Discovery Gateway Children's Museum

Fun for kids!! There were little people around everywhere, and I also remember to go upstairs and see the train and the derby track! My son didn’t want to leave, and we’ll go back again one day

It's been several years since I've been here, this place is actually really fun to be at even for an adult. I didn't realize they had put in a full scale miniature train set. That's probably one of the funnest things for me here.

This place is a perfect place to entertain your kids 4-8 years old for hours and hours! There are so many things to entertain kids. Exhausted parents and sit and rest for a few hours! Be sure to walk to the upper level to see the miniature train. There is construction sites, supermarket, water feature, flying balls, home cooking, train track. Parking is easy and you can walk across to the Clark’s Planetarium which has free entry.

We have loved this place. We have had memberships and been here dozens of times but today the staff got upset that my kids removed some food from the store. There is no sign and they did not know it was not allowed. They cleaned it up. Not a big deal but then the staff came and accused my oldest of doing it again. He absolutely had not touched the food since cleaning up. I had been watching them. He is a kid who would not have removed the food to begin with if there had been a sign to leave it in the store. He is a high anxiety kid and being targeted a second time (they singled him out the first time when there had been a bunch of kids participating) really caused him significant stress. Especially when he had not done anything wrong. We won't be coming back to a place with arbitrary rules that only seem to apply to one kid out of a half a dozen.

This place was so fun to take the grandkids to for a fun way to spend some time while waiting for their parents who were busy at a conference.

Awesome space for kids. Don’t miss the real helicopter upstairs which is always a big hit. I also love the basketball court upstairs with balance bikes, etc for bad weather/ inversion days. Couple complaints that make me do 4/5 instead of 5/5: I agree with other reviewers about the pay parking. I also think the membership options being very rigid doesn’t feel very welcoming. If you are the membership holder you always have to be the attendee and they make you show your drivers license which is really intense. I would like the flexibility to send my husband with the kids one day without me but I can’t do that unless I pay more which sucks. Finally I really don’t like having to exit through the toy store, it always turns a lovely time with my toddler into a meltdown at the end. Any improvements to these things would make me so happy!!

This children's museum is great for preschoolers and elementary school kids. My older kids have had fun but there are exhibits that don't appeal to them at all and they get bored more quickly, especially if there is a crowd at the museum making it harder to interact with the exhibits they do enjoy. There is very little for toddlers and only under 1 year-olds get in free. There are many things to do (unless you're a toddler, see my review for that below). On the main floor there is the hive (balls and tubes for the balls to go in as well as climbing structures and a slide), the construction site (a conveyor sorting system, large foam stacking blocks, a slide, and some small cranes), water tables, a large playhouse with multiple rooms and an upstairs, a mini Macy's grocery store, a small cookie shop counter and stove, a small farm area (chickens with eggs, wooden plants to pick, a large plastic horse to sit on), a bank area, a car repair area, and an art room. On the second floor there is a pinewood Derby style car track, a dress-up area with puppets, a sensory room (I think), a new model train area that is only open for two hours a day (never made it in there), multiple small stem toys at a counter (like a small container of Lincoln logs), an indoor gross motor play area (small balance bikes, a short rock wall, a basketball hoop, large foam blocks, wind/scarf toy, a beanbag toss), an outdoor helicopter and dispatch station, and a Dino area (fossils in a lab and a fossil dig site without any sand or digging possible). The best exhibits, in my opinion, are the hive, the construction site, Macy's, and the water tables. My kids also really enjoy the helicopter/life flight outdoor area though it is very minimal. The worst exhibit in my opinion is the dinosaur area. My kids are always disappointed by the Dino area because there is practically nothing to do. They always hope for sand in the dig site, but there are only tools (goggles, brushes, hammers, picks) and the only things to brush at are the broken bits of the exhibit other kids have managed to break off in the dig site. I realize sand would be messy but then don't have a dig site. (Thanksgiving Point's ancient life museum successfully has a fossil dig site with sand or at least they did in the past.) The lab area has lots to look at and that's where it ends--not engaging and the only interactive elements are (1) drawers to open and close, (2) a microscope to look in, (3) lab coats to put on and hang up. I personally would not bring a child who is between 1 and 2.5 because you pay full price and yet there is hardly anything for them to do. Most exhibits are taller so there isn't much for them to engage with. I don't feel like any of the exhibits are tailored to toddlers. Also the whole museum is very open concept (but at least the stairs have a gate at the top and bottom) so they can go everywhere easily and quickly which can be stressful if it is crowded.

