Salt Lake City was grown out of the desert. Large streets and grand ambitions were plotted by pioneers who’d crossed America to get here. On this self-guided audio tour, you’ll find out how a tight-knit religious community transformed an empty valley into a sophisticated city, and see the architecture, art, and folklore they left behind. The tour begins at the Great Salt Lake Base and Meridian, the “Point Zero” of the city. You’ll head south along Main Street, past the cast-iron facade of ZCMI – America’s first department store – and beneath the City Creek Bridge, still debated by locals as either urban masterstroke or streetlife killer. I’ll point out Temple Plaza, where 91 international flags hang, and Salt Lake Temple’s reflection pond. The tour ends at the Joseph Smith Memorial Building, the former Hotel Utah, which hosted every U.S. President from Taft to Reagan and still serves the city’s most famous dinner rolls.