Here it is: we’ve survived the winter and we’re stumbling out of our stuffy houses like reverse-zombies into the glaring (yet somehow still chilly) sunshine, peeling away our fleece coats. The snow is moving out and and mud is moving in. As we brace ourselves for the traditionally-burning-hot summer, Utah has reached that sour spot in April and May between freezing and melting where it’s not quite ski season but it’s not quite swimsuit season and there’s no holidays to look forward to. This is called “Shoulder Season”.
So, what does one do with this awkward gaping hole between the two polarizations of Utah’s climate? Here’s a few ways to cope with post-winter/pre-summer funk in Park City:
- Go to a restaurant (AKA treat yourself)
- It’s important to note that many restaurants will be closing or changing their operating hours for shoulder season. But, just like when your parents got divorced, they still love you despite all this change and they want you to visit them. Click here for a list of those changes.
- So what is still open with normal hours in Park City? What can you rely on to keep their same-old hours? Here, we’ve listed them for you, because we’re just that nice:
- Billy Blanco’s (open Sun-Thur 11AM-9PM and Fri/Sat 11AM-10PM)
- The Brass Tag at Deer Valley Resort (open every day 3PM-10PM)
- Deer Valley Grocery Café (open every day 7:30AM-7PM)
- Glitretind at Stein Eriksen Lodge (open every day 7AM-10PM)
- No Name Saloon (open every day 10AM-2PM)
- Squatters Pub Brewery (open Sun-Thur 8AM-10PM, Fri/Sat 8AM-11PM)
- Sushi Blue (open Sun-Thur 11:30AM-9:30Pm, Fri/Sat 11:30-9PM)
- Wasatch Brew Pub (open Mon-Fri 11AM-10PM, Sat/Sun 10AM-11PM)
- Windy Ridge Bakery and Café (open Mon-Sat 8AM-6PM, Sunday 8AM-4PM)
- (Bonus: Taco Tuesday starts May 2! There is hope on the horizon!)
- Biking
- It’s the perfect sport that’s not-too-cold but not-too-hot, and helps you keep your feet out of the mud (unless you fall over, which is fun anyways).
- Get a Head Start on that Shopping
- Swimsuits are peeking out from around the calendar corner, so if you want to beat the crowds, buy yours now. Park City (as you know) houses the Tanger outlets so you can dive deep in current trends without simultaneously diving into debt.
- Just Stay Home
- We’re not going to lie to you. The weather is unreliable and everything is damp. (It’s the Mercury Retrograde, after all) This is the perfect excuse to seclude yourself in your home and embrace the Internet, your microwave and whatever leftovers you can scavenge from the back of your freezer. We won’t judge you, because we’re too busy wondering about the expiration date of this pizza sauce we stashed away in the freezer in the golden days of 2015. Just take it easy.
–by Amy Whiting
