Ugh, it’s so cold and gross outside.  I hate the Salt Lake Valley inversion!  I know I’m not alone.  Want to get out, but not actually OUT in the cold, yucky air?  Here are 30+ fun indoor activities – places you can take your kids and family this winter!

Here we go!

• The Living Planet Aquarium – We just went to the Living Planet Aquarium with my aunt a couple of weeks ago, and it’s just as fun as ever.  We really love the rainforest section, and the kids enjoyed walking across the rope bridge there.  The otters and the penguins are always actively swimming and fun to watch, and the shark tunnel is just plain awesome!

• Salt Lake County Libraries – The libraries always have fun events at their different locations, from story times to exhibits to sensory activities for people of all abilities. Best of all, they are free!  My kids love going just to play on the computers there while I browse books.  Win-win, and it gets us out of the house.  

• Clark Planetarium – Entrance into the Clark Planetarium is FREE, and there is plenty to look at and to explore.  If you’d like, you can pay to see a movie in their famous dome theater – it’s great.  If you’re on a budget, however, you can simply go in and explore….perhaps you’d like to see a cloud in the making, or to “walk on the moon”.  You can also find out how much you weigh on other planets!

• Natural History Museum of Utah – My kids LOVE this place. There are multiple floors full of stuff to see.  The top floor (I believe it’s the top floor) has different displays, depending on when you go.  I remember when they did the history of chocolate.  My gosh, it was heavenly.  We were able to walk through displays learning about the history of Cacao and then at the end we were given a sample of chocolate.  They also have different events, like live demonstration on free entrance days, and Science movie nights.

• Wairhouse Trampoline Park – or Get Air Salt Lake, or any of the other awesome indoor trampoline parks that have popped up and become so popular.

• Paintball – For your older kids, paintball may be just the thing. Groupon currently has a deal at Paintball Addicts in Salt Lake, or you can check out Monstah Paintball, which has Utah’s largest indoor paintball field.

• Indoor Swimming – With the Salt Lake County Recreation program, swimming indoors can be affordable! There are indoor pools in West Jordan, Sugar House, Sandy, Herriman, and more.

• Ice skating at the Utah Olympic Oval – The Utah Olympic Oval is located in Kearns. It is an active Official U.S. Olympic Training site, and is also open for novices like you and me!  The public skating rink is open for only $5 per adult and $3 per child.

• Bounce houses – There a few different indoor bounce house location where you can play with your kids! Jump Around Utah is located in Salt Lake City; Kangaroo Zoo has locations in North Salt Lake, Ogden, and Pleasant Grove, and Jump And Bounce Fun is located in West Jordan.

• Museum of Natural Curiosity – There are more than 400 interactive experiences to be had at the Museum of Natural Curiosity, from exploring ancient ruins in the rain forest to performing tricks at the magic shop to running a locomotive at the train shop.  This is a place you can go to again and again and find new things to do each time.  I’ve heard nothing but good things about this fun museum!

• Discovery Gateway Museum – If you haven’t yet been here, you must go! Located right downtown, this museum has non-stop, hands on fun!  The grocery store is one of my favorites, while my daughter loves the KSL news weather station.
• Scheels in Sandy is basically a huge sports store. I took my kids there last weekend and they had a blast!  This sports store is not like others you’ve seen.  When you walk in, you immediately see a floor-to-ceiling sized fish aquarium.  The tank is arched, so you can walk under and look up at the fish.  If you don’t see that first thing, it’s probably because the ferris wheel inside the building caught your eye.  The ferris wheel costs 1 token per person to ride, and you simply buy a token at any cash register for $1 each.  When you go upstairs, you’ll find a huge mountain display, full of “wildlife” and plants.  There are 2 animatronics, one of which is Abraham Lincoln, our 7^th great uncle.  They have different photo opp displays as well, so you can take fun outdoorsy pictures, even though you’re really just inside.

• Boondocks – Boondocks is a ramped up Arcade. There are the standard arcade games, and so much more!  If you have little ones, you might want to check out the kiddie cove.  They also have Laser Tag and Movie Simulators.  There are other outdoor activities available as well, but we’ll keep our focus on the indoors with this cold weather.

