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KIDS

Just Kidding Around
Family friendly outings for your kid and those who still want to be one.
By Kass Wood & Jerre Wroble

There really is something to the notion of "quality time." And when you spend the time doing something that makes your kiddo happy, you usually end up smiling, too. If you need ideas for places to spend quality time with the littles, here are a few that come to mind:

Parks and Gardens
Liberty Park (600 E. 900 South, SLC, slc.gov/parks/park-division/liberty-park) is Salt Lake's answer to "Central Park" with 110 acres of shade trees, flowers, lakes, playgrounds, rides, paddleboats, the historic Chase Museum and Tracy Aviary (one of two free standing aviaries in the nation). Established in 1920, it's the city's oldest public park.

Located on 100 acres in the foothills by the U of U campus, since 1985, Red Butte Garden (300 Wakara Way, SLC, 801-585-0556, redbuttegarden.org) has bloomed into one of the largest botanical gardens in the Intermountain West. Kids enjoy traveling along paved trails through the themed gardens year-round, but especially in springtime to see 590,000 springtime blooming bulbs and in the fall for the monthlong BOOtanical programs.

Gilgal Sculpture Garden (749 E. 500 South, SLC, gilgalgarden.org) Tucked in the middle of the block behind houses and businesses, this unique "secret garden" was created by brick mason Thomas Battersby Child Jr. starting in 1945 in what was then his backyard. It features 12 sculptures and over 70 engraved stones that reference biblical verses and Child's LDS faith. You'll see a sphinx with the face of LDS church founder Joseph Smith and a depiction of the artist himself, made out of bricks.

Museums and Such
The beautiful Rio Tinto building houses The Natural History Museum of Utah (301 Wakara Way, SLC, 801-581-6927, nhmu.utah.edu) adjacent to Red Butte Garden, where kids get immersed in Utah's natural history—including paleontology, geology, ecology and Indigenous cultures. With interactive exhibits, craft workshops and a Past Worlds gallery full of dinosaur fossils, the museum is a popular field trip destination for all age groups.

The Leonardo (209 E. 500 South, SLC, 801-531-9800, theleonardo.org) offers immersive exhibits that combine science, engineering and technology with artistic expression, innovation and creativity. One such don't-miss exhibit is Flight, which showcases the history of flight, from Leonardo da Vinci's designs to modern aviation with realistic flight simulators and a fully restored C-131 aircraft. Hard to imagine this fits into what was Salt Lake's old library space!

The Gateway is home to two other kid-friendly facilities: Clark Planetarium (110 S. 400 West, SLC, 385-468-7827, clarkplanetarium.org) hosts feature films and shows about the Earth and its place in the universe utilizing a full-dome theatre and IMAX theatre. There are also three floors of space and science exhibit space that you can explore for free. Then get lost for an hour or so at one of the best science gift stores in the area. Especially for toddlers and younger kids (up to 10 years old), Discovery Gateway (444 W. 100 South, SLC, 801-456-5437, discoverygateway.org) is a fun-filled children's museum offering exhibits, activities and workshops with a STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts and math) focus to inspire young imaginations.

Salt Lake City Main Library
With its six-story, curving walkable wall, the downtown Main Library (210 E. 400 South, SLC, 801-524-8200, slcpl.org/main-library) is one of the most architecturally unique buildings in Utah. Among its many levels and interest areas, the Children's Library is a light-filled, five-story atrium. Tucked under the reflecting pool of the plaza, Grandmother's Attic is a cozy space for kids to curl up with a book. There's also the Wild Woods for those with an adventurous imagination. The rooftop terrace (currently being renovated) is home to multiple beehives offering a close-up view of honeybees, and the community garden on the north side of the building is a learning lab tended to by local residents who learn and share sustainable gardening practices.
—By Jerre Wroble

Amusement and Theme Parks
The fast and the furious meet family fun at Utah's premier amusement park, Lagoon (375 N. Lagoon Drive, Farmington, 801-451-8000, lagoonpark.com). If controlled fear or an adrenaline rush is what you seek, get in line for Wicked, Colossus, The Spider, The Bat, Jet Star 2, Cannibal and their newest attraction, Primordial. Lagoon caters to thrill seekers and amusement for the kiddies. In the sizzle of summer, Lagoon-A-Beach, with 6 acres of surging slides, waterfalls, twisting hydro tubes, fountains and swimming, is just the cool-down you're looking for.

