8 Utah Small Towns With Unmatched Friendliness
The state of Utah has helped define the friendly spirit and the unique pecularities of the American West. A part of the Union since (only) 1896, the place is also referred to as The Beehive State — a symbol suggesting Utahns' shared belief in working side-by-side for the state's common good. The state is also a longtime hub for those who practice the Mormon religion. In addition, Utah's abundant natural beauty, as shown through legendary cowboy movies filmed here, and famous national parks like Arches and Canyonlands, have made the state a place where welcoming outside visitors is a local tradition. Away from larger places like Salt Lake City or Provo, small towns like these prove that the Beehive State makes space for everyone.
American Fork
Between Provo and Salt Lake City, the town of American Fork wears its local pride on its sleeve. In the Daughters of Utah Pioneers (DUP) Museum, displays and exhibits share the story of how the state went from territory to official part of the Union — and how Utah's hardy settlers helped in that process. The DUP site includes some artifacts, furniture, photographs, and even cabins that once sat within Fort Utah. The town's celebrations revolve around similar themes of history and those who came before: American Fork organizes a Heritage Pageant every year, and a Pioneer Day Celebration each July.
For a break from hot summer weather, Utah Lake, just south of town, invites swimmers, boaters, and picnickers. The Fox Hollow Golf Course offers links to players of all skill levels. More than two dozen parks dot the town's premises, like the standout Rotary Park, with mountain views and a large pavilion for big gatherings.
Garden City
Like many towns in Utah and across the West, the name of Garden City makes this small town sound larger than it actually is. Hidden away in Utah's northeast corner by the majestic Bear Lake, Garden City attracts watersports enthusiasts of all types. Many come here after a beautiful drive along the Logan Canyon Scenic Byway, a celebrated local drive. Garden City has even inspired an unusual nickname: the "Caribbean of the Rockies," so called for Bear Lake's strikingly blue water. Bear Lake State Park offers outdoor options for couples, families, and solo travelers. Nearby, Limber Pine Nature Trail gives the fitness junkie an extra challenge, and a serious workout.
Garden City welcomes winter visitors, too. Out-of-towners come for the Bear Lake Monster Winterfest, with ice fishing and polar bear plunges for all ages.
Cedar City
In Utah's southwest corner, Cedar City has long been an adventure traveler's paradise. Mountain bikers ride straight the Three Peaks Recreation Area and Dixie National Forest, with enough trails for all riders. Hikers enjoy the Cedar Breaks National Monument, with views of mountains and multi-layered rock formations.
In terms of culture, Cedar City offers a surprising depth of top-rate events. In fact, the place is known to many as "Festival City," for its long-running programs and performances. The Utah Shakespeare Festival happens right here, producing three plays over the late summer and early fall. The town also hosts an annual Neil Simon Festival, celebrating the renowned American playwright of the same name. For some culture indoors, the Southern Utah Museum of Art is found in Cedar City, too.
Kanab
Against a backdrop of red sandstone cliffs, the town of Kanab is legendary as the shooting location for numerous western-themed movies and TV shows. Kanab's local film industry has even given rise to a nickname, "Little Hollywood." Each summer, the town's Western Legends Roundup festival brings together fans of Utah's past and present cowboy culture.
Aside from the dramatic scenery, other outdoor draws include hot-air ballooning, a popular outing here for tourists and locals alike. Each February, Kanab puts on its Balloons and Tunes Roundup, a festival that sends music, and ballooners, up in the air. And for animal lovers, the nearby Best Friends Animal Shelter is the largest animal sanctuary and adoption center in the United States, with some 1,700 creatures housed there at any one time.
Moab
East-central Moab is beloved to many as a gateway to several of the best, and most visited, national parks in America. Nearby is Arches National Park, with over 2,000 natural rock arches. Also nearby is Canyonlands National Park, which creates a majestic viewpoint for Utah’s awe-inspiring natural landscapes.
Adventure sports enthusiasts have long flocked to Moab. The town continues to draw mountain bikers, road cyclists, kayakers, and climbers. Moab's famous trails and waterways make for one-of-a-kind ways to experience some of the finest natural scenes in Utah, and the United States. And in summer, the annual Moab Music Festival organizes concerts, many of them outdoors, with beautiful sounds "in concert with the lanscape," as the festival's organizers say.
Midway
Known as Utah's "Little Switzerland" and set within "Utah's Alps," the small town of Midway, southeast of Salt Lake City, honors its pioneer past with an autumn Swiss Days festival, which has run every Labor Day weekend since the 1940s. Swiss homesteaders, many of them Mormon, played a key historical role in building Midway and in settling the Heber Valley region around the town.
Hikers, bikers, and active types will enjoy Wasatch Mountain State Park, which also features downhill and cross-country skiing each winter. The town's Soldier Hollow Nordic Center welcomes cross-country skiers of all types and talents, from weekend warriors to Olympic hopefuls. Golfers love the town's pair of courses, Wasach Mountain and Soldier Hollow.
Panguitch City
The unusually named small town of Panguitch City, tucked in the state's southwest, enjoys a strong reputation as a place to find fun and adventure. Its annual festivals, like its summer Rodeo and Pioneer Day celebration and its winter Ice Fishing Derby on nearby Panguitch Lake, suggest as much. The Quilt Walk Festival, held each June, honors local tradition and folkways. The name Panguitch stems from a word in the language of the Paiute Native American tride, meaning "big fish."
Panguitch City's downtown enjoys a spot on the National Register of Historic Places, especially in the area around historic Center Street. Western-themed shopping and restaurants typify the downtown.
Syracuse
North of Salt Lake City, the town of Syracuse — like the ancient Mediterranean city of the same name — enjoys an outsized reputation. A onetime farm town, Syracuse today honors its history at the Syracuse Regional Museum, which tells the story of the region's settlement in the second half of the 19th century, following the landmark Homestead Act of 1862. The museum puts special focus on the settlement of the larger Salt Lake natural area. Each June, Syracuse's Heritage Days festival runs for a full week, with food, music, and fireworks in celebration of the town's quintessentially Utahn history.
Syracuse makes a convenient base for exploring Antelope Island State Park, one of Utah's most popular state properties. The park is a magnet for hikers as well as for wildlife enthusiasts, who come here to catch sight of more than 250 species of birds, not to mention bison and pronghorn antelope.
Utah Abounds In Small, Friendly Towns
As these towns suggest, Utah's smaller towns are also among the state's most welcoming. The Beehive State blends natural attractions with proud displays of its legacies, whether through museums or the many festivals that take place here. Garden City and Panguitch City draw crowds to their winter celebrations, while nearly every small town on this list offers access to the western landscapes make famous in movies starring John Wayne and other stars who have worked and filmed in Utah. Add to that the hiking, biking, and memory-making that are possible in national parks like Arches and Canyonlands, and one sees that Utah has something for everyone.
