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The home of the 2002 Winter Olympics continues to be an easy to reach winter resort for a weekend trip. The skiing party town of Park City is packed with great bars, restaurants and of course three amazing ski resorts! The close proximity of downtown Park City, Utah to Park City Resort, Deer Valley and The Canyons make this a must visit location for any beginner or expert skier. In this article we outline an itinerary of places to visit that just might make you want to visit this place during the winter season.

Courtesy of Park City Mountain Resort

Day 1 (Friday)

Take an early flight to Salt Lake City, Utah and consider yourself lucky to be from out-of-state. In our ‘Planning a Budget Ski or Snowboard Vacation‘ post we discussed the advantage of getting free lift tickets to Park City, Deer Valley and The Canyons (and other Utah resorts!) for the day you arrive! If you are not familiar with the area, these three major resorts are some of the most well known in the area and have much to offer for any type of skier or snowboarder.

It’s all about having a few adult beverages at a popular après hangout after putting some lines down on some fresh backcountry powder. The Wasatch Brew Pub handcrafts over ten different beers to celebrate the start to your winter weekend or to sooth muscle aches from a painful fall. This was the first established brew pub in the state of Utah after legislation passed in 1988 allowing brew pubs in Utah to be legal.

With the sun disappearing over the Wasatch Mountain Range it’s time to head 8,000 feet up the Canyons Ski Resort. The Viking Dinner Yurt is a stylish mountain restaurant that is reached by sleigh and snowshoes, offering glogg upon arrival with a gourmet five course meal. The yurt holds approximately 32 people to enjoy the dining experience and the rich sounds of a baby grand piano played by a professional pianist. Even though the price will run you a bit over $100 per person you still can’t go wrong with a dining experience such as this

Day 2 (Saturday)

The worst thing about the weekend during the winter is that ski resort lift lines are going to be longer. This is why I recommend hitting up Deer Valley even though snowboarders are not allowed on the mountain which I’m not a huge fan of even though I use two planks to get down the mountain. Deer Valley Resort is home, well second or possibly third home, to a few celebrities so expect to see massive chalets and expensive lift tickets. The experts at Ski Magazine have ranked this the number #1 resort for 2008, 2009 and 2010. Don’t expect the typical sweat smell found at most resort lodges when you visit Deer Valley. The price tag is a bit steep but the level of care that this resort provides is unmatched throughout North America.

After enjoying the life of luxury at Deer Valley you might as well stop in Robert Redford’s Zoom Restaurant to try the calamari with charred jalapeño tartar sauce and the wood grilled black angus ribeye with peppercorn-sage butter. Make sure you don’t skip out on some dessert!

In search of some great nightlife spots in downtown Park City? The well known pubs are O’Shucks which you can just throw peanut shells on the ground or order oysters by the dozens. Make sure to stop in at the No Name Saloon (Helping people forgot their names since 1903…) located right next door (literally!) if you are looking for a bit finer decor. Both are great places for so check out both of them! Check out the popular club scenes at Harry O’s and Cisero’s to finish the night off with some dancing. These two places are frequently visited by celebrities who are spending a few days enjoying the fresh mountain powder at Park City, Deer Valley or the Canyons. An important side note is that many of the bars require a membership fee (otherwise known as a ‘cover charge’) that ranges from $4.00 to $20.00 to bypass Morman Laws.

Courtesy of Park City Mountain Resort

Day 3 (Sunday)

You can’t skip out on exploring Park City’s Historic Main Street filled with great little shops, delicious restaurants, art galleries and unique Western antiques. The street continues to have that old fashion Western feel to it even thought it was burned down by a fire and rebuilt in 1898. The Kimball Art Center is a non-profit community art center displaying three exhibitions every 6-8 weeks. Plus it’s free and open to the public throughout the year. Before heading home you’ll need to pick up a few souvenir t-shirts at The Shirt Off My Back (like the touristy t-shirt ‘Ski Naked…It adds color to your cheeks‘) or spend a bit at Bunya Bunya to purchase some trendy clothing.