The default bad-weather answer for the south valley. Busiest on weekend afternoons and during school holidays; mornings are much calmer.
Ticketed; members freeindoors · about 3 hours · ages 1–90
12033 South Lone Peak Parkway, Draper, UT 84020
Places to go
Restaurants, parks, museums and more: places you can go most days, with no date to catch. Pick a category; the number on each is how many places it has with the choices you have made.
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Showing the first 200 places. Show more at the end of the list loads up to 200 more.
One of the largest dinosaur collections anywhere, with a dig pit and hands-on rooms rather than glass cases only. If you are going more than twice a year the membership pays for itself across the four venues.
Ticketed; Thanksgiving Point membership covers itindoors · about 3 hours · ages 3–85
2929 North Thanksgiving Way, Lehi, UT 84043
The best playground in the south valley and the one worth driving past closer ones for: a big climbing structure, a zip line, and a splash pad that runs roughly May to September. The lot fills by late morning on a hot Saturday, and there is almost no shade over the water, so go early or come back after four.
Freeabout 2 hours · ages 1–12
2920 West 14000 South, Bluffdale, UT 84065
Built into the hillside so the building itself is part of the visit, with a serious dinosaur hall and a top-floor view over the valley. Ask about the resident discount, which is not advertised at the door.
Ticketed; discounted for Utah residents with IDindoors · about 3 hours · ages 3–90
450 North State Street, Salt Lake City
A flat mile of boardwalk around an alpine lake at the top of Big Cottonwood, with moose seen often at dawn and dusk. Stroller friendly and about twenty degrees cooler than the valley. The car park fills by nine on summer weekends, and dogs are banned in the watershed.
Freeabout 60 minutes · up to age 90
Hands-on play museum aimed squarely at under-tens, with a large outdoor water and climbing area that is only open in warm weather. Loud and packed on rainy Saturdays; a weekday morning is a different place.
Ticketed; membership covers itindoors · about 3.5 hours · ages 2–12
3605 Garden Drive, Lehi, UT 84043
Pump track and progression lines with a beginner loop, so a younger rider is not stuck watching. Bring water: there is very little shade.
Freeabout 1.5 hours · ages 4–60
The exhibit floor costs nothing, which makes it a genuine free option rather than a ticketed one with a free corner.
Freeindoors · about 2 hours · ages 4–90
110 South 400 West, Salt Lake City, UT 84101
Mostly outdoors and hilly, so it is a real walk. Winter tickets are cheaper and the animals are more active in the cold; July afternoons are the worst possible time to go.
Ticketed; cheaper in winterabout 4 hours · ages 1–85
2600 East Sunnyside Avenue, Salt Lake City, UT 84108
A sandy swimming beach in the middle of a neighbourhood, with water shallow enough at the edge for small children. The catch is parking: the lot closes once it is full on summer weekends and nearby street parking is restricted, so arrive before ten or plan to walk in.
Freeabout 2.5 hours · ages 3–70
Short hike to a real suspension bridge, which gives a young child an obvious destination instead of an abstract one. Start from the Coyote Hollow trailhead for the shortest approach. Shares trail with mountain bikers, so keep children to one side.
Freeabout 1.5 hours · ages 4–75
Daybreak's pump track. Quieter on weekday evenings than weekends.
Freeabout 75 minutes · ages 5–60
A mile to a real alpine lake, short enough for a determined six year old, with the best wildflowers in the range in late July. Snow lingers into early summer and it is high enough that the walk feels harder than the distance suggests. Parking is paid and limited.
Freeabout 2 hours · ages 5–70
Bigger features than the valley-floor parks. Better for a confident rider.
Freeabout 2 hours · ages 6–60
Warm spring water inside a limestone dome you enter through a tunnel, about ninety degrees all year. Booking is by timed slot and weekends sell out well ahead. Children need to be confident in deep water since there is no shallow end.
Timed booking; higher at weekendsindoors · about 1.5 hours · ages 6–80
Newer and much bigger than a neighbourhood park, with a splash pad and shaded pavilions you can actually sit under. Quieter than Wardle Fields for the same kind of afternoon.
