Forget the Lyft and Uber for the next few weekends – and instead – let me fill you in on a lesser known South Salt Lake secret underway right now. For the next several weekends the city are running a handy fun bus; one that’s completely free and takes in some of the best in the city. Heck, the state to be frank.
The bus is the latest initiative from South Salt Lake’s Arts Council to promote the area’s Creative Industries Zone (CIZ); a loose mishmash of brewers, distillers, restaurants and artistic businesses. The CIZ can be roughly described as the corridor encompassed by 21st to 30th South – bordered by 300W and Main Street.
The increasingly thriving zone first sparked into life back in 2017; a change to Title 5 of South Salt Lake’s Municipal Code, kickstarting a grander vision for the city. A trio of canny ordinance tweaks removed limits on alcohol manufacture, erased minimum production levels for newbies, and eased architectural considerations for reworked older buildings. The update laid the foundation for an influx of new businesses.
Beehive Distilling was one of the first arrivals, becoming the second modern day distiller in Utah. Dented Brick made it two for the city in years to come. Brewers also followed in their footsteps, the equally excellent Level Crossing Brewing and Grid City Beer Works being two fine examples – both award winning brewers of note. The growth continues today, Chappell Brewing joined the fold just a few months back, opening in the same lot as the oft lauded Old Cuss Cafe. And the bus I mentioned? It stops at each of these and more. And again, it’s free for all to jump aboard.
The fun bun runs every Saturday and Sunday, 3.00 p.m. till 7.00 p.m. as a duo of vehicles tour a set loop (see image below) within the CIZ. The compact itinerary means you can expect to see a driver roughly every ten minutes or so. Hop on, hop off, tip your driver, try a tipple or taste – rinse and repeat as necessary. There are worse ways to spend a Sunday.
Some highlights on the tour include:
- Beehive Distilling
- Bonwood Bowl
- Chappell Brewing
- Dented Brick Distillery
- Grid City Beer Works
- Level Crossing Brewing Company
- Old Cuss Cafe & Market
- Pat’s BBQ
- SaltFire Brewing Co
- Sugar House Distillery
Here’s just a handful of snaps from my own experiences in the area over the past few years:
It should be noted the stops also interleave handily with the various Mural Fest public art that adorns more than three dozen spots in South Salt Lake; The endeavor will run through October 22nd which also handily includes the city’s popular Craftoberfest event, which returns this year for its fifth installment. With that in mind the fun bus will be offered for the extended hours of noon through 7.00 p.m.
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Hi, I’m Stuart, nice to meet you! I’m the founder, writer and wrangler at Gastronomic SLC. I’m a multiple-award winning journalist and have written in myopic detail about the Salt Lake City dining scene for the better part of seventeen years.
I’ve worked extensively with multiple local publications from Visit Salt Lake to Salt Lake Magazine, not least helped to consult on national TV. Pause those credits, yep, that’s me! I’m also a former restaurant critic of more than five years, working for the Salt Lake Tribune. I’m largely fueled by a critical obsession with rice, alliteration and the use of big words I don’t understand. What they’re saying about me: “Not inaccurate”, “I thought he was older”, “I don’t share his feelings”.
Want to know more? This is why I am the way I am.
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