Hello!
If you live near Salt Lake City or are planning a visit, this is the ULTIMATE list of ways to fill your summer vacation – and most other months of the year too! I've collected every fun activity I can think of between Ogden and Provo to keep your family busy, happy and off their screens.
Many of the paid attractions on this list offer deals on Groupon.com and other deals sites, so check for discount vouchers before you go! If you're a Groupon newbie, find my tips for getting the most from Groupon HERE.
There is no way I've thought of EVERY fun thing there is to do in Salt Lake City. If one of your favorites is missing, please recommend it in the comments.
Amusement Parks
Salt Lake County and Park City
Cowabunga Bay, Draper
Snowbird Summer Resort, Little Cottonwood Canyon – Read my full review HERE!
Park City Mountain Resort, Park City – Read my full review HERE!
Utah Olympic Park, Park City
Davis/Weber Counties
Lagoon Amusement Park, Farmington – Read my full review HERE!
The Rush Funplex, Syracuse
Salomon Center, Ogden
Utah County
Provo Beach – Provo
Multiple Locations
Seven Peaks Water Parks – CLICK HERE for information about the Pass of All Passes.
- Salt Lake City
- Provo
- Draper
- Kaysville
- Sandy
- Layton
- Riverdale
- Orem
- Ogden
- North Salt Lake
- Pleasant Grove
Trampoline Parks – Read my tips for trampoline parks HERE!
- Wairhouse, Salt Lake City
- Airborne, Draper
- Get Air, Murray, Kaysville, Roy
- Sky Trampoline, Layton
- Get Air Hang Time, Orem
Parks and Gardens
Salt Lake County
Liberty Park, Salt Lake City – FREE!
Sugar House Park, Salt Lake City – FREE!
Red Butte Garden, Salt Lake City – Read my full review Red Butte Garden!
Wheeler Historic Farm, Salt Lake City – FREE!
International Peace Gardens, Salt Lake City – FREE!
Gilgal Garden, Salt Lake City – Read my full review HERE. FREE!
Davis/Weber Counties
Antelope Island State Park, Syracuse
Utah County
Ashton Gardens at Thanksgiving Point, Lehi – Read my full review HERE!
Pools and Splash Pads
Splash Pads – Nearly every city on the Wasatch Front now has a FREE splash pad. Hooray! Link to a big list of splash pads HERE.
Public Pools – Gone are the days when the city pool was just a big concrete swimming hole. Now we have tube slides, water playgrounds, wave pools and so much more, for a really reasonable price! Here are a few favorites:
- Fairmont Aquatic Center – Salt Lake City UNDER $5!
- Centennial Swimming Pool – West Valley City UNDER $5!
- Surf n Swim, Layton UNDER $5!
- Lehi Legacy Center, Lehi UNDER $5!
- Lindon Aquatics Center, Lindon UNDER $5!
- SCERA Pool, Orem UNDER $5!
Zoos and Museums
Salt Lake County
Hogle Zoo, Salt Lake City – Read my full review HERE!
Tracy Aviary, Salt Lake City – Read my full review HERE!
Natural History Museum of Utah, Salt Lake City – Read my full review HERE!
The Leonardo, Salt Lake City – Read my full review HERE!
This is the Place Heritage Park, Salt Lake City
Utah State Capitol Building, Salt Lake City FREE!
Daughters of Utah Pioneers Museum, Salt Lake City FREE!
Discovery Gateway Children's Museum of Utah, Salt Lake City
Clark Planetarium, Salt Lake City FREE!
Tour the Governor's Mansion, Salt Lake City FREE!
Davis/Weber Counties
Hill Aerospace Museum, Roy – Read my full review HERE! FREE!
Eccles Dinosaur Park, Ogden – Read my full review HERE!
Ogden Nature Center, Ogden
Treehouse Museum, Ogden
Loveland Living Planet Aquarium, Draper
Utah County
Museum of Ancient Life, Lehi
Museum of Natural Curiosity, Lehi – Read my full review HERE!
Trails
Bonneville Shoreline Trail, Idaho border to Nephi – hike portions of this trail all along the Wasatch Front FREE!
Salt Lake County
Ensign Peak, Salt Lake City FREE!
Temple Quarry Trail, Little Cottonwood Canyon – Read my full review HERE! FREE!
Utah County
Timpanogos Cave National Monument, American Fork Canyon – Read my full review HERE!
LDS
Temple Square, Salt Lake City – Read my full review HERE! FREE!
Church History Museum, Salt Lake City FREE!
Family History Library, Salt Lake City – Read my full review HERE! FREE!
Conference Center, Salt Lake City FREE!
Historic Beehive House, Salt Lake City FREE!
Mormon Tabernacle Choir, Salt Lake City FREE!
Libraries
City Library Events, Salt Lake City – Read my full review of the magnificent downtown branch HERE! FREE!
Davis County Library Summer Programs FREE!
Weber County Library Summer Programs FREE!
Provo City Library Summer Programs FREE!
Movies
Summer Movie Clubs
- Cinemark Summer Movie Clubhouse UNDER $5!
- Megaplex Kids' Summer Movies UNDER $5!
Drive-In Movies
- Redwood Drive-In, West Valley City
- Motor-Vu Drive In, Riverdale
Free Outdoor Movies
- Friday Night Flicks, Salt Lake City FREE!
- Snowbird Family Flicks, Little Cottonwood Canyon FREE!
- Ogden Amphitheater Monday Night Movies, Ogden FREE!
College Campuses
There are a lot of fun things to do on college campuses, and they are usually uncrowded in the summer. Look for museums, bowling, libraries, book stores and lots of interesting things to see.
University of Utah – See the Olympic torch! FREE!
Brigham Young University – They have a fun dinosaur museum! FREE!
Weber State University – We love bowling here!
Sports
Pro Baseball
Utah Olympic Oval, Kearns
Bowling – Kids can bowl two FREE games every day of the summer at these locations. Learn more at www.kidsbowlfree.com.
- Orchard Lanes, North Salt Lake
- Delton Bowling Lanes, West Valley City
Shopping Centers
Farmers Markets – Find a current list of Utah farmers markets HERE. Read my tips for visiting a market with kids HERE. FREE!
City Creek Center – This mall in downtown Salt Lake City has a splash pad, fountains, a creek with real fish and a food court with a play area for little kids. FREE!
Station Park – Watch the dancing fountain, play on the playground, go to a movie or see a free summer concert at Station Park, Farmington FREE!
IKEA – This Draper store has a tasty cafeteria and a fun supervised play area where potty-trained kids can hang out while you shop (or enjoy an hour to yourself in the cafeteria?).
- Salt Lake City
- Draper
- Ogden
- Provo
- Park City
Miscellaneous
Star Gazing Parties – Read my post about star gazing in Utah HERE! FREE!
Ride TRAX or FrontRunner – Use them to get to your destinations, or just ride for fun! Kids under age 6 ride FREE. Get an all-day group pass for $15. Read my tips HERE.
Here's hoping that your calendar is now full of fun ways to make memories with your family in the Salt Lake City area. I update and add to this list regularly, so if you use Pinterest, be sure to pin this post for future reference.
Happy travels!
SLC Parking
This is a great list of things to do in Salt Lake City – especially if you have kids. The free or under $5 are always a plus! Thank you!