From Gravity Hill to Hobbitville, there aren't many of Salt Lake City's "secrets" that Carolee Stout hasn't explored.

As a longtime tour guide with a penchant for the peculiar, she likes nothing better than showing people the treasures hiding just beyond their doorsteps.

Now, with the economy tanking along with our spring vacation dreams, she says, what better time to play tourist for a day or two in our own town?

"How many times have you actually walked down a street like South Temple and really seen what's there?" asks Stout, 68. "In a car, you're not going to notice much. But on foot, you find all kinds of surprises. You'll see something new and wonder, 'Now why didn't I know that was here before?' "

A former clothing store owner and world traveler who now devotes most of her time closer to home, Stout recently joined me for a Free Lunch chat during a break from planning her next tour, "Off the Couch: A Walking Tour of Salt Lake Treasures." She leads the annual trek for the University of Utah's Lifelong Learning department, eager to share what she's found in six decades of exploring the city.

Ever since the 1950s, when she put on her favorite dress and white gloves to accompany her parents on strolls along Main Street, Stout has delighted in discovering something new around every corner. She remembers dime hot dogs at the Kress drugstore and fresh-pulled taffy at the Utah Theater, but as Stout grew older, she was especially impressed by the art and architecture of a lively downtown.

While teaching a fashion merchandising class in the Wall Mansion at LDS Business College, she was astonished to learn that the regal building was put up around an existing two-story adobe home in 1914.

"Walking up and down South Temple, I learned so many new things about the city that I just knew I had to share them," Stout recalls. "That's how I got into walking tours, sort of like what I'd experienced in Europe."

During her "Off the Couch" tour, held every spring, she leads her group to a surprise destination every week for six weeks. Although each location is a secret, "they're all jewels, something you probably missed every time you whipped past on your way somewhere else," says Stout.

Over the years, she has delved into the history of dozens of unusual places like the "Living Room," a rock gathering place east of Federal Heights, and "Hobbitville," a collection of small cottages near Westminster College.

Recently, she was thrilled to discover a 15-foot-high Buddha statue in somebody's front yard on the city's west side. It will likely end up as one of her tourist stops someday, along with the artsy roundabouts she came across that are painted in vibrant colors.

"It wasn't until I started leading people on tours and witnessed things through their eyes that I could really see Salt Lake City," Stout admits. "When you grow up here, you take it for granted. But it truly is an amazing place."

If you have any doubts, she recommends that you spend spring break in your own backyard this year. Check into a downtown hotel, grab a camera and start walking, says Stout. And if you discover any new secrets, she says, "make sure you give me a call."

More information about Carolee Stout's "Off the Couch" tour can be found at www.lifelong.utah.edu.

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