Top 20 Places to Take Kids in and around Salt Lake City, UT - 2020

Discover the power of play at Discovery Gateway Children’s Museum! Located at the Gateway shopping center in downtown Salt Lake City, Discovery Gateway offers 60,000 square feet of interactive, hands-on fun. Visit the Museum to explore engaging workshops, programs, and exhibits that invite the whole family to create, learn, and play together! 

The Loveland Living Planet Aquarium showcases ecosystems from around the world. Come see sharks, otters, penguins, seahorses, sea jellies, snakes, caimans, piranhas, stingrays, and more! Make sure you don't miss the Expedition: Asia habitat, featuring clouded leopards, Asian small-clawed otters, giant Asian fish, birds, and more.

Of course, our local library system is not really ONE place, it is MANY places... but it's important to emphasize how valuable libraries are for family learning and fun. The libraries in our area are wonderful about posting their events to the KidsOutAndAbout calendar so you always can get ideas for free things to do with your kids that celebrate education and imagination. KidsOutAndAbout.com takes this opportunity to salute the wonderful children's librarians who serve our community with such dedication.

Clark Planetarium is Salt Lake’s go-to destination for visitors of all ages who want to discover and learn about space and science. Play on the gravity floor, see a real meteor and explore other worlds. With three floors of free exhibits and two state-of-the-art theaters featuring films about space and science, you and your family are sure to have fun while learning something new.

On the 35-acre site find several FREE attractions and tourist spots including the Tabernacle, Salt Lake Temple, Assembly Hall, Conference Center, Visitor's Centers, Family History Library, Church History Museum, Joseph Smith Memorial Building, and the 26th floor observation deck at the headquarters of the LDS Church. Also included are tours of the Beehive House, a must-see historical visit to learn about Brigham Young, early governor of Utah and LDS Church leader.

The Natural History Museum of Utah is a premier family attraction and active research institution located on the campus of the University of Utah in Salt Lake City. Guests can explore more than 5,000 artifacts on display that highlight Utah’s incredible history, from ancient past worlds ruled by dinosaurs to the biodiversity that thrives throughout the state today. Explore billions of years of awesome at NHMU.

Thanksgiving Point Gardens, the Children’s Discovery Garden, Farm Country, and the Museum of Ancient Life, Emporium, and restaurants offer stimulating and engaging experiences in a safe, family-friendly setting. They foster learning, bring families closer together and provide beautiful gathering places for groups of all kinds, giving them opportunities to share their cultural heritage and common bonds.

With more than 400 interactive experiences, you can choose a new adventure each time you visit the Museum of Natural Curiosity®. For more educational opportunities, visit the Exploratorium exhibit in the Innovation Gallery or take a class in one of the Dickson Academy classrooms. The options are endless for all curious minds at the Museum of Natural Curiosity.

Cherry Hill has been delighting families for 50 years with their Water Park, Family Fun Center and Shady Campsites.  Cherry Hill offers a Water Park with water slides, a foam padded River Run, Lazy River, children’s water playground called Pirates Cove and 2 pools. Other activities include Mini Golf, Jungle Maze, a Climbing ROCK,  Snack Bars and a Pie Pantry Restaurant. Each Friday and Saturday evening of the summer, Cherry Hill offers free live entertainment. If you are having too much fun to go home, pitch your tent or park your RV in one of 150 shady campsites.

Red Butte Garden is the largest botanical garden in the Intermountain West and together with the University of Utah, is a state arboretum. We are located on 100 acres in the foothills on the eastern edge of the University of Utah campus. The Garden has welcomed guests since 1985 and consists of over 21 acres of developed gardens and five miles of hiking trails winding through an extensive Natural Area. The Garden; which is community-funded; is renowned for its numerous plant collections, display gardens, 500,000 springtime blooming bulbs; including a vast collection of daffodils; world-class outdoor summer concert series, and award-winning horticulture-based educational programs.

Kangaroo Zoo is an indoor playland featuring three-story inflatables, a toddler play area, and several themed birthday party rooms. See the website for birthday party package information and party room descriptions.

Lagoon offers fun for all ages! From thrilling rides and coasters, challenging carnival games and activities, live and exciting entertainment, and the Lagoon A Beach water park, to the beautiful campground and Historical Pioneer Village, Lagoon has something for the entire family.

Discover the power of play at Discovery Gateway Children’s Museum! Located at the Gateway shopping center in downtown Salt Lake City, Discovery Gateway offers 60,000 square feet of interactive, hands-on fun. Visit the Museum to explore engaging workshops, programs, and exhibits that invite the whole family to create, learn, and play together!  

Wheeler Historic Farm is a Salt Lake County Parks and Recreation facility, open to the public 365 days a year. A restoration of the turn-of-the-century dairy farm of Henry J. Wheeler, the farm includes demonstrations and exhibits. As an interactive working farm. Visitors can milk cows, view farm animals, and learn about the buildings and machines that made this 19th-century farm successful.

Color Me Mine is a paint-your-own ceramic studio. Pick out the piece you'd like to paint, paint it, and come back later to pick up your project. Classes and birthday party packages are available.