In “The Fellowship of the Ring,” book one of the “Lord of the Rings,” author J.R.R. Tolkien writes, “All those who wander are not lost.” Sometimes wandering helps people find a sense of place, according to Parkite Lo Bannerman Dennis, who offers what she calls free weekly Old Town Wa nders through her new business, Silver Skis. “We meet at the Old Town Transit Center for sustainability and accessibility — two of my pillars, if you will — because I want to keep it easy for visitors and locals,” she said. “There is no registration required for the free wanders. Just show up, and I’ll be there.”  As the group walks, Bannerman Dennis talks. “I talk about history, and we talk about local lore,” she said. “We walk through art-filled tunnels and talk about art and culture.” The route, which takes between one hour and one hour and 30 minutes, runs just under a mile, and it ends a couple of blocks shy of the transit center, according to Bannerman Dennis. “I do that on purpose to say, ‘Go where you need to go,’ because most people want to explore Old Town,” she said. “I do head back to the transit center so some of the participants can walk with me back there as well. And once we’re at the transit center, I will help them get on the bus where they want to go.” One of the goals of these free wanders is to give people a glimpse into Park City’s history. “I love Park City, because it’s so unique — the history, the culture, the adventure and the fun,” she said. “But there are people, families, who come and (ski) at Park City Mountain, but they don’t actually see Park City.” So, Bannerman Dennis established Silver Ski to offer wanders in order to show people there is so much to do in Park City. “You can see little artifacts here and there, but if you’re not asking what they are, you may never know,” she said. “Next to the Town Lift, there are structures that look like support beams for ski lifts, but they were from the mining era. And on this wander, we stop there and talk about them.” Still, Bannerman Dennis knows Park City is more than skiing and mining. “I feel like so many people come to Park City to enjoy the mountain and the snow, and that’s awesome,” she said. “But I want to start to blend all of the other little snapshots together.”  Bannerman Dennis began the Old Town Wanders in December. “I purposefully planned to do that over the winter because there are more people in town,” she said. “I say wear layers and bring water bottles. I would also say curiosity is also a great requirement, too.”  Bannerman Dennis also didn’t want to interfere with the Park City Museum’s Main Street walking tours that are held during the summer. “I love the museum and I want to send people there, which I often do, and those tours also have a different feel,” she said. “They go up and down Main Street, so I purposely avoid Main Street because I don’t want to compete or offer something that is already out there.” In addition, Bannerman Dennis makes sure her Old Town Wanders are suitable for all ages so she can help family members connect with each other.  “Most tours are adult-focused and kid-tolerated, so I want to flip that to make them kid-enjoyed,” she said. That’s why accessibility of these wanders are meant to cross all abilities. “I asked myself, are the wanders walkable?” she said. “Are they stroller-friendly? Are they wheelchair friendly? And there will be a few Thursday wanders where I will have my 1 year old strapped to my back.” Bannerman Dennis, whose other children are aged 3-and-a-half and 7, also wants these walks to accommodate neurodivergent kids as well as adults. “I have a neuro-divergent kiddo, and I also consider myself neurodivergent as well,” she said. “So, I want to make sure the wanders are welcoming to families who have neuro-divergent members.” Bannerman Dennis has lived in Park City for about four years, and said “desire” drew her and husband, Steven Dennis, who is Park City Municipal’s capital projects manager. “(Steven is) an engineer, and with his job, we would move a lot,” she said. “He would build something; once the thing was built, we would move to a different place to build the next thing.” The family lived mostly in Georgia but have also settled down in Illinois, Texas and Ohio, according to Bannerman Dennis. “Steven also went overseas for a bit,” she said. “And we loved that lifestyle because it was very purposeful at the beginning. Then we had kids, and it wasn’t sustainable.”So, the couple pulled out a map and asked each other, “If we could go anywhere, where would we go?” “Long story short, this area, Park City, is where we wanted to land,” Bannerman Dennis said. “So we started to work things out, and then COVID hit.” The pandemic slowed down the couple’s plans, but at the end of 2021, they decided to go for it. “We quit our jobs so we could move to Utah, but right before we left, he got the job offer here,” she said. Bannerman Dennis decided to form Silver Skis to connect with people in her new hometown. “Most of what I get involved in starts with a personal passion or the want to solve a problem in my life I want to fix because I know I’m not the only one experiencing it,” she said. Old Town Wander is the Silver Skis first offering, Bannerman Dennis said. “It is my base,” she said. “It also serves as a foundation where I can also ask questions and figure out needs. Is there actually a desire for this business?” That question was answered during the first couple of wanders, according to Bannerman Dennis. “When I was test-driving this, I had people who helped me out, friends who came on the tour,” she said. “Some have lived here longer than I’ve been alive, and we went to places they’ve never been. So, I began to think I was onto something.” The Old Town Wanders will run through April, before pivoting to the season shift. She also offers custom-made and private wanders. For information about those offerings, text 435-800-5719. “I consider myself a multi-passionate entrepreneur, so I’m in the growing phase to see where things are meant to go,” she said. “That growth will depend on what information I get from these tours in Old Town.” Meanwhile, Bannerman Dennis wants to keep her eye out for other types of needs she can fulfill. “The Wanders are always meant for people to slow down because we’re in a very fast-paced life,” she said. “They’re meant to be easy and simple and to help people realize where they are.” Old Town Wanders When: Alternating Thursdays at 1 p.m. and alternating Saturdays at 10 a.m. Schedule: Feb. 26; March 7, 12, 21 and 26; April 4, 9, 18 and 23 Information: silverskis.com/ot-wander Text: 435-800-5719 Web: silverskis.com The post Free tours invite participants to wander Old Town appeared first on Park Record. ...read more read less