Freeabout 1.5 hours · ages 1–12
Feeding animals and small rides, best for under-sixes who would be bored by a museum. Spring is the time to go, when there are lambs and chicks; midsummer afternoons are hot and the animals are asleep.
Ticketed; pony and wagon rides extraabout 2 hours · ages 1–10
2502 West Wildflower Lane, Lehi, UT 84048
Animals and open ground, and free to simply walk around.
Freeabout 2 hours · ages 1–70
6351 South 900 East, Murray, UT 84121
Short hike to a waterfall pouring through a hole in the rock. The last scramble to the falls is slick and not for small children, and the turning is closed in winter. Go on a weekday or before eight; the lot fills and the road backs up by mid-morning.
Freeabout 2 hours · ages 5–70
Play-based and aimed at under-tens; a nine year old will have run out of it in an hour. Parking is in the Gateway garage, so validate it or the ticket price effectively goes up.
Ticketedindoors · about 2.5 hours · ages 1–10
444 West 100 South, Salt Lake City, UT 84116
Hillside botanical garden with a children's area and streams to paddle in. Go in May for the bulbs. On concert nights the upper garden closes early, so check before making the drive.
Ticketed; free for University of Utah affiliatesabout 2 hours · ages 2–90
Fifty-odd acres of themed gardens with a very large waterfall and a children's garden with water to play in. Mostly shut over the winter and it is a lot of walking, so bring a stroller for anyone under four.
Ticketed; membership covers itabout 2 hours · ages 2–90
Free-roaming bison and a causeway drive that feels like leaving the state. Go in spring or autumn: in early summer the biting gnats are genuinely unbearable and will end the trip in ten minutes.
Per-vehicle entrance feeabout 4 hours · ages 2–85
Gentle old road grade up a shaded canyon, so it climbs without ever feeling steep, which is the rare combination that works with a five year old. Best in spring when it is green; the last stretch of access road is dirt and gets rutted after storms.
Freeabout 2 hours · ages 4–75
Skating on the actual Olympic speed skating oval, indoors and cool even in August. Public sessions are limited and often mid-day on weekends, so the schedule decides the trip rather than the other way round.
Public session admission plus skate hireindoors · about 2 hours · ages 4–75
Reservoir at the first mile makes a natural turnaround with children. Parking fills early on Saturday mornings.
Freeabout 2.5 hours · ages 7–70
Paved and flat the whole way, which makes it the reliable answer for a family ride with mixed abilities. Rideable in winter when it is clear.
Freeabout 1.5 hours · ages 2–90
Big bouldering and auto-belay walls, and the auto belays mean one adult can supervise two children without needing a second belayer. Weekday afternoons are far calmer than weekend mornings.
Day pass plus shoe hireindoors · about 2 hours · ages 5–70
Flat paved loop around the lake in Daybreak, about three miles, with playgrounds and beaches spaced along it so a tired child is never far from a reason to stop. Works with a stroller or a balance bike.
Freeabout 75 minutes · ages 2–85
Small enough to finish without anybody melting down, inside Liberty Park so you can add a playground afterwards. The free-flight bird shows run on a schedule and are the part worth planning around.
Ticketed; much cheaper than the zooabout 2 hours · ages 1–85
589 East 1300 South, Salt Lake City, UT 84105
A working pioneer village with animals, a train and people in costume who will let a child try things. Full programming runs in summer; in winter it is cheap but much of the village is shut.
Ticketed; winter admission cheaper with less openabout 3 hours · ages 2–80
Dirt jumps and trail riding. Hot and exposed by midday in summer.
Freeabout 2 hours · ages 8–60
Large open park with a pond and playgrounds, and in winter the hill below the upper car park is the best sledding in the city. It closes to vehicles around the Fourth of July for fireworks.
Freeabout 1.5 hours · up to age 90
Shade is limited. Best before noon on a hot day.
Freeabout 60 minutes · ages 1–10
Indoor leisure pool with a lazy river and slides, warm enough for toddlers, which makes it the winter answer to the summer pool question. Busy in the two hours after school lets out.
Day passindoors · about 2 hours · up to age 85
Full water park with a wave pool and a toddler area. It is a whole day and it is expensive at the gate, so buy online ahead. Late afternoon entry on a weekday is the cheapest way to try it.
