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What’s New in Utah
100 years of film in Utah
As the trend of “set-jetting” – where travellers visit destinations featured in movies and TV shows – continues to influence the travel industry, Utah. America’s Film Set® will celebrate 100 years of film in 2024. Robert Redford may be widely known for developing Utah’s Sundance Mountain Resort and Sundance Film Festival, held annually in January in Park City, but it was Utah’s Parry Brothers who shot the first film in Cedar City, UT in 1924. Utah will mark the anniversary with a year-long exhibition at the State Capitol in Salt Lake City, monthly special events ranging from the annual Thelma & Louise Marathon in Moab, UT to Governor Cox inviting Kevin Bacon back to Utah County for the 40th anniversary of Footloose (#BaconToPayson), and the introduction of a film trail with inaugural historical markers placed across the state for visitors to follow.
Goulding’s Lodge celebrates centennial in Monument Valley
Few travellers to Utah’s Monument Valley visit the area without taking a tour or staying overnight with Goulding’s Lodge – celebrating its 100th year in 2024. In the early 1920s, Harry Goulding and his wife, Leone (nicknamed “Mike”), set up a trading post in Monument Valley, conducting business with the local Navajo people. When the Great Depression hit, the Gouldings are credited with attracting Hollywood to film in the region, bringing much-needed revenue. Their legacy lives on at Goulding’s Lodge, as the property continues to host film crews and visitors from all over the world who, to this day, come to experience the power of the landscape and history through Navajo-led tours of Monument Valley.
Utah family shares Indigenous culture through food
Located in historic downtown Provo, 45 minutes south of Salt Lake City, the family-owned and operated Black Sheep Café serves contemporary Southwestern Native American cuisine. Founded by sisters, Bleu Adams and Jovanna Mason, with their brother Chef Mark Mason, Black Sheep Café blends modern technique with traditional Navajo, Pueblo and Hopi influences. The siblings grew up on a Navajo reservation, where they learned about cooking as young children. They use local ingredients like Utah honey and traditionally grown and prepared blue cornmeal and flour, to make their award-winning dishes from scratch. From Navajo Tacos and Green Chile Stew, to Cactus Pear Lemonade and Orange-Habanero Crème Brûlée, Black Sheep Café is an important leader in Utah’s dining scene, sharing their Indigenous culture through food.
