The Avenues (Salt Lake City) Travel Guide - Free

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The Avenues
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The Avenues in Salt Lake City pairs Victorian homes, leafy streets, local cafés, historic churches and foothill walks above Utah’s capital, near downtown.

Historic Residential Character

The Avenues occupies the rising ground immediately north-east of downtown Salt Lake City, where a regular grid of numbered avenues and lettered streets climbs towards the foothills. Its identity is rooted in late nineteenth- and early twentieth-century residential development: brick cottages, substantial Victorian houses, Craftsman bungalows and shaded front gardens line streets that become noticeably steeper towards the east and north. The district is widely regarded as one of Salt Lake City's oldest established residential neighbourhoods, and much of its architectural character is protected within the Avenues Historic District.
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Streets, Views and Green Space

Walking is the most rewarding way to understand the area. Broad avenues open occasional views across the city and the Wasatch Mountains, while smaller streets reveal porches, mature trees, stone retaining walls and carefully maintained gardens. The western edge approaches City Creek Canyon and Memory Grove Park, while Ensign Peak and the foothill trails lie close to the neighbourhood's northern edge. The Utah State Capitol and the historic Cathedral of the Madeleine are nearby reference points, though both sit at or beyond the area's commonly understood boundaries.

Local Life

The Avenues is primarily residential, but its corner cafés, neighbourhood restaurants, small shops and community events give parts of 2nd Avenue and adjacent streets a gentle local rhythm. The area is quieter than downtown after dark, with evening activity centred on restaurants, the Avenues Proper brewery and informal gatherings rather than a dense club scene. Its appeal lies in the combination of preserved domestic architecture, walkable streets, foothill access and proximity to the civic and cultural core of Salt Lake City.

Best attractions in The Avenues

The Avenues rewards visitors who explore its streets as a living architectural landscape rather than follow a conventional sequence of major sights. The Avenues Historic District contains a varied collection of Victorian houses, brick cottages, Craftsman-era homes, porches and mature gardens, especially around the numbered avenues and lettered streets. Lindsey Gardens, a small hillside park with community facilities and views over the city, provides a local green-space stop. At the western edge, Memory Grove Park and the entrance to City Creek Canyon offer paths, memorials and a transition from urban blocks to wooded foothills, although their exact relationship to The Avenues is best understood as bordering the neighbourhood. Ensign Peak, reached near the northern edge, is a short but steep outing with expansive views across the Salt Lake Valley. The nearby Utah State Capitol and Cathedral of the Madeleine are also important orientation points just beyond or beside the district.

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Best landmarks in The Avenues

The Avenues’ most important landmarks are embedded in its residential fabric. The Avenues Historic District is significant for the collective character of its houses and streets rather than for one dominant monument: brick façades, Victorian detailing, Craftsman forms, porches and planted verges record the neighbourhood’s growth from the late nineteenth century into the early twentieth. At its western side, the Utah State Capitol on Capitol Hill is a major civic landmark and a powerful visual reference, though the immediate grounds sit at the edge of the commonly understood neighbourhood. The Cathedral of the Madeleine on South Temple is another prominent nearby structure, associated with the district’s religious and architectural setting. Memory Grove’s memorial landscape and the City Creek corridor add a public and natural dimension, linking the built-up streets with the canyon and foothills.

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Explore The Avenues on the map

A handpicked selection of must-see spots in The Avenues, mapped for you.

Best restaurants in The Avenues

Dining in The Avenues is local in scale and closely tied to the neighbourhood’s residential streets rather than concentrated in a large entertainment quarter. The blocks around 2nd Avenue and the lower numbered avenues provide cafés, casual restaurants and places suited to breakfast, coffee or an unhurried meal, while nearby South Temple adds further choices just beyond the residential core. Avenues Proper, a brewery and restaurant on the east side of the district, is one of the area’s recognisable food-and-drink destinations, combining house-brewed beer with a substantial menu. The scene also includes independent neighbourhood restaurants such as Avenues Bistro, reflecting the district’s preference for familiar local venues over large chains. Visitors should expect a small, dispersed dining landscape, with options thinning on the quieter upper streets and a broader range available after a short downhill journey towards central Salt Lake City.

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Best bars in The Avenues

The Avenues has an understated evening scene rather than a concentration of nightclubs. Restaurants, cafés and neighbourhood gathering places provide most of the local activity after dark, particularly around 2nd Avenue and the lower avenues, while residential streets become quiet soon after. Avenues Proper is the clearest local destination for beer, food and sociable evening time, with its brewery identity distinguishing it from a conventional cocktail bar. Visitors seeking live music, late-night dancing or a larger choice of bars generally need to continue downhill into downtown Salt Lake City, where nightlife is more concentrated. The distinction matters: The Avenues is attractive for a relaxed dinner, a drink close to where residents live and an evening architectural stroll, but it is not a club district and should be treated with consideration for nearby households.

