Experienced skiers can ski to four or six different resorts via backcountry routes on the all-day Interconnect Adventure Tour (534-1907; reservations required). Mountain guides lead three to 12 skiers. Some traversing and walking are necessary, so the tour is best for confident skiers in good physical condition. The four-area tour (Solitude, Brighton, Alta and Snowbird) is offered three days a week, while the six-area tour (those four plus Park City Mountain Resort and Deer Valley) goes the other four days, again weather permitting. Each tour costs $175 (05/06 price), including return transportation and lunch.

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The average winter daytime temperature in Salt Lake City is well above freezing, meaning golf courses and tennis courts stay open year-round. Salt Lake City Golf Division (485-7730) runs nine public golf courses offering winter discounts, such as 18 holes and a cart for $28. Liberty Park (596-5036, at 900-1300 South 500-700 East) has 16 public tennis courts and a pro shop. For information about tennis courts at other parks, call 972-7800. For indoor exercise, try the Utah Olympic Oval (968-6825) southwest of downtown for public ice skating and an indoor running track.

Sports fans can attend a Utah Jazz (355-3865) basketball game, top-ranked University of Utah basketball game or gymnastics meet (581-8849, for schedules).

Cultural opportunities: Salt Lake's theater and arts offerings provide an extensive playbill. Performing arts (live theater, concerts, dance, musicals, etc.) venues include Hale Theatre (984-9000) and the Salt Lake County Center for the Arts (323-6800), which comprises Capitol Theatre, Abravanel Hall and Rose Wagner Performing Arts Center. The Salt Lake Gallery Association sponsors a Gallery Stroll on the third Friday of the month (first Friday in December) from 6–9 p.m.

Music lovers shouldn't miss the free, 90-minute rehearsals of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square, held Thursday nights at 8 p.m. Visitors can drop in and leave as they wish. Also informal are the free, daily, 30-minute organ rehearsals at 12:05 on Monday–Saturday, and 2:05 p.m. Sunday. Visitors attending the live Sunday choir broadcasts, from 9:30 to 10 a.m., must be seated by 9:15 a.m. and stay seated for the duration of the half-hour program (doors open at 8:30 a.m.; minimum age 8). Free concerts by local and visiting artists are held in the Assembly Hall on Friday and Saturday evenings. In the winter season, concerts are often held in one of the Visitors Centers.

Temple Square is also home to numerous other Mormon history-related attractions, including the Museum of Church History and Art, Beehive House, Visitor Centers, Tabernacle, Assembly Hall and more. Free tours are available in 40 languages. Check out family ancestors at the Family Search Center at the Mormon computer center inside the restored historic Hotel Utah. Built in 1912, this hotel has hosted every U.S. president since William Howard Taft. Bring a list of family ancestors, names and dates to make the free search worthwhile. Another free search is available at the nearby Family History Library.

The Visit Salt Lake Connect Pass ($31 adult, $22 kids ages 3-12, $22 ages 65 and older) is valid for entry to five of 12 attractions, many very kid-pleasing, for three consecutive days. All of these attractions can also be visited individually. These include the hands-on Children's Museum of Utah (328-3383) with exhibits, workshops and performances; Clark Planetarium with IMAX Theatre (456-7827); Living Planet Aquarium (355-3474) a preview exhibit for the planned facility; Museum of Ancient Life at Thanksgiving Point (766-5030) billed as the "world's largest dinosaur museum;" Utah Museum of Fine Arts (581-7332) on the campus of the University of Utah; Utah Museum of Natural History (581-6927; above), also on the U.U. campus, another opportunity to learn about dinosaurs and natural features of the state; and Hogle Zoo (582-1631) with elephants, giraffes, bears, primates, reptiles and other creatures.

Also highly recommended (but not included on the Connect Pass) are Wheeler Historic Farm (264-2241) where visitors can take farm tours and wagon rides, see livestock and experience traditional farm life; Tracy Aviary (596-8500) home to more than 300 birds representing nearly 150 species; and Antelope Island State Park (773-2941 for entrance gate or 725-9263 for visitor center) on the largest island in the Great Salt Lake. The prairie lands here offer a stark contrast to the snow-covered mountains soaring above the lake and afford stunning photographic opportunities. The island is home to free-roaming herds of bison, bighorn sheep, mule deer and antelope, as well as smaller animals such as bobcats and coyotes. Waterfowl and shorebirds are plentiful, and lucky, sharp-eyed visitors might see the elusive chukar, a gorgeous multi-colored member of the quail family. Tour the island by car and if weather permits, consider hiking on the trail network; allow a minimum of a half day.

Shopping is extensive. At Trolley Square, beautifully restored trolley barns house shops, art galleries and restaurants, plus a movie theater. The Gateway Plaza is a two-story outdoor pedestrian mall that surrounds the restored Union Pacific Depot, originally built in 1908, and features French Renaissance architecture. No ordinary shopping mall, in addition to shops, restaurants and a movie theater, Gateway is home to the planetarium and IMAX Theatre. The historic Union Pacific Depot is next door. Two giant contemporary malls, Crossroads Plaza and ZCMI Center, are across from each other near Temple Square.

For a more complete list of other activities, pick up a free copy of This Week Salt Lake. This excellent guide tells you what is happening within a two-week period (sports, theater, etc.) and is a handy reference guide to the city's ongoing attractions.

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