It’s the only place I know where you can drop down and get to Heaven.

Most people know of Park City, Utah for one thing. Skiing. You know, the Greatest Snow on Earth. Well, it’s all that and more if bulleting down black diamond runs is your thing. Holding the 2002 Winter Olympics here was a no-brainer.

So, when the Promontory, The Club invited me to come play the new Pete Dye signature course a few years back (they have recently added a spectacular Jack Nicklaus layout), I didn’t rush to RSVP. As a lifelong skier, summer in Park City just didn’t register.

I did finally accept, though, and the rest is nearly incomprehensible. Not only did my wife and I fall in love with the sheer beauty and charm of Park City, we booked a return trip, met with a realtor, bought a lot and built our dream home where we still live today. It was the greatest decision of our lives.

While the reality of now skiing Deer Valley, Park City and The Canyons each year is a dream-come-true, I can honestly say it was the summertime in Park City that actually convinced us to make the move.

The air is clean, the sky is blue and all you want to do is go outside and play. That includes golf, which rivals any city I’ve ever lived in or visited.

Not only are the majority of the golf courses in the Park City area blessed with breathtaking views, the playable months come with a perfectly pleasant alpine climate, immaculate playing conditions and an average price of $40 per round. No more $200 rounds for me, thank you. Go to www.utah.com or www.utahfairways.com for a list of all the courses.

In the heart of town, the aptly named Park City Golf Club is a charming municipal course that can easily hold its own with some of the newer, high-end tracts. In 1976, William Neff expanded the original nine-hole layout built in 1963 into a signature 18-hole course. And, at 6,700 feet above sea level, it’s strictly “tee it high and let it fly” all day long.

Soldier Hollow is brand-spanking new, but you’d never know it. This 36-hole facility is located in the Wasatch Mountains near the picturesque town of Midway and is as mature as they come. Overlooking the beautiful Heber Valley, Soldier Hollow offers stunning vistas of the nearly 12,000-foot peaks of Mount Timpanogas. The 7,598-yard Gold Course plays from some of the highest elevations of the complex and, as you can expect, the eye candy from the upper holes is breathtaking. At 7,355 yards, the Silver Course is situated lower on the property, but plays just as tough.

Wasatch Mountain Golf Club is just down the road from Soldier Hollow and also offers two 18-hole courses. The Mountain and Lake are among the most popular in the state and are award winners.

The Lake is the easier of the two, with several reachable, risk/reward par fives that can lead to some career-best rounds. But, accuracy is a must or the tree-lined fairways will eat you up. The Mountain course calls for every shot in the bag and the rugged terrain will position you with uphill, downhill and sidehill lies.  If you can arrange for a Fall tee time, the changing colors of the leaves will make you quickly forget about any errant shot you might hit.

The fifth and final of the Wasatch Mountain layouts is Homestead Resort Golf Course. The front nine takes you up a mountain slope for dramatic views of the Heber Valley. The back nine meanders through the picturesque Snake Creek Valley. The views and two distinct types of terrain make for a memorable round.

Senior PGA Touring Professional Bruce Summerhays designed the Homestead Resort course, which was recently named “Best of State” on the Zagat list of American courses.

Park City is not just skiing and golf. It ranks among the best for mountain biking, hiking, horseback riding and adventure camps for the kids. If those activities float your boat, Deer Valley, Park City Mountain Resort and The Canyons all provide perfect playgrounds.

Plus, make sure to take a balloon ride from Park City Balloon Adventures www.pcballoonadventures.com and scream down a bobsled run at the Olympic Park www.olyparks.com, which also holds aerial and ski jumping events/classes as well as Zipline and Alpine Slide rides for the entire family.

When Deer Valley Resort www.deervalley.com opened in 1981, it set a new standard for the ski industry worldwide. Embracing the amenities discerning guests would expect at a fine hotel, Deer Valley incorporated excellent service, fine dining, and friendly professionalism as basic elements.

The result? An inviting and accommodating resort renowned for attention to detail.

