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All the United States Utah Salt Lake City

The Atlas Obscura Guide To Salt Lake City

17 Cool, Hidden, and Unusual Things to Do in Salt Lake City, Utah

Updated July 8, 2024

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Unusual Attractions in Salt Lake City

The original Saltair

Salt Lake City, Utah

Saltair

The location along the shores of the Great Salt Lake of what was once called, "The Coney Island of the West", now sits barren due to arson and time.
Someone (or something) has killed the grass around it for…reasons.

Salt Lake City, Utah

Victim of the Beast Gravestone

Here lies Lilly E. Gray, an alleged "victim of the beast," but the reason long remained a mystery.
Statue of the sculptor himself, Thomas Battersby Child, Jr.

Salt Lake City, Utah

Gilgal Sculpture Garden

A hidden garden of stones engraved with scriptures, a Joseph Smith Sphinx, all carved by one man.
The Summum Pyramid

Salt Lake City, Utah

Summum Pyramid

Pyramid home to an obscure religious group that practices modern mummification.
Salt Lake City Public Library

Salt Lake City, Utah

Salt Lake City Public Library

Visitors to this library are in for a real-world education in modernist architecture.
Snelgrov Ice Cream Cone

Salt Lake City, Utah

Snelgrove Ice Cream Cone

This giant ice cream cone is the last remaining icon of a Salt Lake City staple.
The Pioneer Memorial Museum

Salt Lake City, Utah

The Pioneer Memorial Museum

This museum remembers the tough Mormon trek across America through an intriguing array of artifacts.

Salt Lake City, Utah

Anderson Tower Monument

This granite monument at the site of an ill-conceived tourist attraction is built from the same stone as the Mormon Temple.
See All 17 Things To Do in Salt Lake City

Cool Places to Eat & Drink in Salt Lake City

Snelgrov Ice Cream Cone

Salt Lake City, Utah

Snelgrove Ice Cream Cone

This giant ice cream cone is the last remaining icon of a Salt Lake City staple.
A sign proudly proclaiming the restaurant’s claim to fame.

Salt Lake City, Utah

Site of the World's First KFC

In 1952, this restaurant began selling the Colonel's “secret” recipe.
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Explore Salt Lake City, Utah

Monuments 5
Sacred Spaces 3
Architecture 2
Religion 2
Mormons 2
Architectural Oddities 2
Wild West 2

Salt Lake City Leaderboard

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Recent Salt Lake City Activity

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Stories About Salt Lake City

The dramatic colors and patterns of salt evaporation ponds on the Great Salt Lake are the result of a combination of salinity levels, wind, currents, and activity of brine shrimp, algae, and bacteria.

Salt-Loving Microbes Make Vivid, Massive Abstract Art

For the latest addition to his stunning salt production series, photographer Tom Hegen ventured to Utah’s Great Salt Lake.
by Gemma Tarlach
February 2, 2022
Vintage advertisements prominently featured Mr. Spudnut.

Resurrecting the Spudnut, America's Forgotten Halloween Treat

Bake the recipe remnant of a potato doughnut empire that once stretched from the United States to Japan.
by Diana Hubbell
October 7, 2021
Fort Douglas Post Cemetery, in Salt Lake City, holds the graves of 20 German prisoners of war from World War II.

Three Headstones in American Military Cemeteries Bear Swastikas

But not for much longer.
by Matthew Taub
June 10, 2020
As the mirabilite accumulates, it forms crystallized terraces on the lakefront.

Utah's Great Salt Lake Could Hold Clues to Life on Mars

The mineral mirabilite is the key.
by Isaac Schultz
January 28, 2020
The northern and southern arms of the Great Salt Lake, separated by a railroad causeway.

The Great Salt Lake's Mercury Mystery

A bunch of toxic mercury is suddenly missing from the bottom.
by Kelsey Kennedy
May 1, 2017
At the FBI.

Why Mormons Make Great FBI Recruits

What sparked rumors of a "Mormon Mafia"?
by Sarah Laskow
November 4, 2015

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