Discover activities for the whole family
The Park City Museum in a converted 1885 city hall and jail tells the story of Park City's rowdy silver mining heyday through interactive exhibits, original artifacts, and a look at the original jail cells. The Junior Docent program lets kids lead portions of the tour. Free admission on Thursday evenings.
Park City Mountain Resort opens lifts in summer for scenic rides to the summit with access to over 40 miles of hiking trails through alpine meadows with views of the Wasatch and Uinta ranges. Family-oriented beginner trails fan from the mid-mountain lodge. Mountain bike trails accommodate experienced riders.
Park City's historic silver mining Main Street is lined with galleries, boutique shops, and restaurants in colorful Victorian buildings. The Park City Museum tells the story of the silver boom and the 2002 Olympics. The Town Lift chairlift connects Main Street to the ski mountain in summer for scenic rides.
Jordanelle Reservoir near Park City is a popular family destination with sandy beaches, a marina, kayak and paddleboard rentals, and a spacious state park campground. The Hailstone area has a swim beach with a roped zone and a splash pad for toddlers. Excellent eagle and osprey watching from the dam overlook area.
The Swaner Preserve in Park City protects 1,200 acres of wetland and upland habitat adjacent to Kimball Junction. The EcoCenter features interactive natural history exhibits and a trail network crossing marshes and meadows teeming with moose, songbirds, raptors, and wildflowers. Free guided hikes run on weekends throughout summer.
Utah Olympic Park in Park City was built for the 2002 Winter Olympics and operates year-round as an adventure complex. Families watch aerial skiing and ski jumping practice, take a guided bobsled ride, and explore a museum covering Olympics history. Summer activities include zip lines, a giant swing, and the thrilling Alpine Slide.
Dimple Dell Regional Park in Sandy is a 650-acre natural preserve with 14 miles of trails through Wasatch foothills habitat including riparian corridors along Big Cottonwood Creek. A rare natural space within the suburban Salt Lake Valley. Deer, fox, and over 100 bird species have been recorded in the park.
The Pioneer Memorial Museum adjacent to the Utah State Capitol houses one of the most extensive collections of pioneer artifacts in the United States across 38 rooms. The carriage house holds 30 pioneer-era vehicles. Admission is free and docents bring each room's stories to life for young visitors.
The Bonneville Salt Flats northwest of Salt Lake City are a surreal 30,000-acre landscape of perfectly flat white salt that reflects the sky creating a dreamlike mirror effect in spring and fall. Families can walk directly onto the flats. Speed Week in August draws land speed record attempts that families can watch from the roadside.
City Creek Canyon starts one block from Temple Square in downtown Salt Lake City. A paved road closed to motor vehicles on alternating days serves as a walking and cycling path along a babbling creek through oak and maple forest. Mule deer frequently wander near the trailhead at any time of year.
Millcreek Canyon just east of Salt Lake City is one of the most accessible mountain canyons in Utah offering easy creek-side walks to strenuous summit climbs. The Pipeline Trail is a popular beginner-to-moderate option. Dogs are welcome on alternating days. The canyon road is lined with picnic sites under mature maple canopy.
Sugar House Park is Salt Lake City's second-largest urban park with a duck pond, sledding hills in winter, a skateboard park, baseball diamonds, and lovely mountain views. The park's central meadow hosts summer concerts, food truck festivals, and Fourth of July celebrations. Free and open every day of the year.
Lagoon in Farmington is Utah's largest theme park featuring over 50 rides including wooden roller coasters and the Lagoon-A-Beach water park included with admission. The park has a dedicated Pioneer Village historical area and dedicated toddler zone. Family coasters and gentle rides make it a great outing for all ages.
The Antelope Island causeway hosts spectacular shorebird concentrations during spring and fall migration. Hundreds of thousands of phalaropes, avocets, stilts, and sandpipers feed in the hypersaline brine-shrimp-rich water. A free birding auto tour is self-guided with interpretation panels at each stopping point.
Antelope Island is the largest island in the Great Salt Lake and supports a free-roaming bison herd of about 700 animals. Families explore 43 miles of trails with stunning Great Salt Lake panoramas. The island's salinity is so high that swimmers bob like corks. Wildlife includes pronghorn, mule deer, and abundant shorebirds.
This Is the Place Heritage Park is a 450-acre living-history village with over 50 original and replica historic buildings where costumed interpreters demonstrate pioneer life. Wagon rides, craft demonstrations, a miniature train, and farm animals make it a full-day family experience. Special events run throughout the summer season.
Clark Planetarium in downtown Salt Lake City features a full-dome IMAX theater, hands-on science exhibits, and the Hansen Dome Theatre showing astronomy programs throughout the day. Free exhibits on the main floor include a moonrock, a Foucault pendulum, and a real meteorite. Admission to the building is free with affordable show tickets.
Gilgal Sculpture Garden in Salt Lake City is a unique 2.5-acre art park created by a local mason between 1945 and 1963 featuring bizarre sculpted figures including a sphinx with Joseph Smith's face. The garden is free and open to the public and presents a quirky piece of Utah folk art history that kids find endlessly fascinating.
Wheeler Historic Farm in Murray is a working living-history farm where families watch milking demonstrations, collect eggs, ride a wagon, and pet farm animals. The 75-acre property features Victorian farmhouse tours and seasonal events including a fall corn maze and winter sleigh rides. A unique agricultural experience in suburban Salt Lake City.
The Jordan River Parkway is a 40-mile paved trail system through Salt Lake and Utah counties following the Jordan River from Utah Lake toward the Great Salt Lake. The mostly flat car-free path passes wildlife habitat, parks, and nature centers. Families can access multiple trailheads and ride as far as energy allows.
Red Butte Garden on the University of Utah campus features 100 acres of themed gardens and 4 miles of nature trails in the Wasatch foothills. Children's garden activities run throughout the season and summer concerts in the outdoor amphitheater attract families. The garden provides sweeping views of the Salt Lake Valley.
Liberty Park is Salt Lake City's largest urban park with a free splash pad, children's amusement rides, tennis courts, seven ponds, and a large playground. The park covers 80 acres in the heart of the city. Paddle boat rentals are available at the central pond and Tracy Aviary is adjacent to the park.
Utah's Hogle Zoo sits at the mouth of Emigration Canyon and features elephants, giraffes, tigers, red pandas, and an African savanna habitat. Over 800 animals and a discovery station where kids touch live reptiles and fish make it a full day destination. The trackless train ride around the grounds is a perennial favorite.
Tracy Aviary in Liberty Park is the oldest public aviary in the United States home to over 400 birds of 135 species including flamingos, bald eagles, and Andean condors. Free-flight bird demonstrations run twice daily. The lush grounds are perfect for a relaxed family morning in the heart of Salt Lake City.
The Natural History Museum of Utah at Rio Tinto Center in Salt Lake City houses one of the world's finest collections of dinosaur fossils from the Colorado Plateau. Kids walk among life-size dinosaur skeletons, touch real fossils, and explore the Utah's Ancient Seas and Native Voices exhibits. The museum sits in the foothills with sweeping views of the Salt Lake Valley.