Entry No. 11 — the Salt Lake City file — filed under: public art
International Peace Gardens
Twenty-eight nations were each handed a plot along the Jordan River since 1939 and told to build whatever felt most like home: a 50-foot fiberglass Matterhorn replica, stone lions from China, three lanterns shipped over with help from General MacArthur from Japan's Imperial Palace, and one of only four authorized replicas anywhere of Copenhagen's Little Mermaid statue.
The story
In 1939, Salt Lake City cut up 12 acres of riverbank inside Jordan Park and handed individual plots to local immigrant and cultural groups with a simple directive: build whatever best represents home. The result isn't a sleek, sterile diplomatic compound. It is a delightfully strange, 28-nation patchwork quilt of mid-century civic pride, architectural miniatures, and obscure geopolitical souvenirs sitting quietly in Poplar Grove.
The backstories of these garden plots get absurdly specific. Denmark managed to acquire one of only four authorized replicas on Earth of Copenhagen's iconic Little Mermaid statue. To outfit the Japanese section, organizers somehow roped in General Douglas MacArthur during the post-WWII occupation to help ship three stone lanterns straight from Tokyo's Imperial Palace grounds. Combine those with a 50-foot fiberglass Matterhorn replica standing in for Switzerland and stone guardian lions in the Chinese section, and you're left with an endearingly eccentric world's fair that simply never packed up.
What it's like
You can walk the full 12-acre loop in under an hour, but the real game is trying to guess the nation before reading the brass plaque at each plot entrance. Because the gardens sit right along the Jordan River Parkway trail on 900 West, you'll share the paths with local joggers, dog walkers, and resting cyclists. The Danish corner by the mermaid statue is the best quiet nook to park on a bench, though you should verify current park gate hours before planning a late visit.
The move: Walk the loop playing "guess the country" before reading each plaque, then picnic in whichever nation's garden feels most homesick — the Danish section by the mermaid statue is a favorite quiet corner.
- 📍 Jordan Park, Poplar Grove, Salt Lake City
- 💸 Free
- ⚡ Up for anything
- 🌗 Outdoors
Where: Jordan Park, 900 West / 1000 South, Salt Lake City, UT 84104
Hours: Added 2026-07-20 — confirm current hours before you go.
Pair it with
- Summum Pyramid — Pair a stroll through international garden plots with Poplar Grove's other legendary architectural anomaly—a windowless pyramid practicing modern mummification just half a mile down the road.
- Glow SLC — Follow up an outdoor stroll along the river with sauna steam and a cold plunge at this urban bathhouse tucked into the nearby industrial pocket.
- Gilgal Sculpture Garden — Double down on Salt Lake City's secret outdoor stone carving monuments by heading east to see Thomas Battersby Child Jr.'s vision in granite.
Good to know
Is there an admission fee to see the gardens?
No, the International Peace Gardens are completely free and open to the public as part of Salt Lake City's Jordan Park.
How many countries have plots in the park?
Twenty-eight nations are represented, each occupying a designated plot along the riverbank.
How did authentic artifacts from Tokyo end up in a Utah public park?
After World War II, General Douglas MacArthur assisted garden organizers in procuring three stone lanterns directly from the Imperial Palace grounds in Japan to be shipped to Salt Lake City.
What are the key oddities to look for while walking through?
Seek out Denmark's authorized Little Mermaid replica, Japan's Imperial Palace lanterns, Switzerland's 50-foot fiberglass Matterhorn, and China's carved stone lions.
Plan a visit & invite your people →
Further reading: slc.gov · Wikipedia · visitutah.com · Reddit
last checked: 2026-07-20