There is a brand new museum in Utah and it is all about Utah! The entire Museum of Utah focuses on Utah history from the indigenous people all the way through The Olympics. There is a lot of information, but also hands-on activities for kids throughout the museum. Admission is FREE, so this is a great stop for families.
The Museum of Utah has four different exhibit areas: Becoming Utah, Connecting Utah, Building Utah, and Inspiring Utah. Each area has displays on different aspects of Utah. We began with the Becoming Utah area and worked through the others. Make sure to stop at the welcome desk and pick up a scavenger hunt. There is a small prize once completed. We had a lot of fun working on it together.
Becoming Utah
The first area of the Museum of Utah begins with lots of information about the Indigenous People of Utah. There is also displays about the pioneers and how Utah became a state, too. We loved the information about voting, citizenship, and other government details. There are tons of relics from pioneer times, too.
Connecting Utah
This area of the museum is all about the arts and the cultures in Utah. We spent a lot of time in this section as we loved reading about the sports, outdoors, food, and much more. There are some great interactive activities including an area where you can learn a dance from a different culture, as well as screen where you can read about different foods and even email yourself the recipes.
Building Utah
Walk across the hall to the next two exhibit areas. Building Utah takes visitors through the industrialization of Utah with displays about mining, railroads, skiing tourism, and current business leaders. Our boys’ favorite thing was playing some video games that were created here in Utah.
Inspiring Utah
The final area is about the amazing things that have happened here in Utah including records set on the Bonneville Salt Flats, and the 2002 Winter Olympics held in Salt Lake City. It is awesome to see all of the creative and inspiring people from Utah.
Information
Make sure to stop in the middle of the floor between the two side of the Museum of Utah and look up at the beautiful stained glass dome. This stained glass honors the state with images from around Utah including the red rocks, arches, elk, and more.
There is a lovely gift shop, which is also all things Utah, so make sure to plan a stop there. For current information on museum hours and other events, visit the Museum of Utah website. The best place to park is in the free parking spots on the north side of the capitol, or the east parking lot. Both of these have easy access to the museum entrance. While you are visiting the Museum of Utah, consider checking out the Utah State Capitol grounds, or taking a free tour of the capitol building. Read about the tours here: Utah State Capitol Tours.