Went fot my son's field trip! He loved every bit of it! His two favorite parts were the grocery store and the model train area!

My 8yo loved loved loved this museum. Plenty of stuff for the kids to interact with, from a house complete with kitchen, working piano and library, to a construction site. Grocery store, auto shop, art studio, bank, farm train depot, basketball court, dinosaur exhibit and everything else you could imagine! About $14.50 for adults, $12.50 for kids & seniors. It was loaded with fun! The only disappointing parts is some of the stuff was out of order and the amazing train depot area only is on display during certain hours of the day and unfortunately during our trip we didn't get to experience the fun of that. If was a great afternoon experience watching my child play with everything and fascinated by it all at the same time. Definitely a place worth checking out if you have kids!

Super fun children's museum with tons of activities, including art stations, play kitchen, ice cream store, grocery store, dino dig, basketball court.

When this place opened eons ago, I remember passing many afternoons with my son here. He loved the play make believe and try his hand at being the mailman delivering mail or in the tiny grocery store shopping for food. There are so many different things for kids to do and get hands-on with to ignite their imaginations. Fast forward 12+ years, and I was craving a dose of nostalgia and took my grown 19 year old back to relive old times. He is a good sport and went along with me. Although he now towers over all the other kids, he cheerfully went back to some of his favorite things. Granted, MUCH has changed since we last went, but I could still appreciate some of the things that have not. I love that there are places for parents to sit nearby while the kids play, or they can opt to join the fun as well. There are so many different ways to "play" whether that's building something, making different sounds, stepping into the role of different careers or testing out different science experiments. With so many different things to see, it's easy to spend a full day here while the kids explore. Enjoy each moment-before you blink, your five year old will be 19 and only visit the museum to humor you.

After learning our lesson about the events, now having a second child and having been back countless times now I can wholeheartedly say that this place is exactly what kids 2 and up need in their lives. Each time we go my kids focus on a different part and get excited about something new. I love that it allows so much exploration and curiosity. The toys and games are open ended and interactive. After covid they have removed some of what I found to be more problematic areas and I fully enjoy my time with my kids here.

Really torn about how I feel. We visited a few months ago and I haven't had the chance to review until now. The museum COULD be worth the price. It COULD be really incredible. But during our visit so many things were broken, dirty or closed that it definitely didn't feel worth while. The employees seemed so disengaged (maybe why it was in such disarray?) and were nearly impossible to find if you needed one. The highlight was definitely the climbing structure at the beginning. Every age in our group (2-8 yrs) enjoyed that. The kids enjoyed what was open in the dramatic play areas behind that. Upstairs though was just a mess. Nothing outside was in working or playable condition. We don't live in Utah, but visit often enough. However I don't see us coming back here, unfortunately.

I've lived in salt lake for 5 years now and been to the gateway dozens of times, passing by this children's museum each and every time. Why it never occurred to me to bring my kids here is beyond me. This place is awesome! It truly does have something for pretty much all ages. I have a two year old and he could have been there playing all day. The museum is similar to the museum of natural curiosity found at thanksgiving point, but in a smaller package. This does not mean however that it's any less fun, and in some ways it's actually better. First and foremost, it's half the cost of thanksgiving point and much closer (to me at least). Next, despite the fact that it was very packed, there was never an activity that my kid couldn't participate in. The most fun sections for a two year old seemed to be the water area, and the "bee" area with all sorts of ball pit balls, and tubes with air running through them. I highly recommend checking this place out and coming back frequently with your kids if you can

