With KubeCon + CloudNativeCon North America 2024 just a few months away we thought it would be fun to ask our ambassadors and other locals about where to go and what to do while we’re all in Salt Lake City. Time to start planning the before and after conference fun now!
Start with a Utah “thing”
One of the most “Utah things to do,” according to Ambassador Taylor Thomas, is to visit a soda shop. Recommendations include Sodalicious, Swig and Fiiz ”for lots of sugar and something unique.” Ambassador Matt Asay seconds this: “Utah is also home to a very peculiar other way of getting caffeine that everyone should try. We have a wide array of “dirty soda” places. Think Coke Zero + half-and-half + raspberry puree. Trust me: sounds strange but tastes great.”
Don’t miss the local Joe
Our ambassadors *love* the local coffee scene and here are some of their favorite choices:
Caffe d’Bolla – Ambassador Matt likens their “siphon coffee” experience to what you might find in San Francisco or Seattle. Allow an hour for the siphon and you do need to book in advance.
- Three Pines Coffee – coffee, matcha, espresso and more
- Blue Copper – offering a curated selection of coffees
- Publik Coffee Roasters – roasting coffee to order
Take a day – or half-day – trip
There’s a lot in Salt Lake City, but there is also much to see around it as well. Ambassador Alan Clark suggests scheduling in time to visit at least one of Utah’s national or state parks because it is what the state is best known for. “Arches, Canyonlands, Zions and Bryce Canyon can be visited in a very long day trip. Bryce or Arches are the closest – both about a four-hour drive from Salt Lake. Bryce has the highest elevation (8,000 feet -2438 m). And November is also a great time to visit the parks as the crowds are gone, the temperatures are good for hiking, and the colors in the red rocks are more vibrant.”
If you want to get away but stay closer to Salt Lake, Ambassador Matt suggests Park City. “It’s fun to drive up Big Cottonwood Canyon and over Guardsman Pass into Park City (<30 mins away if you drive directly to PC from SLC, but longer if you take the Big Cottonwood way) and walk Main Street there. Great vibe, great restaurants, and there will be snow on the ground in November. It’s a pretty drive.”
Get outside!
Opportunities to hike and explore abound around Salt Lake, but remember it’s going to be the second week of November so it will likely be cold and potentially snowy in some areas. Always check the weather before heading out.
Hikers will want to explore this guide to local hiking around Salt Lake, and here’s a look at rock climbing options near the city. Locals let us know this isn’t a bad time perhaps to visit Great Salt Lake Park, and Big Cottonwood Canyon is always popular.
Don’t forget the dinosaurs
Utah is a fossil and dinosaur lover’s dream, so the Natural History Museum of Utah is a must-see. Don’t miss the world’s largest collection of horned dinosaur skulls.
You’ll be visiting Silicon Slopes
It may come as a surprise to find that the stretch from Provo, Utah to Salt Lake City is known as the “Silicon Slopes” and it’s considered a high tech haven. In fact, the Wall Street Journal said Salt Lake had the country’s hottest job market in 2023. And research firm FDi Intelligence is predicting Utah is going to have the highest percentage of tech job growth between 2023 and 2033. Learn more about this new “tech paradise” you’ll be visiting during KubeCon + CloudNativeCon North America 2024.