We have been spending some of our adventure time on back-to-school shopping and school preparations. Sometimes as summer winds up and school starts, it feels like adventuring has to stop, but that is definitely not true. We try to schedule adventures all year, whether it is a weekend outing, or a quick after school activity. There are lots of places you can visit when you have a few hours free.
Here are our go-to after school adventures. We visit these spots often throughout the school year. The main reason being that they stay open a little later than 5:00 pm, so you can adventure after school and dinner. The adventures outside can be done anytime until it’s dark. We hope these ideas will help you have a great school year filled with family adventures!
Museums
- Bean Museum in Provo (open until 9 pm on weekdays)
- Clark Planetarium in SLC (open until 8 pm on weekdays)
- Thanksgiving Point in Lehi (all six of their venues are open until 8:00 pm Mon-Sat)
- NHMU in SLC (open until 9:00 pm on Wednesday)
- Church History Museum in SLC (open until 8 T-Th)
- Loveland Living Planet Aquarium in Draper (open until 8 on Monday)
- BYU Art Museum in Provo (open until 6 pm)
- Cabelas (locations in Lehi & Farmington and both are open until 10 pm weekdays)
- Scheels in Sandy (open until 9:00 weekdays)
- Roots of Knowledge in Orem (open until library closes which is usually very late weekdays)
- Springville Art Museum (open until 8 pm on Wednesday)
- Christa McAuliffe Space Center in Pleasant Grove (Planetarium and Laser Shows, plus simulators, on Wednesday and Friday evenings)
- Museum of Illusions in SLC (open until 9 pm)
Indoor Play Areas
These are a few of our favorite places to burn off some energy indoors! There are lots of fun places like this throughout Utah!
- Airborne Lindon: open until 9 PM
- Airborne Draper: open until 9 PM
- Hang Time Adventure Park in Orem: open until 9 pm.
- SkyZone Saratoga Springs: open until 9 PM
- The Big Green in Saratoga Springs: open until 8 pm.
- Lowe’s Extreme Trampoline Park in Provo: open until 8 pm
- The Hive Adventure Park in Spanish Fork: open until 9 pm
- Funrise Indoor Playground in Cedar Hills: open until 8 pm.
- Fly High Adventure Park in Ogden or Woods Cross: open until 9 pm
- Discovery Cove in Centerville (open until 8 pm)
- Coconut Cove in Logan (open until 7 pm)
- Ninja Kidz Action Park in South Jordan (open until 9 pm)
- Confetti Kids Club in St. George (open until 9 pm)
Parks
Parks are the best for a quick, fun adventure after school! You can often squeeze one in before dinner, but we also like to go in the evenings so Dad can come, too. Here are our “best of” lists, but you can always find lists of parks on your city website or search right here for your city name to see if we have highlighted anything.
- Best of Salt Lake Parks
- Best of Utah County Parks
- Best of Davis County Parks
- Best of Weber County Parks
- Best of St. George Parks
Hikes
This can be tricky because daylight slowly gets shorter and shorter, but Fall and Spring are great times to sneak in a quick hike when you have an hour or two. Here are some short trails that we love to enjoy for a quick hike.
- Temple Quarry: Little Cottonwood Canyon
- Lisa Falls: Little Cottonwood Canyon
- Hidden Falls: Big Cottonwood Canyon
- Silver Lake: Big Cottonwood Canyon
- Ensign Peak: Salt Lake City
- Bridal Veil Falls: Provo Canyon
- Grotto Falls: Nebo Loop
- Birdsong Trail: Ogden
- Adams Canyon Lower Falls: Layton
- Dripping Rock: Spanish Fork
- Cascade Springs: Alpine Loop
- American Fork Nature Trail: Alpine Loop
- Payson Lakes: Nebo Loop
- Miller Bird Refuge: Salt Lake City
- Eccles Wildlife Center Nature Trail: Farmington
- Great Salt Lake Shoreline Preserve: Layton
- Observation Point at Snowbird: Little Cottonwood Canyon
- Bear Canyon Suspension Bridge: Draper
Indoor Pools
Our boys love to swim all year long, and lots of indoor pools are open later, so it makes for a great after school adventure in Utah. Here are some favorite indoor pools, but check for any near you, too!
- Lehi Legacy Center: open until 9 pm
- Provo Rec Center Pool: open until 10 pm
- Springville Pool: open until 9:30 pm (slides close at 8 pm)
- Kearns Oquirrh Fitness Center: (open 6:30-8:30 pm weekdays)
- Cedar City Aquatics Center: (open until 8:30 pm)
- Washington City Community Center Pool: (open until 7 pm on weekdays)
- Layton Surf ‘n’ Swim (Open MWF from 6:45-8:45 pm)
Other Fun
Here are a bunch of other fun activities that are open later so you can enjoy as a family.
- Just Add Chocolate in Lehi (workshops at 5:30 or 7:00 on weekdays)
- Virtual Dugout in Lehi (open until 10 pm on weekdays)
- The Cage in West Jordan (open until 10 pm on weekdays)
- Fat Cats in several locations (open until 11 pm)
- Rad Tag in Pleasant Grove (open until 9 pm weekdays)
- Rush Funplex in Orem, Syracuse, Logan, West Jordan, and St. George (open until 10 pm weekdays)
- Provo Beach Resort in Provo (open until 9 PM on weekdays)
- Clip N Climb in South Jordan (last climb starts at 6:30 pm)
- The Great Big Game Show in Murray (open until midnight)
- Immersive Gamebox in Murray (open until 8:00 pm)
Have fun as a family! Make time for those adventures. It is worth it!
