Lake’s unforgettable skiing is renowned the world over. A fortunate combination of geologic features makes Utah’s powder the fluffiest, most skiable snow in the world. The Ski Salt Lake resorts alone have over 6,950 skiable acres and over 335 trails. In addition to the 4 Ski Salt Lake resorts, 5 more resorts near Salt Lake share in The Greatest Snow on Earth™. Salt Lake area ski resorts include:

• Alta
• Brighton
• The Canyons
• Deer Valley
• Park City Mountain Resort
• Snowbasin
• Snowbird
• Solitude
• Sundance

Bringing a non-skier along, or hoping to try something new? Not to worry! Many resorts offer plenty of other excellent winter activities, such as tubing, snowmobiling, sleigh rides, ice skating, and more.

Ski Salt Lake Super Pass

One great way to check out more than one world-class resort and save a few bucks is the Super Pass, which provides discounted access to the four ski areas closest to Salt Lake, each no more than 45 minutes away. The Super Pass includes one lift ticket per day at Alta, Brighton, Snowbird, or Solitude, plus free public transportation to each. Visit www.saltlakesuperpass.com for more information.

Sports and Recreation

Utah is known for having the “Greatest Snow on Earth,” and while skiers and snowboarders are likely to vouch for this catchy phrase, snow sports aren’t the only ticket in town. Salt Lake boasts nine major sports venues and is home to five professional sports teams. The Utah Jazz (NBA Basketball), the Utah Blaze (AFL Arena Football), Real Salt Lake (Major League Soccer), the Utah Grizzlies (AHL Hockey), and the Salt Lake Stingers (AAA Baseball) offer fans a professional sports experience any time of year.

Salt Lake also puts you within a day’s drive of 21 national parks, recreation areas, and monuments, including Yellowstone and Grand Teton to the north and Zion, Bryce, Arches, and Grand Canyon national parks to the south.

View a list of state and national parks and monuments.

Shopping

Salt Lake is a western shopping oasis. Two major shopping malls sit in the heart of the city with hundreds of national brand stores like Nordstrom, Meier & Frank, and Eddie Bauer. Local specialty shops dot the Avenues neighborhood, as well as the “Ninth and Ninth” and Sugar House shopping districts. The Gateway is a multi-story, open-air upscale shopping arcade three blocks long and just moments from the convention district. Salt Lake also offers shopping with a historic twist. Trolley Square, a block of enclosed trolley barns dating back to the 19th century, is filled with high-end boutiques, specialty shops, and upscale national chains. The shops at Gardner Historic Village are housed in dozens of pioneer-era homes clustered around a 19th century flour mill.

For a list of shops by location, visit www.visitsaltlake.com/visit/activities/shopping.

Dining and Nightlife

Salt Lake boasts a vibrant nightlife with more than 1,000 restaurants, brewpubs, dance halls, and bars. You’re never far from your next great Salt Lake meal because a surprisingly diverse assortment of cafés and restaurants are waiting to cater to you, and over 140 of these restaurants and cafes are within walking distance of the Salt Palace Convention Center. In recent years, the city has become the culinary capital of Rocky Mountain Cuisine, home to 53 Zagat-rated restaurants and one of the nation’s premier wine stores. Sample regional and Southwestern favorites at casual family restaurants, or indulge in fresh pasta and seafood in more intimate surroundings. If you crave something exotic, you'll find a delightful ethnic mix available, from Afghan to Vietnamese.

As the city lights come up each night, Salt Lake's many clubs and night spots keep things lively with a wide range of entertainment options. The city is home to a diverse mix of nightspots, including dance clubs, country/western saloons, jazz and blues clubs, sports bars, neighborhood hangouts, martini bars, techno-dance clubs, cigar bars and alternative lifestyle clubs. Taste the local flavor with award-winning microbrews and cosmopolitan cocktails. As partygoers during the Olympics discovered, it’s easy to get a drink in Salt Lake! Plus, the state of Utah has just made it even easier by recently changing its liquor laws and ending the restrictions in which bars had to function as private clubs.

For a listing of restaurants in each area, visit www.visitsaltlake.com/visit/dining_and_nightlife.

Salt Lake City Fun Facts!

• The people of Salt Lake City consume more Jell-O per capital than any other city in the United States.
• Salt Lake City was the host of the Winter Olympic games in 2002—the first of the 21st century.
• Covering some 2,000 square miles, the Great Salt Lake is the second largest inland body of salt water in the world (behind the Dead Sea).
• The state symbol is the beehive for thrift and industry.
• The Mormon Temple in Salt Lake City, the world's largest Mormon temple, took 40 years to construct and cost US $5 million when it officially opened in 1893.
• Salt Lake City has been named the "Fittest City in America" by Men's Fitness magazine, as announced in the February 2009 issue.
• The most successful Disney Channel Original Movie, High School Musical, and its two sequels have been filmed at East and Murray High Schools in Salt Lake City.
• The average snowfall in the mountains near Salt Lake City is 500 inches (over 40 feet!)—that is nearly five times the average snowfall of Juneau, Alaska. But don’t let that scare you! The valley/downtown area receives about an eighth of that amount.
• Zions Mercantile Cooperative Institution was formed in Salt Lake City in 1868 as the first U.S. department store. It is now a Macy’s.
• The world's first Kentucky Fried Chicken franchise was established in Salt Lake City in 1952.
• Temple Square lands on Forbes’ Top 25 Most Visited Tourist Attractions in America. Forbes Traveler has released a new ranking of the most popular tourist attractions in America, from #1 Times Square in New York (37.6 million visitors) to #25 Waikiki Beach in Hawaii (3.67 million visitors). Salt Lake’s Temple Square made the list at #16 with 5 million visitors per year.