Culture fix Salt Lake’s newly opened, 161,000-square-foot Natural History Museum of Utah (pictured above) is home to 1.2 million objects of natural history, while The Leonardo — inspired by namesake Leonardo da Vinci — is a visionary new museum with interactive exhibits, dialogues, and workshops focusing on science, technology, and art.
Salt Lake City is a destination full of surprises. Meeting planners and groups who have nev- er experienced Utah’s capital might not know about its many assets, from an ever-expand- ing, walkable downtown to the unmatched natural beauty of the surrounding Wasatch Mountains and Great Salt Lake. With new developments, transportation options, and museums popping up throughout down- town, even repeat visitors will discover a new Salt Lake on their next visit. Salt Lake’s downtown is one of the best
examples of the destination’s urban prog- ress. The 23-acre, $2-billion City Creek Center development is at the crux of this evolution, with three city blocks’ worth of new residenc- es, ofices, and retail shops directly across from the Salt Palace Convention Center. Anchored by more than 90 stores and res-
taurants with a creek, pedestrian skybridge, and fountains interspersed throughout, City Creek Center’s sustainable design has made it the first mixed-use development to earn LEED Silver certification. The preservation of the area’s natural
beauty has always been a priority of utmost importance for Salt Lake. Thus, the Salt Pal- ace Convention Center has debuted the nation’s largest rooftop solar array, which will generate about 17 percent of the annual energy consumed at the center. This project, combined with the installation of additional energy-saving equipment, will save the facili- ty more than $175,000 on its annual utility bill. If dining and imbibing is the preferred
group activity, meeting planners will find plenty of standout restaurants in Salt Lake with award-winning chefs at the helm. Plum
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Alley, Chef Ryan Lowder’s latest Southeast Asian–inspired venture, opened late last year in downtown, and the new Zy Food, Wine & Cheese is manned by Chef Matthew Lake, whom Food & Wine named one of the “Best New Chefs in America.” New watering holes close to the convention center also make it easy for groups to grab a drink after hours — at the rooftop patio at the Green Pig Pub and the Bourbon House, located inside the historic Walker Center Building, to name just two.