This is the Place Heritage Park (2601 E. Sunnyside Ave., SLC, 801-582-1847, thisistheplace.org). In this authentically re-created Utah Pioneer Village, stroll through any of the 50 historic buildings and Native American Village. Ride the train and interact with the artisans in their shops and learn more about life in the early days of the European settlement of the West. Kids can pan for gold and, on hot summer days, head to the Irrigation Station splash park to cool down. Adults enjoy shopping at the nationally acclaimed Heritage Gift Shop.
—By Kass Wood

Where the Wild (and Not So Wild) Things Are
Ready for a deep dive into an extraordinary day of fun? Loveland Living Planet Aquarium (12033 Lone Peak Pkwy., Draper, 801-355-3474, livingplanetaquarium.org) is home to more than 6,500 animals representing 500 species. In addition to the awe and splendor of the aquarium itself, book an animal encounter with a Gentoo penguin or a stingray, embark on the thrilling EECO Voyager VR experience, stroll through the Ocean Experience, Expedition Asia, Journey to South America, Deep Sea Lab to mention a few.

Lions and tigers and bears! Oh yes! Utah's Hogle Zoo (2600 Sunnyside Ave. [840 South], SLC, 801-584-1700, hoglezoo.org) champions wildlife and it's on full display here. Enjoy the African Savanna, the Great Apes, Asian Highlands, Red Panda exhibit, zebras, hippos, rhinos and even the wee ones like lizards, snakes and turtles. Visit the Discovery Theatre for an interactive program with zoo educators, or head over to the Conservation Carousel. Kids of any age can romp and cool down at the Lighthouse Point splash pad.

More than 300 birds from around the world call Tracy Aviary at Liberty Park (589 E. 1300 South, SLC, 801-596-8500, tracyaviary.org) home. Themed exhibits and botanical gardens are spread over 8 acres where you can experience bird shows, roaming animal encounters, bird talks, pelican feedings and more. Since many species have become extinct in the wild, sightings of them here will give your soul wings.

For a glimpse of rural life and agriculture, Wheeler Historic Farm (6351 S. 900 East, Murray, 385-468-1755, slco.org/wheeler-farm) is a 75-acre working farm that invites you to explore historic buildings, interact with farm animals, take a wagon ride, shop at a Sunday Farmers Market and enjoy picnics and nature walks. There's also a popular children's playground.

Bison Roundup: Head 'em up, move 'em out! Each fall, the 700 strong bison herd on Antelope Island is rounded up over several days by ranchers and cowhands on horseback. Visitors are invited to witness a true Western event and learn about its ecological importance. More info at stateparks.utah.gov/parks/antelope-island/events.
—By Kass Wood

NERDS

Let Your Geek Flag Fly
Explore the many dimensionsn of Salt Lake's nerd culture.
By Bryan Young

Salt Lake City offers a robust geek and nerd scene that's been going strong for years. It doesn't really matter what sort of geek you are, there's bound to be something for you in the Salt Lake Valley, and if not in the valley, it's north or south along the Wasatch Front. There is almost no aspect of geek culture that doesn't have some form of representation or a burgeoning sub-culture here.

Let's look at the places where people gather and where you might find likeminded souls.

Conferences, Fairs and Conventions
Utah hosts a variety of conferences and conventions, all catering to different aspects of geekdom. For those hoping to see the more notable pop culture stars, the annual FanX (Salt Palace Convention Center, 100 S. West Temple, SLC, fanxsaltlake.com), scheduled Sept. 26-28, 2024, is one of the highlights of the year. They bring in everyone from TV stars of yesteryear to Captain America himself. The panels are always the best, as they bring in local experts (myself included) to talk about nerd topics and have spirited debates about topics like, who was right in the Civil War: Captain America or Tony Stark? Add in hundreds of artists, writers and vendors as well as thousands of attendees in costumes, and you have a hub of geek activity that cannot be denied.

If you want to get into more niche conferences, we have multiple flavors to choose from.

If you're into anime, there's no bigger festival than the annual Anime Banzai (Davis Conference Center, 1651 N. 700 West, Layton, animebanzai.org), coming Oct. 18-20, 2024. Run by a nonprofit organization dedicated to bringing Japanese culture to the people of Utah, it brings in voice actors from your favorite animated shows, cosplayers and performers.

February this year brought the Isekai Anime Con (Mountain America Expo Center, 9575 S. State, Sandy, isekaianimecon.com) to Salt Lake's south valley, with three days of panels, guest appearances, games, events, dealers, screenings and more.