During the winter, immaculately groomed slopes, services such as ski valets, architecturally stunning lodges, and award-winning cuisine garnered Deer Valley the #1 Ski Resort in North America ranking from the readers of SKI magazine in 2007 and 2008.

The perfect summer day also begins at Deer Valley at Snow Park Lodge, located at the base of the mountain. The Silver Lake Express chairlift is now a part of their summer biking, hiking, and scenic ride options over 50 miles of panoramic trails, along with the mid-mountain Sterling chairlift out of Silver Lake Lodge.

Park City Mountain Resort www.pcmr.com is another great summer spot. The Zip Rider is a 2,300-foot rush across a great gorge at 60 mph and 110 feet off the ground. If you’re not into solo sports, grab a partner and race down the Alpine Slide, a luge-type cement track that brings out the kid in everyone. The new roller coaster is also a blast.

Park City is rife with resorts, condos, hotels and motels. Finding accommodations should not be a problem, but finding the right place is a different story. Two places come to mind.

The Silver Queen Hotel www.silverqueenhotel.com is simply irresistible and, best of all, located right in the middle of Main Street. If finding the perfect location is your thing, book a room at the Silver Queen. But do so well in advance…there are only 12 guest rooms.

Of its dozen one- and two-bedroom suites, no two are alike. Each room is decorated in either uptown, downtown, eclectic, luxurious or contemporary motifs. It’s the rage hotel among the young, urban Hollywood elite during the Sundance Film Festival (late January). That must be the reason for the ultra-cool leopard carpet in all the hallways!

Each room comes with complete with steam showers, jetted hot tubs, fully equipped kitchens, fireplace, washer/dryer, ski lockers, concierge, daily maid service, a roof-top garden and Jacuzzi and a mini-market. The front desk also personally calls each guest at the end of the day to see if there’s anything they can provide. Nice touch.

A two-minute walk from the Silver Queen’s puts you at the town lift for skiing and mountain biking, only five steps out the front door gets you a ride on the Town Bus that will take you to anywhere in Park City, and a walk up and down Main Street gets you everything else: entertainment, dining, shops, boutiques, art galleries and nightlife. It’s really one of the few places you can stay where you don’t need a car.

If you prefer sheer elegance over the eclectic boutique hotel, then you can’t do better anywhere in the state of Utah than Stein Eriksen Lodge. Located on the pristine slopes of Deer Valley, Stein Eriksen Lodge www.steinlodge.com is the state’s only year-round AAA Five-Diamond award resort.

Created in 1982 by Olympic skier and legend Stein Eriksen, the Lodge was envisioned to be one of the world’s finest full-service luxury hotels. They achieved their goal through European elegance and mountain architecture. The Lodge is renowned as a distinctive Norwegian sanctuary for leisure and business travelers.

With 170 luxuriously appointed rooms, 6,000 square feet of conference space, award-winning food and wine, rejuvenating spa services as well as fabulous boutiques and legendary customer service, guests at Stein Eriksen Lodge will leave knowing they just received the ultimate mountain experience.

Dining is a marvelous experience in Park City, too. My suggestion is to walk up and down Main Street and pick one of many outstanding eateries.  You’ll satisfy your taste without starting up your engine, plus there’s nothing better than finishing off a good meal, then strolling the streets with cigar in-hand and spending a few bucks in the local shops.

Finally, The Canyons www.thecanyons.com might be the next great thing to hit Park City, if not the world.  The mountain is the fourth largest ski resort in North America and they’ve just approved a championship 18-hole course that will sit at the base of the hill. If you’re familiar with the likes of Vail and Whistler, The Canyons will soon rival these first-class resorts in everything from skiing, dining and Five-Star accommodations. If this were a horse race, you might well want to put your money on The Canyons. They might be the dark horse now, but they could well be the favorite amongst tourists in the years to come.

In short, Park City is hands-down one of the hippest yet quaint towns I’ve come across in quite some time. Whether you are schussing down some of Park City’s world-famous powder or teeing off from the tips with the Wasatch Mountains staring you down, Park City is a must visit for everyone at least once.

Or, if you’re like us…forever.