I know that when you think vacation, Salt Lake City isn’t the first place that pops to mind, but if you are looking for a really family friendly atmosphere, you may want to give it another look. Turns out, there are TONS of things to do in Salt Lake. Everytime I go, I am struck by all of the fun things they have to entertain a family with kids of all ages.
Here’s a couple of suggestions if you find yourself headed that way:
- Park City. It’s just a short drive form SLC, and it is notorious for a reason. In the winter, you can ski. In the summer, you can enjoy hikes, local venues, and great food. If shopping is your thing, they have a pretty big outlet mall.
- Temple Square. LDS or not, Temple Sqaure is beautiful. It has well-manicured lawns, and if religious history is your thing, you will find plenty of opportunities for it here. The architecture alone is worth a quick stroll through the grounds.
- Cathedral of Madeline. This is another beautiful church. Inside, organ music is playing most of the day.
- Hogle Zoo. If you are not from a large city that hosts a zoo, Hogle is a must-see. They have lots of natural habitat exhibits, elephants, rhinos, giraffes…you know, all the cool animals.
- Discovery Gateway. If you are traveling with younger kids, Discovery Gateway is a HUGE hands-on discovery museum. You won’t have to worry about them breaking anything here–everything is meant to be played with.
- Sugarhouse Park. Sugarhouse is the kind of trendy place to live in SLC, and it also boasts a really cool park, with streams, a pond, running trails, and playgrounds. Time it right, and you might be able to catch a farmer’s market or an outdoor show.
- Lagoon. Okay, so this is actually outside of SLC in Farmington, but it is great amusement park. It has several roller coasters, and best of all, they let you drag in a cooler to feed and water your kiddos. On hot days, you can add the water park to your ticket.
- Thanksgiving Point is just a short drive outside of SLC and offers tons of summer concerts and events. If concerts aren’t your thing, you can just stroll the gardens for free. They really are impressive.
- If you caught some of the World Cup fever recently, you should totally check out a Salt Lake Real game. It’s their professional soccer team, and the games are rumored to be reaaalllly fun.
- Big Cottonwood Canyon. This is an amazing place to hike, snowshoe, and enjoy family picnics. The canyon is seriously soooo beautiful anytime of year.
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