Day ticket; season passes much better valueabout 5 hours · ages 2–60
A deep wooded gully running through the middle of suburban Sandy, with several trailheads so you can pick a short out and back. Snow melts off it earlier than the canyons, which makes it a good March answer.
Freeabout 1.5 hours · ages 3–85
Worth visiting as a building, not just a library: a spiral walkable roof, a glass atrium and a children's floor with its own small rooms. Free, warm, and open on Sundays when most alternatives are not.
Freeindoors · about 1.5 hours · up to age 90
An odd one that works: a shop with an indoor ferris wheel, aquariums and a wildlife display, all free to wander. Genuinely useful on an inversion day when you need somewhere warm that costs nothing.
Freeindoors · about 75 minutes · ages 1–80
Day passabout 2.5 hours · ages 2–80
Roller rink with inflatables and a soft play area attached, so a child too small to skate still has something to do. Sessions are scheduled rather than all-day, so check times before driving over.
Admission plus skate hireindoors · about 2.5 hours · ages 3–60
Indoor pool, so it answers the winter version of the same question.
Day passindoors · about 2 hours · ages 1–80
Cheap enough that a small budget lasts, which is the whole appeal.
Pay per play, nickelsindoors · about 1.5 hours · ages 4–16
Free demonstration gardens with streams, bridges and paths to run on, and it is almost never crowded. Closed in the winter months and it shuts earlier than you expect on weekday evenings.
Freeabout 75 minutes · ages 2–90
Paved half-mile loop at the mouth of Little Cottonwood past the granite the temple was cut from. Short enough for a toddler and flat enough for a stroller or wheelchair, and it pairs well with something else nearby.
Freeabout 30 minutes · up to age 90
Old mill turned into a cluster of small shops with a creek, ducks and footbridges. Free to walk around, and the seasonal displays in autumn and at Christmas are the reason to time a visit.
Freeabout 1.5 hours · ages 2–85
Mini golf, batting cages and a driving range on one site, which lets a mixed-age group split up and still be together. Evenings are cooler and much quieter than weekend afternoons.
Pay per activityabout 1.5 hours · ages 4–70
692 West 10600 South, South Jordan, UT 84095
Free, warm, and open when almost nothing else is. Runs its own children's programmes, which the library events source picks up separately.
Freeindoors · about 60 minutes · up to age 90
12877 South 1830 West, Riverton, UT 84065
Worth knowing as a container as much as a destination: the museum, the garden, Kingsbury Hall and the library are all up here, so two stops on campus are a walk rather than a second drive and a second car park.
Free
indoors
4 South 400 West, Salt Lake City, UT 84101
indoors
3451 South 5600 West, West Valley City, UT 84120
indoors
indoors
1395 East Presidents Circle, Salt Lake City, UT 84112
indoors
3353 South Decker Lake Drive, West Valley City, UT 84119
Free
Free
indoors
indoors
2417 West High Mountain Road, Park City, UT 84098
indoors
indoors
4795 South 1900 West, Roy, UT 84067
indoors
5.3 mi west of central Salt Lake City
indoors
1730 North Main Street, North Logan, UT 84341
Free
1240 Capitol Street, Ogden City, UT 84401
indoors
389 South 900 East, Salt Lake City, UT 84102
indoors
3376 South 5600 West, West Valley City, UT 84120
Free
7.8 mi west of central Logan
Free
indoors
2275 East 3300 South, Salt Lake City, UT 84109
indoors
Free
indoors
1236 West 400 South, Salt Lake City, UT 84104
Free
Free
indoors
4670 South 2300 East, Holladay, UT 84117
indoors
5.5 mi west of central Park City
indoors
Free
indoors
Free
Free
168 West DiMaggio Drive, Tooele, UT 84074
