Why here?
Attendees from either coast can arrive at Salt Lake International Airport in the morning and be enjoying the Park City mountains by afternoon. This home of January's Sundance Festival is known for top luxury resorts and outdoor activities galore, not to mention the fabulous local cuisine.
WHAT'S IN STORE
Many guest rooms in Park City come with a kitchen and a refrigerator, so visitors are thrilled that a new Whole Foods Market is available for stocking up. The locally owned Ritual Chocolate Drinking and Coffee Bar is part of the store.
It's hard to believe these two outdoor shops are new to town: Patagonia opened last year on Main and Heber streets, and L.L. Bean will open nearby this fall.
FRESH-AIR FUN
Bring chairs and hampers of food and wine for a show at the Snow Park Outdoor Amphitheater at Deer Valley. Groups of up to 250 can hold a dinner onstage, and the lawn can be rented for up to 5,000.
THE GREAT OUTDOORS
In summer, mountain biking and horseback riding are favorites in and around Park City; skiing, snow-shoeing and more take over in winter. Try fly-fishing and hot-air ballooning any time. Your resort can help set up outings.
MAIN-DRAG DINING
See and be seen strolling Park City's Main Street, then stop in for a bite at the destination's fine establishments (chain restaurants need not apply). Options include the Riverhorse Café, serving a distinguished eclectic American menu; 501 on Main, with a restaurant upstairs and a pub downstairs; and Chimayo, featuring a Southwestern menu.
PARK CITY
Local Update
• RockResorts, a subsidiary of Vail Resorts, has welcomed the Grand Summit Hotel into its portfolio, following a $15 million renovation that touched all 212 suites, the lobby, the front desk, the spa, the café and the general store. In addition, the more than 15,000 square feet of conference space was refreshed. The resort is part of Canyons Village at Park City; many of the rooms have balconies, fireplaces, double showers and full kitchens with service for eight guests. The lock-off suites provide more than 290 lodging options, including traditional guest rooms; studios; one-, two- and three-bedroom suites; and luxury penthouses.
• A renovation to the tune of $15 million has been completed at the 180-room Stein Eriksen Lodge, tackling the public space and meeting space. As part of the project, an outdoor plaza event area was expanded with firepits, a new coffee bar has opened and ski locker rooms were enlarged. Added were a kids pool, a theater and a family-friendly entertainment area.
• The 46-room Lodge at Blue Sky Ranch is on track to open next summer with luxury tents, a restaurant, a spa and customized outdoor adventures. The property will be an anchor of Blue Sky Utah, a 3,500-acre hospitality and recreational complex 16 miles north of Park City. An outpost of the High West Distillery already is operating on-site.
Meeting Hotels: Park City properties generally can host groups of up to 700. Among options are the 488-room Westgate Park City Resort & Spa, 290-room Grand Summit Hotel, 220-room Montage Deer Valley, 199-room Park City Marriott, 182-room DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Park City-The Yarrow, 180-room Stein Eriksen Lodge, 176-unit Lodges at Deer Valley, 175-room Waldorf Astoria Park City, 138-room Hyatt Centric Park City and 127-room Park City Peaks Hotel.
To find and compare Park City area hotels, as well as to send RFPs, go to mcvenues.com.
Airport Transit: Salt Lake City International Airport is about a 35-minute drive from downtown Park City. Shared transport to Park City includes SuperShuttle and Park City Transportation, starting at $50. Uber and Lyft start at $45.
Taxes: Park City, 10.45%; Summit County (Canyons Village to Kimball Junction), 9.35%
Group Venues: As Pyeongchang, South Korea, will learn this month, hosting a Winter Olympics leaves behind a legacy of venues perfect for groups to gather for fun, team building and competition. Several facilities from Park City's 2002 Games are now available for group events. At Utah Olympic Park, just outside of town, bobsled rides, skeleton sled rides, ropes courses, a drop tower and ziplines are available. The complex's Quinney Welcome Center, with the Alf Engen Ski Museum and the Salt Lake City 2002 Winter Olympic Games Museum, hosts up to 330 for receptions.
The dining scene has a new casually elegant option down by the equally new Whole Foods Market. Trio specializes in freshly prepared seasonal dishes such as House Cheese Agnolotti with fontina-ricotta, roasted-squash sauce and garlic-sage crumble; and Smoked Verlasso Salmon with ivory lentil puree, kohlrabi, green apples, horseradish and Utah cider glaze. Open for brunch, lunch and dinner, the eatery's private-dining room can accommodate up to 48 people. (435) 649-9654
Golf: Among the 15 golf courses in the area -- most of which are available for tournament play -- are the 18-hole Canyons Resort Golf Club, 18-hole Crater Springs Golf Course, 18-hole (and Arnold Palmer-designed) Jeremy Ranch Golf & Country Club, 18-hole Park City Golf Club, 36-hole Soldier Hollow Golf Course and 36-hole Wasatch Golf Course. For details on these and more, click here.
Contact: Visit Park City, (800) 453-1360