For fans of the Creative Anachronism world, there are two options for that sort of nerdery, one south of Salt Lake and the other to the north. The Utah Renaissance Faire is to the south, and for 2024, will be at Young Living Lavender Farm (3700 Old Highway 91, Mona, utahrenfaire.org), set for Aug. 23-24. Here, you watch the jousting of the Knights of Mayhem, the armored combat of the Salt Lake City Crusaders, the reenactments of the Vikings of Utah and the House of Tudor, plus hang out on the shire, flirt with fairies and decorate a real maypole.

Then, to the north, there's the UtahRenFest (940 W. 17th St., Marriott-Slaterville City, utahrenfest.com), which in 2024, feature themed weekends on May 11-12 (Faerie), May 18-19 (Pirate) and May 25-27 (Vikings and Heroes). These events are perfect for dressing up in faerie, pirate or Ren garb and enjoying equestrian and jousting games, archery, vaulting, food, drink, "shoppes" and entertainment.

If board gaming is your thing, there is always SaltCon (multiple locations, saltcon.com), the largest board-gaming convention in Utah that happens four times a year. The next two SaltCons (on June 7-9, 2024, and Aug. 30-Sept.1, 2024) take place at the Davis Conference Center in Layton.

For those geeks who want to create their own pop culture powerhouses while meeting writers and learning how to write, there are a few great conferences that invite exactly that sort of thing. The biggest might be Brandon Sanderson's annual Dragonsteel event (Salt Palace Convention Center, 100 S. West Temple, SLC, dragonsteelbooks.com). Slated for Dec. 5-7, 2024, it's dedicated to Sanderson's work, as well as the wider world of sci-fi and fantasy. The other conference in this vein is the League of Utah Writers' annual Quills Conference (Marriott University Park, 480 Wakara Way, SLC, leagueofutahwriters.com) scheduled for Aug. 8-11, 2024. (In full disclosure, I serve on the league's board.) Past guests have included superstar geek writers like Terry Brooks, Michael A. Stackpole, E.K. Johnston and more. It's a great place to talk about geek topics as well as the methods of creating geeky things.

The Best Shops
If you're looking for great places to shop for comic books, Black Cat Comics (2261 S. Highland Drive, SLC, 801-461-4228, blackcat-comics.com) is a Sugar House mainstay. A little further south is Dr. Volt's Comic Connection (2043 E. 3300 South, Millcreek, 801-485-6114, drvolts.com). Both of these shops have gone back and forth in winning City Weekly's Best of Utah and are a great place to hit for Free Comic Book Day—traditionally the first Saturday in May. That's a day where you show up and can get free comics—though it's always proper etiquette to buy some, too.

For board games, Salt Lake City proper boasts two world-class gaming stores: Oasis Games (275 E. 400 South, SLC, 801-738-4413, oasisgamesslc.com) and Game Night Games (2148 S. 900 East, Ste. 2, SLC, 801-467-2400, gamenightgames.com). Both have ample play areas and offer a great selection of games to buy. They host regular tournaments and sell products for your various gaming needs.

For anime, the Super Anime Store (2274 E. 3300 South, SLC, 801-205-5070, superanimestore.com) features all kinds of imported items. Another great option for games, comics and anime is The Nerd Store (3601 S. 2700 West, Ste. G106, West Valley City, 801-964-4776, nerdstoreutah.com) located at the Valley Fair Mall (and they have a new store at the University Mall in Orem, as well). It's a huge space with a little bit of everything.

Nerd Meetups and Other Events
If you're looking for get-togethers in more intimate settings, there are a lot of options for you.

The Salt Lake City Public Library (210 E. 400 South, SLC, 801-524-8200, services.slcpl.org) hosts occasional "how to play" meetups for Dungeons and Dragons role-playing games, as do many of the game stores. The library also hosts the Salt Lake Anime and Manga Club (meetup.com/slam-utah-salt-lake-anime-manga-club), which has watch parties, book clubs, and movie nights.

For film nerds, the Salt Lake Film Society hosts Summer Showdown featuring weekend screenings of classics, along with a horror series, Tower of Terror, in September and October, all screened at the Broadway Centre Cinemas (111 E. 300 South, SLC, 801-321-0310, slfs.org).

The Utah Symphony (123 W. South Temple, SLC, 801-533-5626, utahsymphony.org) is also a bastion of geek events every year, with its Films in Concert Series that allow you to watch your favorite fantasy movie while the orchestra plays its iconic soundtrack. They're a staple in the geek community here.

