Grand America Holiday Windows in Salt Lake City

Every December, Grand America in Salt Lake City holds a Holiday Window Stroll. There are little windows to view, as well as a huge gingerbread house that is made from real gingerbread. This is a fun, free adventure, but this year (2026) there are some huge changes that change the free nature of this activity. Certain dates and times are now requiring a reservation and a donation to Make A Wish. Keep reading for details about these changes and why this activity is still amazing.

Grand American Holiday Window Stroll is a great free outing.

Reservations and Donations

The Grand America Holiday Windows have been a free adventure for as long as we have been sharing about things to do in Utah. And it is still free for a lot of days and times, but during the busier weekends and closer to the holidays, they have made some changes. The reservations are free to make, but on most weekends they are also requiring a Make-A-Wish donation. They will ask you to show you receipt for the reservation and the donation in order to enter the Holiday Window Stroll. The recommended donation is $5/person. Children 4 and under do not need a reservation. Our advice is to go early–kick off your holiday season now and visit before reservations are required, or go on weekday or anytime before noon. Here are the dates reservations and donations will be required:

Reservation and donation required: Fridays through Sundays, November 20 to December 20, and Monday through Wednesday, December 21 to 23, 12-9 PM
Reservation required, donation encouraged: December 24 to January 3, 12-9 PM
No reservation needed: November 1-19, Monday through Thursday from November 20 to December 17, and every morning before 12 PM
Reservation info and FAQ here: Grand America site.

One of the windows from 2026. I just think they are so darling!

Holiday Window Stroll

In the lower level of their hotel, you can walk a circle and admire the windows that are decorated with Christmas themes. As you walk into the Grand America, head to the right and you will see a sign for the start of the stroll. Every year is a different theme, so you can see different windows from different years in our pictures. Check their website for the current theme and for a map of the windows. 2026 is a Home Fur the Holidays theme and there are lots of furry animals in all the displays.

Watch for signs directing you to the beginning of the windows stroll and info about the scavenger hunt.

Our boys love looking at the windows. The Holiday Window Stroll always has a hidden object to find in the windows. One year there was a penguin, another year there was a kitty. Our boys love finding the hidden object, and it keeps them interested.

They have added a Window Stroll scavenger hunt. If you answer all 14 questions about where the hidden objects is, you can enter yourself into a drawing to win a free night stay at Grand America. Even if you don’t want to enter the giveaway, it was fun to read the little poems and answer the questions.

Some of the windows have items that move. The owls in this window moved up and down.

Gingerbread House

Once you are about halfway around the loop, you will come to the gingerbread house. It is amazing. It’s hard to believe that they really were able to construct such an amazing house from edible food. We love seeing what amazing creations they come up with each year. Make sure to check out the sign that talks about how much flour, sugar, and other items they used.

We thought the rice krispie sidewalk was very cute.

This is the 2023 gingerbread house. WOW!!! The State Capitol.

Look at how they use macaroons and pretzels to decorate!

A lot of baking went into this gingerbread house.

You can also spend a few minutes walking through the Grand America Courtyard. There is a large Christmas tree, Christmas lights on all the trees, and a beautiful fountain. Even in the late afternoon, we like walking through the courtyard, but the evening is super fun with all the lights.

The lights were just coming on in the courtyard when we were there.

We had fun wandering around for a few minutes, but were glad to be able to walk inside!

Grand America’s Holiday Windows is a nice simple Christmas adventure. We enjoyed it because it’s inside, so you don’t have to bundle up. It’s perfect for all ages. All of our boys thought it was a fun stop, and we can’t wait to see what the theme is each year.

So many different themes over the years.

Parking

Parking is the trickiest part because they no longer validate your parking for the window stroll. If you spend at least $10 at a restaurant or store, or stay at the Grand America, they offer complimentary free. Otherwise we recommend street parking, or using Trax after parking somewhere else downtown. Our favorite place to park is on 500 S, just north of Grand America. It is just a few dollars for one hour, and you will probably spend just about that walking through and enjoying the windows.

If you go during a reservation time, you receive one free hour of parking. Take your ticket to the lobby check-on for validation.

This is a great adventure to pair with other fun places in downtown. We stopped here on our way to the Temple Square Lights. You could also visit City Creek’s dancing fountain, Clark Planetarium, or any other venue on Temple Square. For other Free Christmas Activities, check this post: 40 Free Christmas in Utah.