With kids · Salt Lake City · United States
Salt Lake City with kids
Family-tested sights, a calm base and the practical details that make travelling with children easier.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Photo: Bobjgalindo, CC BY-SA 4.0
Quick answer
Salt Lake City is easy for families: free attractions around Temple Square, a dinosaur-filled museum, a hillside zoo, an aviary and planetarium, and a pioneer village, plus snow and ski schools in winter. Light rail is stroller-friendly and the airport is close. Top picks: Natural History Museum of Utah, Utah's Hogle Zoo and Tracy Aviary. Families usually base themselves in Downtown.
Key facts
- Family picks
- 6
- Best area for families
- Downtown
- Rainy-day options
- 2
Best things to do with kids
Museum · University and East Bench
1.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. Other galleries cover the Great Salt Lake, Native peoples and gems, and the terraces overlook the whole valley.
Combine it with Red Butte Garden next door; both have hillside views.
- Time needed
- 2–3 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Kids
- Rainy day
- Nature
- History
Zoo · University and East Bench
2.Utah's Hogle Zoo
A hillside zoo at the mouth of Emigration Canyon with an African savanna, Asian highlands exhibits for big cats, a Rocky Shores area for polar bears, sea lions and seals, and a miniature train for children.
Visit in the morning in summer, when animals are more active and the hillside is cooler.
- Time needed
- 3 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Kids
- Nature
- Outdoors
Zoo · 9th and 9th
3.Tracy Aviary
One of the oldest public aviaries in the United States, in Liberty Park, with hundreds of birds from flamingos and Andean condors to owls and birds of prey, plus free-flight bird shows in summer. Liberty Park around it has a pond, playgrounds and seasonal rides.
Combine it with a picnic in Liberty Park and a walk to 9th and 9th for coffee.
- Time needed
- 1.5–2 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Kids
- Nature
- Outdoors
Historic site · University and East Bench
4.This Is the Place Heritage Park
At the mouth of Emigration Canyon, where Brigham Young is said to have declared the valley the place to settle in 1847, a monument and a re-created pioneer village of original and replica buildings show 19th-century life, with costumed interpreters, crafts and a small train.
Visit in summer when the village is most active; the monument area alone is a quick stop.
- Time needed
- 2–3 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Kids
- History
- Outdoors
Museum · Downtown
5.Clark Planetarium
In The Gateway complex, the planetarium has free hands-on space and science exhibits, a dome theatre and an IMAX screen. It is a quick indoor option for families on cold or very hot days.
The exhibit floors are free; pay only if you want a dome or IMAX show.
- Time needed
- 1–2 hours
- Cost
- Low cost
- Kids
- Rainy day
Religious site · Downtown
6.Temple Square
The 4-hectare headquarters of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints holds the granite Salt Lake Temple, completed in 1893, the domed Tabernacle with its famous organ, visitors' exhibits and gardens. The temple itself is open only to church members; the grounds and other buildings are free to visit, though parts of the square have been affected by a long-running temple renovation.
Ask a volunteer guide for a short tour, and step inside the Tabernacle to hear a pin drop demonstrate its acoustics.
- Time needed
- 1.5–2 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Iconic
- History
- Architecture
Rainy-day ideas
- Natural History Museum of Utah — Combine it with Red Butte Garden next door; both have hillside views.
- Clark Planetarium — The exhibit floors are free; pay only if you want a dome or IMAX show.
Where families should stay
$$$ · Best for first-timers, families, shopping and nightlife
Downtown
Downtown spreads around Temple Square, with the Salt Palace Convention Center, City Creek Center mall, the Delta Center arena and most of the large hotels. TRAX light rail runs through it, including a free-fare zone, and the airport line stops here. Streets are very wide and blocks long, so distances are greater than they look.
- Good
- Direct light rail to the airport; Walk to Temple Square and restaurants; Widest hotel choice
- Watch out
- Quiet on some evenings; Hotel prices rise during conventions and church conferences
- Nearby
- Temple Square, City Creek Center, Utah State Capitol, The Gateway
Family travel tips
- Antelope Island's bison and salty beaches make an easy half-day outing.
- Summer heat is dry and intense; carry water and sunscreen even for short walks.
- Ski schools at Brighton, Snowbird and Park City cater for beginners and children.
- Many downtown attractions are free, which helps with longer stays.
- Young children ride UTA trains and buses free with a paying adult.
Day trips for families
- Park City (About 40–50 minutes by car) — A former silver-mining town with a historic Main Street of restaurants and galleries, two major ski areas and the Utah Olympic Park, built for the 2002 Winter Olympics, where visitors watch ski-jump training and try a bobsled ride.
- Antelope Island State Park (About 1 hour by car) — The largest island in the Great Salt Lake has a free-roaming herd of hundreds of bison, pronghorn and bighorn sheep, salty beaches, the historic Fielding Garr Ranch and sunsets over the lake.
- Golden Spike National Historical Park (About 2 hours by car) — At Promontory Summit, the first transcontinental railroad was completed in 1869.
When to go with children
The best months overall are January–March, June and September. Weather by month.
Questions travellers ask
+Is Salt Lake City good for kids?
Salt Lake City is easy for families: free attractions around Temple Square, a dinosaur-filled museum, a hillside zoo, an aviary and planetarium, and a pioneer village, plus snow and ski schools in winter. Light rail is stroller-friendly and the airport is close.
+What can kids do in Salt Lake City?
Natural History Museum of Utah, Utah's Hogle Zoo, Tracy Aviary, This Is the Place Heritage Park and Clark Planetarium.
+Where should families stay in Salt Lake City?
Downtown: Temple Square, convention hotels and City Creek Center on a wide-street grid.