Took the Two Year old Grandson there and this place is amazing Lots to do in this place Dinosaurs Interactive areas and General Fun Learning Centers The exhibits allow children hands on during their visit Highly Recommend for young kids and adults with an imagination

I was a little disappointed. I have been here many times (I don't live in Utah) and it's usually a fun afternoon. This time, I spent my $40 entry and was really irked at how many exhibits were broken or in disrepair. The floors were clean but a lot of the areas were not. The balls in the beehive were dirty, the outdoor helicopter is such a fun and cool thing but half of it was locked up and half not working or broken. And dirty (look at the phone ) The Lego area had balls and legos everywhere. The dinosaur exhibit was dirty, the microscope that was there was broken and the others missing. I saw one, very sloth like employee roaming around up there. I feel like the expensive admission entitles patrons to a very clean, up kept experience. I know it all costs money but I can honestly say I don't think we will be back again

This place was great! My daughter had a blast going through the different exhibits. She's 5, soon to be 6, and this was the perfect age! A few of the exhibits could use some maintenance, but we easily spent a few hours there. With the admission, you can come and go as you please during the day. This was probably the highlight of our trip to SLC for my daughter. She kept asking to go back. If I was a local, I would probably get an annual Pass to go. Great place to keep kids entertained in a safe area.

Not nice folks working the desk. Hard to find. The young lady working in the toy store was very nice. The prices are crazy though. Was trying to get a few toys for my 6 year old and learn some about the place to see if I would bring her back. Nope. Won't be back.

We have been two times now and are very impressed with the variety of activities and the cleanliness of the building. The staff have been friendly and come around at times to clean up toys that have been left out. I also feel this place is reasonably priced. I would definitely recommend this place to anyone with young children!

This is a must !!! Every kid dream is to just play an pretend and living the moment . So many different areas to play an dress up for whatever the area they are in , Dinosaurs scientists, baker , mechanical, helicopter driver, doctor , so much more. The kids had blast , it's really all about the kids!! Prices Adults $13.50 Kids $12.50 Seniors $12.50 Kids under 12months free. I would think the adults would be cheaper an the kids are more , since there's nothing to do for adults. It's just a kid museum. But honestly it was worth it , seeing the smiles an the excitement on the kids face . It said no food or drinks , but their food area is closed so pack snacks because they will let you bring in your snacks. Kids had a blast, they get to int

I can't believe I just paid $38 to visit this dump. So many broken displays and half of the 2nd floor was closed due to renovations. My kids (6 & 3) were done after 45 minutes. Not impressed. Thank goodness the Clark Planetarium was just across the street to save the day.

Oh my gosh. My kids loved this place! We didn't realize how hot it would be in SLC when we planned the quick trip, but once I looked at the 100+ temps, I realized all the outdoorsy and park stuff I'd considered were a no-go. I found this place, and figured it would be entertaining for the kids. My four year old was obsessed with the grocery store, and loved pretending to be a grocery store clerk. My one year-old loved it too, but for a different reason. She tried to eat all the fake food because she loves food. The mini house was also a big hit. The autoshop was adorable. There were also other fun play structures, a small piano, a large water play area, and various things to keep the kids entertained for hours.

Open on Sundays yay! Located inside the gateway mall, pretty big place that is full of interact able things but a museum. Everything is handsy so if you are worried about germs, don't come here. It's kind of gross if you think how many kids have touched all this crap. On the other hand, very fun for kids. Birthday party rooms are nice and located in the third floor. Fun activity for all ages.

I think this place is ok for up to three. After that it's Diminishing returns every time we go. Worse and worse. Save your $12 per for better museums like Leonardo

If you have toddler aged kids, this is such a great place to take them for the day and have a birthday party. Pretty stress free in terms of kids birthday parties go. You don't have to worry about planning activities for the kids to do. The birthday party room is somewhat small though so too large of a party, at least in number of adults, would be hard. All around wonderful though.

So this is a cute (little) children's museum. Honestly, it's OK. There's enough things that are fun to keep things interesting. However, there are WAY better children's museums out there. There's an outdoor patio on the 3rd level that has a helicopter and picnic tables. You can have a drink and eat snacks out there. Give yourself 2-3hrs here. I personally used the visit salt lake connect pass, so I feel like I got a better deal having a cheaper entry fee.