And if you just want a casual night out with some adult beverages and mildly geeky fare, you can't throw a rock on a weeknight in this town without hitting a pub quiz. For my money, my favorite is Trivia on Main, which takes place Wednesday nights at Keys on Main (242 S. Main, SLC, 801-363-3638, keysonmain.com). (Full disclosure: it's my favorite because I host it, but you can find trivia nights at any number of local bars and pubs.

Whatever nerdtastic activity you're looking to get involved in, there are bound to be local enthusiasts for it. We're a big enough city to support all of it. All it takes is a quick internet search to find what you want.

And if you don't find a group you're looking for, maybe launch one of your own? There's no need to geek out all by your lonesome, especially with such a thriving community around you.

Can I Get a Word in?
Female street artists I am excited about: Caro Nilsson, Shley and Miriam Gutierrez
By Cat Palmer

In the male-dominated world of street art, we frankly need to celebrate more women. I could not pick just one muralist; I want to celebrate multiple! Caro Nilsson's dreamlike, impressionistic landscapes pull the viewer into a specific place that feels outside of time. Nilsson has participated in the South Salt Lake Mural Fest, and her use of color is beyond dreamy! IG @caroznilsson

Next up is Shley: sign-painter and self-described, "SuperFreak." When walking down the alley behind FICE Gallery (160 E. 200 South, SLC), I discovered their mural "Cozy With Who I Am, Work in Progress." That spoke to me! IG @tiny_shley

I would love to have Miriam Gutierrez's work tattooed on my body—it is that good! Her creative approach to art is deeply inspired by nature, focusing on fine details and at times coming from a unique perspective. Her work reflects on the natural world that surrounds us and how she views and connects with it. IG @__m_e_r_m__

BOOKSTORES

A Bookish People
Salt Lakers love their books and the shops that sell them.
By Thomas Crone

Among his other assignments and projects, Bryan Young contributes to City Weekly and serves as an executive board member of the League of Utah Writers. His is a busy 2024, with "a new novel coming out in the BattleTech universe in May. I'm working on a new novel as well and always a bunch of short stories. I have a short story coming out in the Utah Horror Writers collection soon, and another in the Best of Utah 2024 Anthology, and more elsewhere. There's always something cooking."

As well as being a prolific writer, he's also an avid reader and finds that Salt Lake's reputation as a great place to be a reader is well-earned.

"We have a really strong library system with lots of great places to curl up and read a book in their facilities," he suggests. "We also have great local booksellers who work hard to connect the right books with the right people, and all of those tend to be close to coffee shops (or contain coffee shops themselves) where you can curl up and read those books."

Booksellers obviously play a role in all this, as well, and here's where SLC really excels. From stores that stock a bit of everything to those with a finely tuned curatorial bent, SLC offers a well-rounded literary landscape.

Young says that "we have an embarrassment of riches for great local book shops." The quaint and charming King's English Bookshop (1511 S. 1500 East, SLC, 801-484-9100, kingsenglish.com) is a must for booklovers, but two that seem to fly under the radar are The Legendarium (349 E. 900 South, SLC, 385-222-7788, legendariumbooks.com), offering selections in science fiction/fantasy/horror as well as a role-playing game (RPG) cafe, and Under the Umbrella (511 W. 200 South, Ste. 120, SLC, 801-922-0923, undertheumbrellabookstore.com), which calls itself "A queer little bookstore, queer owned/queer everything."

In Millcreek, Young is drawn to the vibe of Marissa's Used Books (3302 S. 900 East, Millcreek, 801-262-2873, marissasbooks.com). "It's a converted auto mechanic's shop and just full of books in every corner. It's really friendly both to readers and to writers," he notes.

With a vast used-book inventory, a great staff and low prices, Young says the Central Book Exchange (2017 S. 1100 East, SLC, 801-485-3913, central-bookexchange.com) "is another hidden gem that doesn't seem to get talked about enough."

As for comics, Young says, "I think we've got a great comic bookstore in city limits with Black Cat Comics (2261 S. Highland Drive, SLC, 801-461-4228, blackcat-comics.com)." But he wishes there were more such stores downtown.

Acknowledging the loss of several large independent shops in the downtown core, Young also wishes Salt Lake had a destination bookstore in the city center, one "with a huge footprint and lots of space for reading and working."

But one thing he longs for most is something he found in Portland: "Book pubs! Just a bar and a bookstore all rolled into one, and the tables are all hidden amongst the shelves. ... We really need like five of them here in town," he says.