• Classic Fun Center – Located in Sandy, this isn’t the Roller Skating rink it used to be when I was a teenager. They’ve got it all there, it seems.  The skating rink, bounce houses, Laser Tag, and a dime arcade are only some of what they have.  It’s located right off the I-15 freeway near 90^th South.

• Museum of Ancient Life – the Museum of Ancient life is located in Lehi at Thanksgiving Point. It is just what it says it is – a museum full of ancient life.  Dinosaur bones, mammoth exhibits, a dinosaur dig play area…your little ones will have great fun here.

• Chuck E Cheese’s – This was once a favorite of our kiddos (you know, before our daughter became a teenager. J) My son still loves the place.  The thing about these guys that stands out to me is that they offer a gluten free pizza.  So many of these pizza/arcade joints don’t offer something like that.  Anyway, it’s a fun time, especially if you go during a weekday when older kids are at school!

• Jungle Jim’s – Jungle Jim’s quickly became a favorite in our household. It’s not usually very crowded, and it’s fun.  They have bumper cars, little roller coaster, a play area and more.  It’s a great place for kids’ birthday parties, but we just like to go as a family.

• Bowling – there are a ton of different bowling locations throughout the valley! And what a fun activity for ALL family members, no matter the age.  Fat Cats is a pretty popular bowling alley.  Other places include Bonwood Bowl, Big City Bowl, and Valley Bowling Lanes.

• Mrs. Cavanaugh’s Chocolate factory – The factory in North Salt Lake offers tours, and they’re a blast! You get to watch workers hand make chocolates, you get a free sample of some AMAZING chocolate, and you also get to taste the unsweetened version.  It’s hilarious to watch your kids bite into some cocoa without any sweetener, ha ha!  The tours are $1 per person.  Call in advance to schedule.  You don’t have to be in a large group.  I went with my two kids, and one other family showed up.  You can purchase chocolate afterwards from their shop (it’s very tempting).

• The Pioneer Memorial Museum – This museum is located in downtown Salt Lake City and houses the WORLD’S LARGEST collection of artifacts on one subject. Admission is free.  Here’s what’s cool:  You can not only explore and look at these historical artifacts, you can also go to the History Department and find documents and histories about your own pioneer ancestors!  There is a clothing room where you can look at all the fashions from that era.  It’s a fascinating place!

• Church history museum – whether you are a member of the Mormon church or not, this museum is chock-full of fascinating items! My grandma and grandpa served a mission in Papua New Guinea in the 90s, and they sent a handmade boat to the museum that was on display for a while.  There is an obvious emphasis on church dealings, both historically and around the world today, so do keep that in mind.  Admission is free, and you don’t need a reservation or anything to go, but if you decide to see the film in the theater there, you will need to reserve tickets for that.

• Desert Star Playhouse – Dinner and a live show? Why not?  Desert Star Playhouse specializes in hilarious, witty theater that will have you laughing all evening.  Buying food is optional, but if you want, you can eat a meal while watching.  They offer pizza, burgers, chicken fingers, that kind of thing.  There are other live theaters you can check out as well, like Hale Center Theater.

• The Leonardo – This is the museum of museums.  Right now they have the traveling Mummies of the World Exhibit.  It’s amazing, and it’s all REAL!  You are able to peek into different cultures from around the world with this particular exhibit.  That’s not all they offer, though.  There is also the exhibit, Perception:  The Illusion of Reality; and the exhibit Water.  They offer multiple hands on learning experiences, like the science lab and the Leo Lobby.

• Chase Home Museum of Utah Folk Arts

• Utah Museum of Contemporary Art

• Home Depot Workshops – The first Saturday of every month you can take your kids to build a cute little something.  My son goes so frequently that the staff all know him by name!  This workshop is completely FREE.

• Fort Douglas Military Museum  – if you’re interested in the military, this is a great museum to check out.

• Utah Symphony – The Utah Symphony is always putting on a show, it seems. What a wonderful way to get out of the cold weather and take yourself away with beautiful music..

Phew!  Hopefully this list is inclusive enough that you can find some great indoor activities to do with your families this season, you know, while we anxiously wait for prettier weather!

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