PBS Kids Utah Reading Marathon | Read and Dream!

Every November, the PBS Kids Utah Reading Marathon happens in Utah. If kids read every day, they earn free passes to lots of great Utah venues. We’ve participated in this pass for the last few years, and our boys loved being able to visit some of their favorite places like Hogle Zoo and the Natural History Museum of Utah.

We are a family of educators, so reading is really important to us. Our kids are often found reading, which we count as a major blessing in our house. There are literally books laying everywhere around the house, so we love reading programs that reward the kids for doing something that we believe in.

We also think this pass is a great motivator if you have a reluctant reader. Sometimes children need an incentive to get them to spend a little bit of time in a book. Either way, we are happy to see kids enjoying books.

Visit PBS Kids Utah to read all the details and print out your reading log. This program is available for preschool through 6th grade. Kids need to read 20 minutes a day, or 600 minutes in the month of November, to earn the adventure pass. The most important part is going back to enter it online. Don’t forget!! You can enter your children’s reading minutes from December 1- 31.

Those who complete the program receive a pass to certain venues. Here are the partners with PBS Utah that are on the adventure pass for 2027. There are a ton of new ones that I am really excited about. There are some of our favorite places in Utah, so they are a great reward for reading. Usually the pass includes free admission for the reader, but sometimes it is a free gift or discounted admission. And some admissions are only for certain months, so check carefully.

• American West Heritage Museum: One Free Child Historic Adventure with Paying Adult – Summer Season
• Christa McAuliffe Space Center: $3 Coupon for Entry – All Year
• Clark Planetarium: One Free Hansen Dome Theater Child Admission with Paying Adult – All Year
• Discovery Gateway: One Free Child Admission with Paying Adult – Sept-Nov
• Hogle Zoo: One Free Child Admission with Paying Adult – All Year
• Millcreek Common: One Free Child Roller Skating Admission and Rental – April 1-November 1
• Museum of Illusions: One Free Child Admission with Paying Adult – All Year
• Natural History Museum of Utah: One Free Child Admission with Paying Adult – All Year
• Ogden George S. Eccles Dinosaur Park: One Free Child Admission – All Year
• Ogden Nature Center : One Free Child Admission- Jan-Mar
• Red Butte Garden : One Free Child & One Free Adult Admission – All Year
• Salt Lake City Public Library: One Free Book – Jan-Feb
• Scheels: One Free Child Ferris Wheel Ride – All Year
• St. George Children’s Museum: One Free Child Admission with Paying Adult – All Year
• St. George Dinosaur Discovery Site: One Free Child Admission with Paying Adult – All Year
• Thanksgiving Point : One Free Child Admission with Paying Adult – Jan-Mar (Your One Choice of Thanksgiving Point’s Discovery Centers: Farm Country, Ashton Gardens, Museum of Natural Curiosity, Butterfly Biosphere, Mountain America Museum of Ancient Life)
• Toad’s Fun Zone: One Free Child Attraction with Paying Adult –All Year (Your one choice: Mini Golf, Laser Tag, Go Karts, Escape Room)
• Tracy Aviary: One Free Child Admission with Paying Adult – All Year
• Treehouse Museum: One Free Child Admission – All Year
• University of Utah Athletics: Ten Free Child Passes + 50% Off Paying Adults (Select Men’s and Women’s Basketball Games – See QR code on Pass for specific dates)
• Utah Film Center: $6 discount off workshops or a $6 concession voucher – Special Event April (Limited tickets available, request discount code by April 1st on the website)
• Utah Shakespeare Festival: One Free Child Ticket + 50% off Additional Tickets-Performance Season.
• Utah Symphony: One Free Child Ticket to Select Family and Masterworks Performances.
• USU Eastern Prehistoric Museum in Price: Free Family Admission – All Year
• Zootah: One Free Child Admission with Paying Adult – Jan-Mar
• Hunt Family Farm: One Free Child Admission with Paying Adult – Fall Season
• IFly Utah: One Free Child Admission with Paying Adult – All Year
• IRock Utah: One Free Child Admission with Paying Adult – All Year
• FlowRider Utah: One Free Child Admission with Paying Adult – All Year
• USU Swaner Preserve and EcoCenter: One Free Child Admission with Paying Adult  to the Wild Kratts: Creature Power Exhibit – January 30-May 16th

There is always a fun kickoff party right before November arrives where readers can meet some of their favorite characters. This year the party is happening Saturday, October 24, 2026 from 10 AM – 1 PM at The Salt Lake City Public Library (210 E 400 W in SLC).

The PBS Kids Utah Reading Marathon is an awesome way to enjoy November and get those kids reading. We have a bunch of summer reading programs that we use, too.