Museums · Salt Lake City · United States
4 best museums in Salt Lake City
The collections worth your time, how long each takes and how to fit them together.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Photo: Beneathtimp, CC0
Quick answer
Start with FamilySearch Library, Natural History Museum of Utah and Utah Museum of Fine Arts. Together the 4 picks below take roughly 5–10 hours across 2 areas; 1 is free.
Key facts
- Places in this guide
- 4
- Free entry
- 1
- Time to see them all
- 5–10 hours
- Areas
- Downtown and University and East Bench
Museums in Salt Lake City
Museum · Downtown
1.FamilySearch Library
Next to Temple Square, the world's largest genealogy library has billions of digitised records and volunteers who help visitors trace their ancestry for free.
- Time needed
- 1–3 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- History
- Rainy day
- Off the beaten path
Museum · University and East Bench
2.Natural History Museum of Utah
In the copper-clad Rio Tinto Center on the foothills, the museum's Past Worlds hall displays one of the world's largest collections of horned dinosaur skulls alongside other Utah fossils.
- Time needed
- 2–3 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Kids
- Rainy day
- Nature
- History
Gallery · University and East Bench
3.Utah Museum of Fine Arts
The university's art museum, in the Marcia and John Price Museum Building, covers world art from antiquity to the present, with strong collections of American Western landscapes and contemporary work.
- Time needed
- 1–1.5 hours
- Cost
- Low cost
- Art
- Rainy day
Museum · Downtown
4.Clark Planetarium
In The Gateway complex, the planetarium has free hands-on space and science exhibits, a dome theatre and an IMAX screen.
- Time needed
- 1–2 hours
- Cost
- Low cost
- Kids
- Rainy day
Grouped by area
| Area | Places | Time needed |
|---|---|---|
| Downtown | FamilySearch Library and Clark Planetarium | 1–3 hours + 1–2 hours |
| University and East Bench | Natural History Museum of Utah and Utah Museum of Fine Arts | 2–3 hours + 1–1.5 hours |
Booking and timing
Of these 4, 1 free, 2 low cost, 1 mid-priced. None needs booking far in advance. The longest visit is FamilySearch Library; group the rest by area to save travel time.
How to fit them into 2 half-days
Grouped by area and kept to about four hours each, so you walk more than you ride.
- Half-day 1 (Downtown): FamilySearch Library → Clark Planetarium, at least 2 hours.
- Half-day 2 (University and East Bench): Natural History Museum of Utah → Utah Museum of Fine Arts, at least 3 hours.
The quietest months for queues
- November: highs of 10°C (50°F), about 8 rainy days, quiet crowds. Quiet between seasons; ski resorts usually begin opening late in the month, snow permitting.
- September: highs of 27°C (81°F), about 5 rainy days, moderate crowds. Warm days and cooler nights; canyon aspens begin to turn late in the month.
- October: highs of 18°C (64°F), about 6 rainy days, moderate crowds. Crisp, sunny weather and autumn colour in the canyons; General Conference returns early in the month.
The neighbourhoods they are in
- Downtown — Temple Square, convention hotels and City Creek Center on a wide-street grid
- University and East Bench — University of Utah campus and foothill museums with valley views
More of Salt Lake City
All things to do in Salt Lake City · Where to stay · When to go.
Questions travellers ask
+Where should I start in Salt Lake City?
FamilySearch Library. Next to Temple Square, the world's largest genealogy library has billions of digitised records and volunteers who help visitors trace their ancestry for free.
+Which of these are free in Salt Lake City?
FamilySearch Library.