Kid Friendly Salt Lake City

Our Local Expert Says:

Some of Salt Lake City's best and most popular outdoor summer concerts.

Description:

Sitting on the northeastern end of Salt Lake City, and nestled into the foothills, Red Butte Garden is tucked into the northeastern corner of the University of Utah. With more than two hundred species of plants, a newly designed, copper-wrapped main building, this provides a beautiful environment for a casual stroll or educational tour. Open all year. If you're here in the summer, be sure to check online for their summer concert lineup. Taking place during the extremely pleasant Salt Lake evenings, internationally famous artists (such as John Hiatt, the Indigo Girls, and Herbie Hancock) perform to packed audiences in their outdoor theater. Bring a picnic blanket, some cheese, crackers, and wine! If you have a little extra time and energy, you can depart from the gardens to join up with the miles of crisscrossing trails of the Bonneville Shoreline system.

Description:

Discovery Gateway is the premier Children's Museum in the state of Utah, with exhibits and hands-on demonstrations designed to help kids learn about the how the world works. It's located inside The Gateway, an attractive outdoor mall offering a wide variety of shopping and restaurants. The museum is entirely indoors, offering visitors a great escape from the cold and snow of winter and the dry heat of summer. Among the highlights: "Saving Lives from the Sky" allows kids to participate in a mock Life Flight rescue from a real helicopter. A brightly-colored, modern, fun children's museum and a big step up from its predecessor.

Our Local Expert Says:

Hogle zoo is accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums meaning the zoo is recognized as one of the best in the world.

Description:

Every major city has a zoo, and this is Salt Lake City's. Situated on the northeastern end of town, at the mouth of Emigration Canyon, this houses a huge spectrum of animals, fish, insects, and arachnids. Here you'll find everything from camels to elephants, snakes to bears. Open all year, this is best visited during the warmer months when it's pleasant enough for all of the animals to be outside! No charge for children two and under.

Open since 1931 and operating in the same location, this zoo has served as a community education center, supporting school outings, and offering education programs and zoo classes. This isn't just restricted to toddlers; different classes are designed to inform those from a young age through adulthood. Check online for the program listing.

Just across from the Hogle Zoo (to the north) is one of the many trail heads for the Bonneville Shoreline system.

Description:

Brigham Young and the Mormon pioneers got their first glimpse of the Salt Lake Valley at the site of this historic park. A tall granite and bronze sculpture was erected in 1947 to commemorate the centennial of their arrival. The park, which covers more than 1,600 acres, offers hiking along part of the trail used by the pioneers, with opportunities for cross-country skiing in winter. This is a good place for wildlife viewing and birding in winter and spring, with additional songbirds and raptors present in summer and fall. There's a picnic area, but no camping, and a visitor center contains exhibits depicting the Mormon pioneers' trek from Illinois to the Great Salt Lake Valley in 1847.

Also in the park, Heritage Village is a pioneer village comprised of original buildings from across the state along with some reproductions. In summer and during special events it becomes a living-history museum of the period from 1847 to 1869, with costumed villagers and a variety of demonstrations and activities, including wagon rides. Allow 1 to 2 hours. For a week each December the village re-creates a pioneer Christmas celebration.

Our Local Expert Says:

The best panoramic views of the Great Salt Lake are seen from Antelope Island State Park.

Description:

The Great Salt Lake has a salinity roughly 10 times that of ocean water. It's shallow and generally hard to interact with. However, it has a unique beauty worth checking out. One of the best ways to explore the Great Salt Lake and its natural environs is to take a trip to Antelope Island State Park.

This island, hardly developed at all, allows you to envision what the shores of the Great Salt Lake looked like hundreds of years ago, before millions of people lived in Utah. Visit the historic farm built by settlers 150+ years ago. Or try to catch a glimpse the island's free-roaming buffalo heard; every October a roundup to help thin the heard before the winter months. Take a hike or a mountain bike ride along the island's trails.

Though only about 20 miles northwest of Salt Lake City as the crow flies, Antelope Island actually requires about 45 miles of driving to reach. First head north on I-15 into Syracuse, then take Exit 335 and head west, following signs for Antelope Island State Park. During late May of every year, the Salt Lake Century bike tour rides north from Salt Lake City and onto Antelope Island before heading back south.

Our Local Expert Says:

The best (and only) roller coasters in Utah.

Description:

Located just 20 minutes north of Salt Lake, this is Utah's oldest and largest amusement park. Featuring more than 40 rides, including four different coasters, the park is open from May to October (weather permitting) and offers traditional theme park attractions. X-Venture Zone attractions (including go-cart races and Catapult) are not included in an all-day ride pass. Groups and special events are welcome. Check out website for further details.

Description:

This state-of-the-art planetarium presents laser light shows and big-screen movies in Utah's only 3-D IMAX theater. It also contains a variety of interactive exhibits ranging from a display about the names of the planets to a Foucault pendulum, plus a rotating relief globe. Allow up to 3 hours.

Description:

This living-history dairy farm, where you can see demonstrations of farming and daily activities from the late 19th century, features hundred-year-old farm buildings, a small petting zoo, and a nature preserve. Activities include experiencing various farm chores, such as egg gathering and cow milking, farmhouse tours, and tractor-driven wagon rides. Allow 1 to 2 hours. A variety of annual events is also offered, including a scarecrow masquerade, a holiday lights festival, breakfast with Santa, and a summer camp week.