indoors
Free
5500 South 692 East, South Ogden, UT 84405
Free
Free
indoors
Free
indoors
11428 South Parkway Plaza Drive, South Jordan
indoors
1146 East Fort Union Boulevard, Midvale, UT 84047
indoors
indoors
indoors
335 West 1830 South, Salt Lake City, UT 84115
indoors
7872 South Old Bingham Highway, West Jordan, UT 84088
indoors
817 West Antelope Drive, Syracuse
Free
Free
indoors
indoors
260 South 200 West, Salt Lake City, UT 84101
Free
Free
indoors
410 University Avenue, UT 84601
indoors
5624 South Redwood Road, Taylorsville, UT 84123
indoors
1751 South 1100 East, Salt Lake City, UT 84105
Free
indoors
910 North 900 West, Salt Lake City, UT 84116
Free
Freeindoors
86 West Factory Street, Garland, UT 84312
indoors
1013 North 900 West, Salt Lake City, UT 84116
indoors
indoors
3089 North Canyon Road, Provo, UT 84604
indoors
Freeindoors
32 North West Temple, Salt Lake City, UT 84150
indoors
490 East 1100 North, North Salt Lake, UT 84054
indoors
6161 South State Street, Murray
indoors
3084 East 3300 South, Salt Lake City, UT 84109
indoors
439 East 900 South, Salt Lake City, UT 84111
indoors
660 Main Street
indoors
4936 West 3500 South, West Valley City, UT 84120
Free
Freeindoors
indoors
2971 West 4700 South, Taylorsville, UT 84129
indoors
80 West Center Street, Provo, UT 84601
Free
indoors
575 University Parkway, Orem, UT 84097
indoors
Free
40.1544, -109.6221
indoors
923 South State Street, Salt Lake City
indoors · ages 21 and up
2496 South West Temple, South Salt Lake, UT 84115
indoors
Free
156 East Harbor Parkway, Saratoga Springs, UT 84045
indoors
5550 South Freeway Park Drive
indoors
731 East 2100 South, Salt Lake City, UT 84106
indoors
indoors
1025 South 500 West, Woods Cross, UT 84010
indoors
250 West State Street, Lehi, UT 84043
indoors
indoors
indoors
Free
6501 South Red Sky Drive, West Valley City, UT 84081
Free
Free
indoors
223 West Center Street, Provo, UT 84601
Freeindoors
573 Main Street, Park City
Free
4266 South 3680 West, West Valley City, UT 84120
Free
Free
indoors
2419 2400 North, Tooele, UT 84074
indoors
indoors
2699 South State Street, South Salt Lake
Free
Free
Free
indoors
7238 South Plaza Center Drive, West Jordan
indoors
indoors
151 State Street
Free
indoors · ages 21 and up
1048 East 2100 South, Salt Lake City, UT 84106
indoors
2843 South 5600 West
indoors
2856 South 5600 West, West Valley City
indoors
indoors
952 East 100 North Street, Payson, UT 84651
indoors
3005 Harrison Boulevard, Ogden
Illustration
park · South JordanFree
indoors
3629 West Center Park Drive, West Jordan, UT 84084
indoors
5770 South Redwood Road, Taylorsville, UT 84123
indoors
indoors
1100 West 7800 South, West Jordan, UT 84088
indoors
indoors
3390 South State Street, South Salt Lake, UT 84115
Free
1123 Orchard Drive East, Bountiful, UT 84010
indoors
indoors
1465 South 700 East, Salt Lake City, UT 84105
indoors
50 East South Temple, Salt Lake City
indoors
indoors
indoors
indoors
80 South Regent Street, Salt Lake City, UT 84111
Free
Free
indoors
Free
indoors
indoors
indoors
indoors
11078 State Street, Sandy, UT 84070
indoors · ages 21 and up
1641 North Main Street, Tooele, UT 84074
indoors
Free
8.6 mi west of central Roy
indoors · ages 21 and up
3200 East Big Cottonwood Canyon Road, Cottonwood Heights, UT 84121
Free
12690 South Brundisi Way, Herriman, UT 84096
indoors
742 South 500 West, UT 84101
indoors
500 South Main Street, Salt Lake City, UT 84101
indoors · ages 21 and up
165 East 200 South, Salt Lake City, UT 84111
indoors
indoors
2095 North Main Street, North Logan, UT 84341
indoors
680 South 900 East, Salt Lake City, UT 84102
indoors
indoors
2843 South 5600 West, West Valley City
indoors
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