I cannot even believe I paid 40 dollars for us to go into that disgusting broken facility! Who is in charge? No one? This place is bad don't go. half things are broken or closed. Dirty and unkept my kids both 2 and 7 were over it before we hit the hour mark. One year we had a pass and would spend hours there. Lots has changed (and also not changed) if that makes sense. Save your money and go to a playground or Clark planetarium. Now off to hose ourselves down. Thumbs down

We absolutely love this children's museum! We stopped in while traveling through and we're amazed at all the wonderful things it had to offer! SLC is really giving so much to this place and we plan to stop in every time we come we loved it this much! Our favorite things were the large bee hive and the helicopter on the roof!

Our first time here and I can say I will never be back. I'm so disappointed at how dirty this place. Everything is so rundown for the amount of money you pay. Every ball in the beehive was dirty, the kitchen was dirty and old, the grocery store was chaos. No employee in site until the very end & we got mean mugged. Sadly, $40 down the drain.

Wonderful for our 2yo, he loved every room on the first floor at least! Parking was easy (North lot on S 400 W--on the opposite side building from the planetarium corner) walked right in. I wish there were more people helping to keep it tidy for example all the water proof coats were wet and on the floor and the kitchen play area just had the plastic food EVERYWHERE...I realize you would have to clean every hour but that's how other museums were we've been to! Regardless, beautiful place and we plan on going again before heading back to CA.

Pretty cute Children's museum. It was about $39 for the three of us - it is catered to a little bit older than our 3 year old but I did like the focus on science, arts and creativity. Our 3 year old toddler at the best time with the "pretend" city type things, esp the rescue helicopter on the roof patio.

This place has something for everyone! No not really mostly stuff for kids. Unless you're into chaos and high pitched loud noises you should save this museum for those with kids. But if you do have kids, it's a nice place for them to just play around when you're checking your emails.

I love kids museum ! And this one is really good ! Recommended ! $12.50 per all day ! My kids are exited to play here !

This place has gone full 100% panic mode. They've gotten rid of virtually all the things kids usually play with and they've closed all the best areas. Instead of a six foot rule, they only allow one family in an entire area at a time. If I'd bought a membership this year, I'd be demanding my money back. Don't come come until they decide to actually reopen. Huge waste of time and money.

It was okay a total came to $40 for an adult, a child , and a toddler which is a bit pricey if you ask me but it looks a lot bigger in the pictures was an overall it was good place.

My toddler (2 yo) loves Discovery Gateway and I see a lot of room for her to enjoy it as she grows and can take in the science exhibits on the second floor. Her favorite area is the Kid's Eye View, where everything is toddler-sized and ready to play with (no signs that say "No Touching" here!), including a great water exhibit to splash in (there are a few aprons to keep them dry), grocery store with shopping carts, play house, construction area, and more. An employee explained to me their rigorous cleaning regimens (rotation of toys, dishwasher every day for toys, cleaning crew every night, UV-light purifying system for the water display, deep cleans of the carpet regularly, etc.) but I also appreciate the hand sanitizer stations all around the museum because you know how germy kids are anyway. Mondays are the only guaranteed weekday with no school groups so it's the quietest (or so I've heard - I've only come on Mondays). Sundays are also supposed to be a great day to come. Looking forward to checking out the classes with their trained childhood educators - an employee told me a lot of parents use them in lieu of preschool. Park in the winter lot in the southwest corner and you can take the elevators right up to the museum entrance.

If you have older children, and no littles, don't waste your money. My 8 year old was bored to death. It was crowded enough that she couldn't approach any of the things she might have wanted to check out. Several of the interactive units weren't functioning. Many of the exhibits that were supposed to be hands on and include materials had no materials. I guess they don't have enough staff to monitor displays and make sure that things are returned where they belong after the last use.