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Best nightclubs in The Avenues

The Avenues has an understated evening scene rather than a concentration of nightclubs. Restaurants, cafés and neighbourhood gathering places provide most of the local activity after dark, particularly around 2nd Avenue and the lower avenues, while residential streets become quiet soon after. Avenues Proper is the clearest local destination for beer, food and sociable evening time, with its brewery identity distinguishing it from a conventional cocktail bar. Visitors seeking live music, late-night dancing or a larger choice of bars generally need to continue downhill into downtown Salt Lake City, where nightlife is more concentrated. The distinction matters: The Avenues is attractive for a relaxed dinner, a drink close to where residents live and an evening architectural stroll, but it is not a club district and should be treated with consideration for nearby households.

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Best shops in The Avenues

Shopping in The Avenues is modest, independent and woven into a primarily residential neighbourhood. The most useful local concentration is around 2nd Avenue and the lower numbered avenues, where cafés, small food businesses, personal services and occasional specialist shops serve residents as much as visitors. The area is better suited to browsing local businesses and picking up provisions than to a dedicated retail expedition, with no large enclosed shopping centre or department-store district within the neighbourhood. Its independent commercial character reflects the historic street pattern: small premises occupy corners and converted buildings, while upper avenues are largely lined with homes. For a wider choice of clothing, books, records and contemporary retail, visitors can walk or take public transport downhill towards downtown Salt Lake City. The neighbourhood’s most distinctive visual keepsakes are often architectural rather than commercial, so photographs and respectful observation form part of the shopping-free experience.

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The Avenues essentials

Getting There
The Avenues is easiest to reach from downtown Salt Lake City by walking uphill along South Temple or one of the numbered avenues, or by using Utah Transit Authority bus services operating on nearby streets. Visitors arriving by TRAX can leave the light-rail system in the central business district and continue on foot or transfer to a connecting bus; there is no light-rail line running through the residential heart of The Avenues. From Salt Lake City International Airport, the airport TRAX service reaches downtown, from where the neighbourhood is accessible by bus, taxi, rideshare or a longer walk.
Getting Around
The Avenues is well suited to walking, although its grid rises noticeably towards the north and east. Numbered avenues provide straightforward orientation, while lettered streets can be useful for quieter architectural walks. The blocks near South Temple are relatively convenient for pedestrians, but slopes, winter conditions and older pavements may present challenges for visitors with limited mobility. Cycling is possible on the local grid, though riders should allow for gradients and traffic at larger crossings. Memory Grove Park and City Creek Canyon are reached from the western side, while foothill routes become more demanding beyond the built-up streets.
Safety
The Avenues is a predominantly residential area, but ordinary urban precautions remain appropriate, particularly around busier roads, cafés and evening venues. Keep phones and bags secure, observe traffic when crossing broad streets and remember that bicycles and cars share many of the same corridors. At night, use well-lit routes, remain aware of your surroundings and arrange reliable transport if walking long distances on quieter residential streets. Foothill and canyon walks require greater care: weather can change quickly, surfaces may be uneven and daylight is limited in winter. Respect private property throughout the neighbourhood.
Emergency Situations
In an immediate medical, fire or police emergency in The Avenues, call 911 and give the dispatcher the nearest numbered avenue, lettered street or clearly visible address. Visitors who need urgent medical attention should follow the dispatcher’s instructions rather than attempting to choose a facility independently. For non-urgent health concerns, a pharmacist, urgent-care provider or hotel reception can help identify an appropriate service elsewhere in Salt Lake City. The national 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline is available by call or text for mental-health crises, while 911 remains the correct number for immediate danger.
Do's and Don'ts
Treat The Avenues as a lived-in residential neighbourhood rather than an open-air museum: keep noise down near homes, do not enter private gardens and avoid blocking driveways while taking photographs. Ask before photographing people, houses being used for private events or community gatherings. In cafés, restaurants and small shops, queue patiently and respect local business hours without assuming that every venue operates late. When visiting nearby churches, parks or memorial spaces, dress and behave respectfully. On streets shared with residents, cyclists and drivers, follow signs and crossings rather than treating the historic grid as a pedestrian-only area.
Local Tips
Begin near South Temple and work uphill so that the numbered avenues reveal their changing views and house styles gradually. The local grid is more rewarding when explored slowly than when crossed by car, and the distinctive details often lie on quieter lettered streets rather than the busiest corridors. Combine an architectural walk with a stop at a neighbourhood café or restaurant, then continue west towards Memory Grove if conditions permit. Ensign Peak and the foothill paths offer a more strenuous extension, so carry water and check the weather rather than treating them as ordinary city pavements.
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From Eve

Local phrases worth knowing

You don't need to get them perfect. A few words go a long way, and locals appreciate the effort.