A Sampling of Spaces and Places
Yes, Salt Lake and its environs have chain stores; yes, the city has a number of independent bookstores. It's also got wonderful, little places to browse, some of them super-specific in their offerings. While not a comprehensive list of potential stopping points, here's a starter pack of places that folks can travel to find their book bliss. We add to Young's list above with the following:

Brandon Anderson's little shop contains multitudes. 9th & 9th Book & Music Gallery (962 E. 900 South, SLC, 801-739-1159, 9thand9thbookandmusic.com) sells, as the name implies, books and music, but also art, supplied by a host of indie artists around the area. And even the music part is multipronged, with Anderson, a member of the SLC country-punk band Whiskey Fish, offering both recorded music and instruments. The bookshelves are a curious collection of genre fiction—perhaps, you'll walk out with a title by H.P. Lovecraft that cost a couple of dollars and that was the missing ingredient to your home collection. The shop's moved somewhat recently, sliding up the block from one institution (the Tower Theatre) to a storefront nearer another (The Whale).

Relocation complete! Ken Sanders Rare Books (209 E. 500 South, SLC, 801-521-3819, kensandersbooks.com) is now fully moved into multiple levels of the massive Leonardo space, allowing Sanders and his crew an opportunity to better present thousands of titles, with particularly strong emphases on Western states literatures and, of course, rare books, which Sanders collects on buying-and-selling trips across the U.S.

SLC's newest bookstore, Lovebound Library (145 E. 900 South, SLC, IG @loveboundlibrary), opened just in time for avid Valentine's Day coverage from the local press. It's also one of the most specific of the bunch. Lovebound Library's owner Courtney Stookey claimed a place in a growing roster of bookstores nationally. Her romance-themed shop is open from Tuesday-Saturday, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., in the space that used to be the non-alcoholic bar Curiosity.

A Sugar House classic, Raunch Records (1119 E. 2100 South, SLC, 801-467-6077, IG @raunchrecords), may be known for its vinyl and such, but it's also got a heady number of skate decks, T-shirts and bric'a'brac, with a small book section that leans towards alt-culture and punk. Zines seem to be having a moment in the sun of late, and small, indie press publications show up on the shelves of Raunch's li'l book section. It might be a secondary piece of the business model here, but it's a solid piece.

The well-stocked rare books section at Weller Book Works (607 Trolley Square, SLC, 801-328-2586, wellerbookworks.com) is notable, but Weller also excels at selling a mix of used and new titles across all popular genres, with smart end-cap suggestions from the knowledgeable staff. The Utah and LDS sections are also worth a call-out.

A Community of Many Parts
In addition to the shops listed above, readers and writers can get connected through IRL and online resources. Such as:

The League of Utah Writers (leagueofutahwriters.com): As noted in the introduction, the league, active since 1935, is dedicated to a mission that "empowers the writing and publishing goals of members through community interaction and dynamic educational opportunities from novice through professional levels."

Life, The Universe & Everything (ltue.net): Slated for a return in February of 2025, LTUE is a conference that sprung up at Brigham Young University over 30 years back and currently serves its community with "a three-day academic symposium on all aspects of science fiction and fantasy." LTUE is "comprised of panels, presentations and papers on writing, art, literature, film, gaming and other facets of speculative fiction."

Writing and Illustrating for Young Readers (wifyr.com): Held in Draper from June 10-14, the WIFYR offers year-'round programming along with a summer workshop session offering dozens of hours of workshop time and specific, goal setting and goal-completing opportunities for up-and-coming writers.

Can I get a word in?
Slam poets I'm really into right now
By Cat Palmer

It's impossible for me to choose just one poet because Salt Lake City is a hotbed of slam poetry talent—we are overflowing with creativity. I first discovered the incredible skills of Wynter Storm (@wyner_storm1) and purchased her books at a Juneteenth event. Storm's "Revolutionary Dreamer" speaks to my soul as she pulls me in with, "We are all H.O.M.E.: Hopes of Mending Everything."

Ashley Finley (@findafinley) always delivers and was involved in the remarkable Salt Lake Acting Co. production called Sankofa, This Journey: Go Back and Get It. Sankofa stands out as one of the most brilliant and impactful productions ever held in SLC.

Young up-and-coming poets that need to be on your radar: Youri Young (@youriyoung) and Jamera Naquai (@jameranaquai). Seek out these talented individuals, follow them, and prepare to be captivated as you fall in love.