Visited April 2017 with my 14 month son and he had a blast. The positive aspects of this place is that they have a section for kids 3 years and younger; in that section there's a nursing area too. There was a field trip on the day we visited, so it was a little packed. However, it died down during lunch time. We mainly stayed in there areas where my son would not get run down by kids much older than he (first level: toddler area and a small little space in the water play area). There's also a cute make-believe farm, grocery store, mechanic/service station, and construction zone) all on the first level. We didn't get to visit the upper levels so I can't really comment on that. For the most part, we had fun. Note: for those who are a bit germaphobe, you have to get past your fear because this place isn't the most sanitary. Just make sure you bring extra clothes (my son made a mess of himself in the water play area) and hand sanitizers and wipes!

This is limited to toddler ages. They didn't even have their art studio or steam room open midday on a Saturday. A waste of $60.

Honestly I usually don't give reviews. But I felt like as mom I had to. I'm not from Salt Lake, but I was driving through with my toddler and thought this would be a good thing to get some of his energy out. We spent $26 for a 3 year old and just myself to enter. First I want to start with... park on the street, don't go into the garage. The one directly connected to the museum, had homeless camped inside, it was dark and poor lighting in middle of the day. A car alarm was going off when we enter AND was still going by the time we were leaving. The elevators are broken, not going to the floor you pick, myself and another family was having this issue. Because of this issue, I took the stairs which I didn't mind BUT. I saw not one but 3 cockroaches dead on the stairs while walking up. Once we got and spent that crazy amount of $$ to get in... they did have a good variety of games and things for the Little's to do. BUT.. they were filthy. It smelled bad inside and the water smelt like mildew all around it. I heard multiple people saying they didn't want to touch their faces after cause of how dirty everything was, but... in addition... all the hand sanitisers were empty so we had to wait until we got to the car to use the one I had. As a single mom I didn't feel safe here, I was happy to leave, it had good variety of things, but for the price it was so filthy I would not return or recommend anyone to go here.

This review is purely based on the customer service I received. I booked a party for my daughters birthday which was super easy to do and they have great party options! I had an issue and needed to cancel. The team at Discovery was SUPER helpful, friendly, understanding and quick. Every year we buy a membership to different places and we will for sure be doing Discovery this year!

I keep my membership here because my kids usually enjoy coming, and it's great no matter the weather. I love that school groups get to enjoy the museum, but it's overwhelming with how crowded and busy it is most days. Monday's they don't have school groups...but my kids have school Mondays so that isn't helpful for our situation. The family membership is a great deal and we do have fun. I love that the upstairs back room rotates so there is something new to experience every few months. The outdoors medical wing is a lot of fun! I LOVE that they have shade and tables out there now. Great improvement.

We are visiting from out of town and thought this seemed fun. We spent $50 for two kids (9 and 6) and two adults (to watch as the kids play), at least half of the activities are broken. I think they need to go through and fix things, it's very disappointing. Upstairs was better and made up for a lot of things not working downstairs. The employees do a great job of keeping things in order.

We were excited to take our grandkids to the Discovery Gateway Museum while we were in Salt Lake for a wedding. It was very disappointing. Every section we visited had something broken or closed off. Most of the bank didn't work and a lot of the animals in the farm area were filthy. Cleaning was clearly not a priority. I asked one of the employees why things were not kept up, although he was very nice about it he didn't have a good explaination. A fellow Mom said things had been broken and unuseable for MONTHS! Wow, it has so much potential to be really great.

My 3 & 5 year old LOVED this place. The bee to climb in is amazing.... There is an art studio space for coloring and painting. My 5 year old stayed at the water station the rest of the time! Bring an extra shirt ;) we didn't even make it upstairs there was so much to do. Clean & nice: $50 for 2 adults & 2 kids

