20 Fun Things to Do With Your Kids in Salt Lake City, Utah

Salt Lake City is filled with fun attractions for kids of all ages. Here are some of our favorites.

1. Family History Library—Visit the Family History Library and learn about your family tree.

2. Clark Planetarium—You can explore science and space in this downtown attraction.

3. The Leonardo—This museum has interactive exhibits, classes and workshops about science, technology and art.

4. Discovery Gateway Children’s Museum—This downtown museum has interactive fun that the whole family will enjoy.

5. Olympic Snowflake Fountain—The public fountain is the perfect place for kids to cool off and expend energy at the same time.

6. City Creek Center—This downtown mall has shops, restaurants, events and retractable roofs.

7. Liberty Park—Spend time feeding ducks, sledding, swimming and playing volleyball.

8. Tracy Aviary—Here you can see hundreds of birds and many different wildflowers.

9. Salt Palace Convention Center—Many events are held here, like Outdoor Retailer and Comic Con.

10. Abravanel Hall—Take your children to the symphony for a musical treat.

11. Wairhouse Trampoline Park—This park has dodge ball courts, foam pits, basketball lanes and an open jump court.

12. Red Butte Garden—These botanical gardens are home to many workshops and activities for children.

13. Loveland Living Planet Aquarium—This is the ninth biggest aquarium in the United States, with four large exhibits.

14. Utah’s Hogle Zoo—The zoo has a new African Savanna, with animals seen on safari.

15. Wheeler Historic Farm—Kids can ride wagons and milk cows for one to two dollars, or you can walk around and explore free of charge.

16. This Is the Place Heritage Park—Brigham Young and the pioneers first entered Salt Lake City where this park is located. It has activities for kids, like panning for gold, pulling handcarts and making handkerchief pioneers.

17. Lagoon—Visit Lagoon-a-beach, Pioneer Village and partake in fun rides.

18. Snowboard Resort—Ski here in the winter, and hike in the summer. Check out family movies and live concerts in the summer as well.

19. Utah Olympic Park—Home of the 2002 Winter Olympics, this park has a variety of family activities all year.

20. Ice Castles—Check out the magnificent ice castles in Midway. Your children are sure to love this winter wonderland.

These destinations are only the tip of the iceberg. With so many options, you’re sure to have a fun filled day in Salt Lake City.

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The Redwood Forest: Where Everyone Should Go in His or Her Lifetime

There is nothing quite like the redwood forest in scope and wonderment. There are two distinct species of redwoods, with the common names giant sequoia and coastal redwood. Each of these species grows hundreds of feet all and dozens of feet wide, and many are thousands of years old.

Where to See Redwoods

You can see redwoods in a variety of locations in California, including the following:

• Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park—This park is in a beautifully remote location in Northern California, between Crescent City and Eureka. You can hike from the forest to the ocean, and it’s a popular camping destination. Peaceful Roosevelt elk roam freely on the land.
• Redwood National Park—This forest was the Forest Moon of Endor in the Star Wars films. It is an International Biosphere Reserve, and it contains more than 35 percent of all the remaining old-growth trees. Coastal redwoods are the tallest living things on earth.
• Muir Woods National Monument—This redwood forest is just 12 miles from San Francisco. It’s easily accessible and has many hiking trails. Muir Woods can be crowded at times, and the trees aren’t as tall as those in other forests; however, it can be perfect for those visiting San Francisco.
• Yosemite National Park—This famous and enormous park is located four hours east of San Francisco. The Mariposa Grove is the largest redwood forest in Yosemite; however, it is closed until spring 2017. You can see other giant sequoias outside of Mariposa Grove.
• Big Basin Redwoods State Park—Big Basin is located in the mountains in between San Jose and Santa Cruz. It’s less crowded than Muir Woods and is California’s oldest state park. It has 80 miles of trails, many waterfalls, and borders UC Santa Cruz.
• Petrified Redwood Forest—This redwood forest was turned to stone by nature. Volcanic ash covered the trees during an ancient eruption, and the trees have slowly become petrified as a result. This park is privately owned, and it’s more of an attraction than a colorful forest.
• Sequoia National Park—This park has the biggest giant sequoia trees, with 18 of the 30 largest specimens in the world. General Sherman, the most massive tree in the world, is located in this forest. Tunnel Log is also located here and is the famous “drive-through tree.”

The redwood forest is a natural place of wonder, where the air is crisp and time appears to stand still. When you step inside the forest, you’ll feel transported into a magical wonderland like you’ve never experienced before.

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