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

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.

Visit the animals of the African Savanna, the bears and pinnipeds at Rocky Shores, or the big cats of the Asian Highlands plus much more!  Classes, events, camps, and daily programs occur all summer long!  Visit hoglezoo.org for details.

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.

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.

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.

At Little Beakers, children and their families can conduct hands-on science experiments in our fully equipped lab during 1 hr or 2.5 hr Open Lab sessions. Choose slimy and bouncy polymers, volcano-like reactions, DNA extractions, explosions, or any of the other 30+ experiments from the Little Beakers procedures book. All equipment and materials you’ll need are included. The best part? You do the science, we do the clean-up! Additional services include: Birthday Parties, Camps, Homeschool and After School Science Classes, Group Events, Dissection and Guided Lab sessions and Parent’s Night Out. Locations in Sandy and Orem. Visit our website to learn more and plan your visit!

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.

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.

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.

Hale Centre Theatre's mission is to enrich lives through world-class theatre. We are grateful to offer family friendly entertainment to almost 600k patrons annually. Tickets available at hct.org

Red Butte Botanical Garden, located on 100 acres in the foothills on the eastern edge of the University of Utah campus, is an official arboretum of the state of Utah. The Garden has welcomed guests since 1985 and is the largest botanical garden in the Intermountain West with over 20 acres of display gardens and five miles of hiking trails winding through an extensive Natural Area. 

The Leonardo is a contemporary museum that explores the unexpected ways that science, technology, art, and creativity connect. Located in the heart of downtown Salt Lake City, The Leo is your place to see one-of-a-kind, interactive exhibits and participate in ever-changing programs, workshops, and classes.

Once home to the Salt Lake City Public Library, The Leonardo’s building has been a center for learning, curiosity, and discovery for the people of the Wasatch Front for nearly 50 years. 

Hale Centre Theatre's mission is to provide innovative, professional family theatre and theatre education that involves and elevates our community.

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.