6 phrase groups · English, local and pronunciation

Basics
EnglishLocalSay it
HelloHey[hey]
GoodbyeSee ya[see ya]
YesYep[yep]
NoNah[nah]
Please/You're welcomePlease/No problem[please/no problem]
Thank youThanks[thanks]
Excuse me/SorrySorry[sorry]
How are you?How ya doin'?[how ya doin']
Fine. And you?Good. You?[good. you?]
Do you speak English?You speak English?[you speak english?]
I don't understandI don't get it[i don't get it]
Eating & Drinking
EnglishLocalSay it
I'd like to see the menu, pleaseCan I see the menu?[can i see the menu?]
I don't eat meatI don't eat meat[i don't eat meat]
Cheers!Cheers![cheers!]
I would like to pay, pleaseCan I pay now?[can i pay now?]
Emergencies
EnglishLocalSay it
Help!Help![help!]
Go away!Leave me alone![leave me alone!]
Call the Police!Call the cops![call the cops!]
Call a doctor!Get a doc![get a doc!]
I'm lostI'm lost[i'm lost]
I'm illI'm sick[i'm sick]
Shopping
EnglishLocalSay it
I'd like to buy...I wanna buy...[i wanna buy...]
I'm just lookingJust browsing[just browsing]
How much is it?How much?[how much?]
That's too expensiveToo pricey[too pricey]
Can you lower the price?Can you do a deal?[can you do a deal?]
Time & Numbers
EnglishLocalSay it
What time is it?What time is it?[what time is it?]
It's one o'clockIt's one[it's one]
Half past (10)Half past ten[half past ten]
MorningMorning[morning]
AfternoonAfternoon[afternoon]
EveningEvening[evening]
YesterdayYesterday[yesterday]
TodayToday[today]
TomorrowTomorrow[tomorrow]
1One[one]
2Two[two]
3Three[three]
4Four[four]
5Five[five]
6Six[six]
7Seven[seven]
8Eight[eight]
9Nine[nine]
10Ten[ten]
Transport & Directions
EnglishLocalSay it
Where's a/the...?Where's the...?[where's the...?]
What's the address?What's the address?[what's the address?]
Can you show me (on the map)?Can you show me on the map?[can you show me on the map?]
When's the next (bus)?When's the next bus?[when's the next bus?]
A ticket (to ....)A ticket to ...[a ticket to ...]

History of The Avenues

Settlement Beyond the Original Centre

The area now known as The Avenues developed on the north-east side of the early Salt Lake City grid, beyond the concentrated settlement around Temple Square and the central blocks. Its sloping land and proximity to City Creek made it less uniform than the flat central basin, but the city’s orderly street plan was extended into the district. Numbered avenues running broadly east-west and lettered streets crossing them became the framework for later residential growth. Early development included modest homes, orchards and larger plots, linking the district’s urban expansion to the agricultural landscape that surrounded nineteenth-century Salt Lake City.

Victorian Residential Expansion

During the late nineteenth century and the first decades of the twentieth, The Avenues became a substantial residential quarter for families whose work and institutions were concentrated in the growing city centre. Houses were built in forms ranging from vernacular brick dwellings to more elaborate Victorian residences, with porches, bay windows and narrow garden lots adapting to the rising terrain. Churches, schools, small businesses and improved streets integrated the district into Salt Lake City’s urban life. The resulting mixture of domestic scales, mature landscaping and regular blocks remains one of the neighbourhood’s defining characteristics.

Civic and Religious Neighbours

The neighbourhood’s development was shaped by its position beside important civic and religious institutions. The Utah State Capitol rose on Capitol Hill at the western side of The Avenues during the early twentieth century, while the Cathedral of the Madeleine on South Temple became a prominent nearby landmark. City Creek Canyon and the land around it also influenced movement and recreation, eventually providing access to Memory Grove and the canyon corridor. These institutions and public landscapes helped give the residential district a significance extending beyond its private houses without erasing its local, street-based identity.

Historic Preservation and Continuing Change

After the mid-twentieth century, older inner-city neighbourhoods across the United States faced pressure from suburban growth, redevelopment and changing household patterns. In The Avenues, appreciation for its historic houses and coherent streetscape encouraged preservation efforts, and the Avenues Historic District was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1978. Since then, restoration, infill and rising demand for central housing have continued to alter the area gradually. The neighbourhood now combines protected and carefully maintained historic buildings with contemporary renovations, local businesses and an active relationship with nearby downtown and the foothills.

The Avenues in Photos

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