In town for just a day or two with kids or new to the city? Salt Lake City has plenty of kid-friendly attractions you’ll fall in love with! Salt Lake City is definitely a kid-friendly city. After all, Utah has the biggest average household size in the country and the highest percentage of people under 18! Here’s a guide to enjoying Salt Lake City with kids of all ages and a look at the best things to do in Salt Lake City with kids, including free and low-cost options.
Just a note: whether you’re just visiting or moving to Salt Lake City, consider a Connect Pass. Get admission to 13 attractions, including most on this list, for 1, 2, 3, or 365 days for one low price.
Hogle Zoo – Best Thing to Do with Kids in Salt Lake in the Summer
The 42-acre Hogle Zoo is one of the best ways to enjoy Salt Lake City with kids. When the weather starts to warm up, it means it’s time to visit the animals who are in their outdoor enclosures and even debuting zoo babies.
The zoo features nearly a dozen exhibits like the Great Ape Building with orangutans and Western lowland gorillas; the Asian Highlands with Amur tigers, Amur leopards, and red pandas; and the African Savanna with giraffes and warthogs. The Elephant Encounter is one of the most popular exhibits with southern white rhinos and African elephants.
Hogle Zoo also offers fun kid friendly things to do in Salt Lake City including animal encounters, camps, educational shows.
Hogle Zoo, 2600 Sunnyside Ave S, Salt Lake City, UT 84108 (801) 584-1700
Clark Planetarium – Explore the Stars & Family Activities in Salt Lake City
Clark Planetarium is easy to find in downtown SLC within the Gateway Entertainment Complex. A hit with kids and adults alike, the Clark Planetarium is the country’s first “pitless” digital dome planetarium and it creates and distributes content used in planetariums around the world like Pink Floyd’s The Wall, Gateway to the Stars, and Black Holes.
You’ll find Clark Planetarium is one of the top things to do in Salt Lake City with kids who are interested in space and science with exhibits in addition to the dome theater and IMAX theater. There’s three floors of interactive kid-friendly exhibits covering earth and beyond.
Feature films at the Clark Planetarium are just $7 ($9 after 5 pm)!
Clark Planetarium, 110 400 W, Salt Lake City, UT 84101 (385) 468-7827
Discovery Gateway Children’s Museum – Packed with Educational & Fun Things for Kids in Salt Lake City
Is there any better way to explore Salt Lake City with kids than at a children’s museum? Discovery Gateway in the Gateway shopping and entertainment complex downtown offers more than 60,000 square feet of fun with tons of Salt Lake City activities for kids.
The entire museum is designed specifically for kids with hands-on exhibits, activities, and play areas that encourage problem-solving and collaboration. Discovery Gateway is home to some of the best things to do in Salt Lake City with young kids like the Water Play exhibit with a 38-foot water table and the Move It exhibit, a 1,600-square-foot play space and obstacle course. Older kids can enjoy the Reading Nook, the Imagination Playground with oversized blocks, and the STEAM Lab with derby-style racing, Legos, and Magformers.
Discovery Gateway, 444 W 100 S, Salt Lake City, UT 84101 (801) 456-5437
The Tracy Aviary – Affordable Salt Lake City Family Activity
While you’re visiting Liberty Park, make time to see the Tracy Aviary, the country’s oldest aviary and one of just two free-standing aviaries in the U.S. The 8-acre aviary features over 400 birds from 135 species with shows and encounters. You’ll see everything from macaws, hawks, and vultures to peacocks, swans, and cranes.
The Tracy Aviary is one of the best things to do in Salt Lake City with toddlers and young kids who are curious and hands-on. The up-close encounters and bird feeding are always a hit with kids!
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Admission is $11.95 for adults and $7.95 for kids with reduced admission during the winter and after 5pm.
Tracy Aviary, 589 E 1300 S, Salt Lake City, UT 84105 (801) 596-8500
Natural History Museum of Utah – See Dinosaur Fossils at a Top Salt Lake City Family Attraction
Utah is famous for its fossils and some of the most well-known dinos of the Jurassic era roamed the state including the Apatosaurus, Allosaurus, Brachiosaurus, and Stegosaurus. If you have a dino-obsessed kid, they’ll definitely love the Natural History Museum of Utah, one of the top things to do in Salt Lake City with kids.
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Along with exhibits covering the land, sky, Native peoples of Utah, and Great Salt Lake, the Natural History Museum is home to a stunning collection of fossils of Utah. One of the most impressive is the Lythronax argestes, a newly discovered species of tyrannosaur found in southern Utah.
Regular museum admission is $14.95 for adults, $12.95 for seniors, and $9.95 for kids 3-12.
Natural History Museum of Utah, 301 Wakara Way, Salt Lake City, UT 84108 (801) 581-6927
The Leonardo – Top Place to Visit in SLC with Kids Who Love Science
The Leonardo is a unique science and art museum in downtown SLC that’s a sure crowd-pleaser. It also has the best kid friendly activities in Salt Lake City that combine education and fun. In the spirit of inventor and artist Leonardo di Vinci, the museum is packed with interactive exhibits over three floors. Kids can try their hand at Laboratory experiments, draw in the Studio, and build in the Workshop.
Exhibits are always changing and run the gamut to appeal to kids and adults alike. One of the most exciting exhibits is Pompeii with artifacts on loan from Italy’s Naples National Archeological Museum of the famous city buried in ash.
Admission is only $12.95 for adults and $8.95 for kids.
The Leonardo, 209 E 500 S, Salt Lake City, UT 84111 (801) 531-9800
This Is the Place Heritage Park – Horseback Riding & Outdoor Fun for Kids in SLC
Explore a pioneer-style village where kids can experience what life was like for the Salt Lake Valley’s first settlers. The park offers tons of things to do with kids in Salt Lake City like riding a vintage fire engine, watching blacksmiths, panning for gold, breaking open geodes, and horseback trail rides. There’s also an ice cream parlor and restaurant on site.
Be sure to check out the daily activities for kids before your visit!
Admission is just $7.95 per person while 60-minute horseback trail rides start at $55 per person.
This Is the Place Heritage Park, 2601 Sunnyside Ave S, Salt Lake City, UT 84108 (801) 582-1847
Great Salt Lake State Park – Free Activities for Kids in Salt Lake City
Looking for kid-friendly landmarks near Salt Lake City you can explore and get away from the city? Look no further than the Great Salt Lake! Just 20 miles due west from downtown SLC is the Great Salt Lake State Park. The water in the lake is so salty that you can’t sink. Kids love to experience the full body float, one of the most unique things to do in Salt Lake City with kids of all ages.
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The Great Salt Lake also offers a great boating experience with sweeping views plus kayaking. During your visit, check out
The Great Saltair, one of the best concert venues in Salt Lake and an eye-catching building that once drew in thousands during the late 19th century.
Antelope Island, the largest of the 10 islands in the Great Salt Lake, is the locals’ favorite spot for floating and relaxing. Kids can also look for free-ranging bighorn sheep, antelope, and bison! The entrance fee for Antelope Island is just $10 per vehicle and you can even book a campsite.
Great Salt Lake State Park, 13312 West 1075 South, Magna, UT 84044 (801) 828-0787
Map of Things to do With Kids in Salt Lake City
Ready to experience all of the fun Salt Lake City has to offer for families? No matter which Salt Lake City neighborhood you decide to call home, you’ll find these fun activities and attractions at your fingertips to keep your weekends exciting. Still in the process of relocating to Salt Lake City? Turn to the award-winning Salt Lake City movers at Wasatch Moving Company to get you there without the stress and hassle.
