City of the Month: Park City, UT ? Travel Smart Blog

Last week, the acclaimed Sundance Film Festival honored the top independent movies and players. Every year, its host, Park City, Utah, takes the best supporting role for the annual celeb-studded event.

Park City is topping all the travel lists (Forbes, Travel + Leisure, Ski Magazine, Conde Nast Traveler) lately surpassing destinations such as Aspen. Why? Accessibility, creativity, and activity!

Park City is a transformed old mining town with three ski resorts surrounding it. The quaintness of Park City?s Main Street is a thin veil for souvenirs and high-end retail. And don?t be deceived by the quaint fa?ade as the price tag for a vacation in and around this city is never bargain-priced. The four block historic strip is perfect for strolling or you can step into Robert Redford?s restaurant, Zoom, which offers some delicious local fare.

Accessibility

Nobody wants to spend the better part of a day traveling into a destination. Park City is more accessible than many of the top ski resort towns ? located only 45 minutes from The Salt Lake City airport. The international airport serves many airlines; Delta Air Lines has nonstop flights from more than 100 cities. Shuttles are a better choice than renting a car.

Hotels in Park City are numerous; from the big brand hotels to the local lodges.

Creativity

It has become a hub of culinary creativity with more than 100 restaurants and some truly inspired eateries.

If dining among celebrities in a beautiful mountain setting sounds appealing, you?ll want to check-in to the Waldorf-Astoria. Get a table at Slopes, a new restaurant deemed America?s hottest hotel restaurant in 2012 by Travel & Leisure.

The Waldorf-Astoria?s renowned bar and lounge, Powder Ice Lounge, features a 14-foot sculpted ice bar (it?s literally made of ice) and is one of the most popular photo-ops in the city.

Activity

Park City features three world-class resorts ? Deer Valley Resort, Canyons Resort and Park City Mountain Resort ? that offer three seasons of fun for everyone. (I say three because spring is a transitional season when the resorts close, the snow melts, and the preparations for the summer season are taking place.)

In the winter, the powder is abundant. Park City is home to the steep mountains where the US Ski Team trains attracting the world?s top snow sport enthusiasts, and a very chic and sophisticated crowd.

The Utah Olympic Park near Park City was the site of the 2002 Bobsled, Luge and Ski Jumping competitions. Today, visitors are treated to a guided tour of the park, athlete training sessions, 70 mile-per-hour bobsled rides, zipline rides, Quicksilver alpine slide rides, Olympic museum, an interactive museum, freestyle aerial and ski jumping shows on Saturdays at noon and a variety of camps for all ages.

In the summer and fall, the resorts convert their lifts and runs into over 400 miles of trails for biking and hiking and endless activities. Deer Valley?s Mountain Biking School offers lessons for those looking to improve their skills or just a guide for some of the areas best trails.

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Source: http://www.travelsmartblog.com/2013/01/city-of-the-month-park-city-ut/

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