12 Family Friendly Winter Activities in Utah
Feeling cooped up? Try these indoor and outdoor winter activities for kids and parents alike. Utah is a family friendly place (highest birth rate in the nation, heh heh) so we have a kid friendly infrastructure ready for long, dark winter days. From swimming to sledding, the whole family will enjoy (or at least appreciate) these fun winter activities.
Indoor Winter Activities
Natural History Museum of Utah
Cost: $18-23 per person
Time: 2-3 hours
Where: Salt Lake City
Walk through time on a switchbacking boardwalk at the Natural History Museum of Utah. Built in 2011, this modern museum has a collection of exotic butterflies, minerals and indigenous masterpieces. Everything is fascinating, but your kids might beeline to the dinosaur gallery to get skull to skull with a Allosaurus, Utahceratops and Utahraptor.
Thanksgiving Point Museum of Natural Curiosity
Cost: $17-24 per person
Time: 2-4 hours
Where: Lehi
Finally! A museum where kids can touch and play with everything! This children's museum is educational in a delightfully tactile way. Let your kids get soaked in the Waterworks section or break out of jail in Kidopolis. Be warned: There are a lot of kids here, but if you can handle some chaos, then this place is worth the trip.
Indoor Swimming Pools
Cost: $3-7 per person
Time: 1-3 hours
Where: Various locations along the Wasatch FrontUtah’s new and improved public swimming pools are basically playgrounds. They have lazy rivers, slides and buckets that pour water in your eyeballs when you least expect it. Needless to say — kids love it! The water is comfortably warm and shallow enough for toddlers. How's that for a Utah family winter activity?
Indoor Pools With Playgrounds
Fairmont Aquatic Center
1044 East Sugarmont Drive (2225 South), Salt Lake City
385-468-1540
Holladay Lions
1661 East Murray-Holladay Road (4800 South), Holladay
385-468-1700
Lehi Aquatics Center
123 North Center Street, Lehi
385-201-2000
Provo Recreation Center
320 West 500 North, Provo
801-852-6600
Clearfield Aquatic Center
825 South State Street, Clearfield
801-525-2641
Salt Lake City Public Library System
Cost: Free
Time: 1-3 hours
Where: Various locations in Salt Lake City
Once upon a time, the library was a place of silence and stern librarians. But these days, libraries are humming with activity. Think of them more like community hubs, where staff and volunteers teach free workshops on reading, art, computers, legos, yoga, storytime and more. They’ve gone digital too. Catch a virtual workshop, join a book club or check out an audiobook. Pro tip: At the Main Library in downtown Salt Lake City, you can take a ride in the glass elevator to the roof, observe the dormant beehive, then walk down the swooping steps to the courtyard.
Loveland Living Planet Aquarium
Cost: adults, $18-28; children (3-12), $13-23
Time: 2-3 hours
Where: Draper
Utah may be hardcore landlocked, but you can still watch antarctic penguins swim and play. The Loveland Living Planet Aquarium is home to many creatures, both scaly and feathered. Say hi to the toucans, then stare at the mesmerizing sharks. It's like going from the bottom of the ocean to the canopies of the Amazon Rainforest in one day.
Utah State Railroad Museum
Cost: $3-7 per person
Time: 1 hour + commuter train time
Where: Ogden
Your kid likes trains? Try this: Ride the FrontRunner commuter train to the Utah State Railroad Museum in Ogden. Get off at Historic Union Station and choo choo! You’re there. Check out the retired engines and cabooses outside and head inside to watch some model trains doing their thing. Fun times for kids who like trains.
Outdoor Winter Activities
Snow Tubing and Sledding
Cost: Price varies
Time: 1-2 hours
Where: Various locations on the Wasatch Front and Park City
Sledding is a winter classic that every kid has gotta try at least once. Sled for free at the iconic hill at Sugarhouse Park in Salt Lake City. If you don’t feel like trudging up a hill 17 times (it is good exercise though) head up to Woodward Park City to their state-of-the-art tubing lanes. Lay back and watch the scenery as you and your kids glide down the longest tubing hill in Utah, then take the magic carpet back up.
Skiing and Snowboarding
Cost: It depends, but $$$
Time: 3-8 hours
Where: Utah’s family friendly ski resorts
Passes to ski and snowboard resorts are expensive, but don’t give up yet, powder pauper. Deals like Alta Ski After 3, Brighton night skiing, Ski Utah’s heavily discounted passes for 4th-6th graders, and the fact that most resorts let young kids ski for free, can make skiing affordable again. Smaller resorts like Nordic Valley and Brian Head even offer free season passes for kids 10 and under. Pro tip: Pack your own lunch and a thermos of hot chocolate to keep spirits up and costs down.
Winter Hiking and Snowshoeing
Cost: Free
Time:1-3 hours
Where: Everywhere
Yep, you read that right. Hiking in winter is perfect for getting the family out of the house and into the crisp fresh air. Go as far as you want on Little Cottonwood Trail up Little Cottonwood Canyon. Or hike Ensign Peak on a clear day and get a 100-mile view of Salt Lake Valley. Rent snowshoes to go off-trail in that fresh Utah powder snow.
Ice Castles
Cost: adults, $18-23; kids (4-11), $12-16
Time: 1-2 hours
Where: Midway
Let it all go on a walk through the Ice Castles in Midway. Icicle artisans spend the winter building the castles through magic and science. Anna and Elsa fans will appreciate the frozen wonderland all lit up at night in blue and pink. Afterward, try ice skating at the Midway Ice Rink. It's quaint and cute, just like Midway. Don’t forget to wear long underwear under your Olaf costume.
Backyard Fun
Cost: Free
Time: 1-4 hours
Where: snow banks, backyards, fields, parks
Since the dawn of time, families have been balling up snow and throwing it at each other. It's just a natural way to release that pent-up winter energy. Use that energy to build a snow fort. Then add color with snow paint. Then add some ice sculpture gargoyles to intimidate the enemy. Now you are ready for total snowball war. Just be sure there aren’t any cops watching. In Provo, it's a misdemeanor to have a snowball fight. For Sparta!
Bonfire With S’mores
Cost: $10-$15
Time: 1-2 hours
Where: Your backyard or park pavilion
Fire + candy = fun. Instead of having yet another movie night, try a backyard bonfire with hot chocolate and s’mores. Maybe your teens can help you come up with the weirdest s’more combination, such as Starbursts and saltines. (Salty and sweet? Sounds good!) Everyone in the family will get fired up about this one.
Start Planning Your Summer Vacation
It's never too late to look forward to summer. Start making summer vacation plans today. Book a river trip or reserve that popular campsite your family loves. Get some ideas from our road trip itineraries, bucket lists and family friendly hikes. Utah’s state and national parks will be thawed out before you know it!