I took my 11-year-old and 2-year-old daughters to this museum during the day on a Friday in the summer. My eldest daughter had a voucher for a free admission from a presentation the Discovery Gateway people made to her school. Our experience was a bit underwhelming for the $26 we still had to pay. There are some pretty cool exhibits and areas for creative play, but there were so many kids (and not enough adult involvement) that the same kids seemed to hog the fun. This is what I experienced: 2 separate groups seemed to have about 10 kids each. I could tell they were part of a group by a colored smock the kids had on. Anyway, I saw the same group of kids running around and somehow getting to the front of the lines (where there were lines) and playing with the exhibit's pieces and parts. Kids will be kids. I know, I have two of them. The group mentality can kick in and there can be some reenactments of Lord of the Flies going on very quickly. There are also solo renegades who have learned that if they squirm to the play area, more polite (or shy) kids will move out of their way. My girls aren't the assertive/aggressive types, so they didn't get to play with a lot of the equipment or exhibits which most likely contributed to our feeling of underwhelm. We saw many employees there - typically young adult age females - who tried their best to keep play items within their exhibits and maintain a no-one-is-dying level of safety. I don't fault them for not trying to maintain order or fairness in the chaos because there were many parents around. Which leads me to one of my biggest pet peeves: parents who just camped out on a bench and chatted with their friends or stared at their phones while their kids were playing. Some of their kids were getting pushed around by the more aggressive types and some of their kids were the ones doing the pushing. When this happens once in a while, you can say "that's annoying/a shame," but when it happens a lot, you get the environment we experienced at the Discovery Gateway Museum. Maybe our expectations were too high. We live about 35 minutes from Salt Lake and when we go, we stay the whole day and check out the hot spots. We were excited for the Discovery Gateway Museum because we've been to plenty of fun children's museums in our time. I feel the actual square footage of the museum is too small for the number of people who visit. If they had more space, they could have more exhibits which would spread the kids out a little more. For the price of 2 adults and a 2-year-old, $26 seemed a bit pricey for the experience we had. I guess that could be our bad for not doing more investigatory work and setting our expectations according to that. Overall, I don't see us returning to this museum. Walking around City Creek where you only have to pay for parking was more enjoyable for our family.

Kicked us out and the manager was so mean to our two year old for not leaving her mask on her face. She is two and does not understand why we are trying to force her to wear it. She was devastated when we were forced to leave. I highly recommend not taking your children here especially if they are young. I'm appalled at how we were treated. The supervisor was kind, but the outcome was the same. Very disappointing.

Oh boy. Ok I have to say that I have only been (twice) on Sundays. But this place is pretty gross. On the last visit, 11/13, I walked in and was hit with a smell of sewage. As my toddler and I approached the water table I was horrified to find that the smell was coming FROM THE EXHIBIT. It was broken (as were multiple other exhibits) and apparently not being fixed nor cared for with proper chemicals/cleaning and gross, murky, standing water with filthy grime on the bottom of the tank was still open and PEOPLE WERE PLAYING IN IT. There was no hand sanitizer in any of the dispensers, most touch surfaces were covered in dark, visible, grime, and the bathrooms lacked working sinks, soap and towels. What is the cleaning protocol for this place?! This place should be closed to the public until they can get a VERY thorough cleaning done. Don't even get me started on the clumps of hair, dirt, and dust bunnies in every level of the climber. It appears as though entry fees are not going toward upkeep, cleaning, or just common amenities. Are they going out of business?

Yay, SLC! What a cute museum for kids, and surprisingly bigger than what it appeared from outside. There are two stories of fun, interactive activities, ideal for tweens and under. If you live in the area, it would be worth getting a family membership. My minus star is for the lack of events/programs such as a science demo, use of the theater, during the busy summer months.

Fun for the kids. Too bad we only had a few hours to spend here, since we were on our way to Colorado. I just thought it was funny, they had most of the bottom floor devoted to homemaking (a house, farming, cooking, grocery shopping). But I guess it's a dying art. Upstairs, there were science and building activities, which was awesome. Then outside, you can learn all about saving lives and emergency services. Have fun!

Since my last post, there have been a lot of upgrades and improvements made. Much-needed repairs have been completed and it looks like maintenance is a priority now. There are a few new exhibits and improvements have been made to existing ones. All good changes! So much so that we bought another annual pass. My kid still loves coming here, now at the age of six. We always end up staying several hours, throughout which, my kid is thoroughly engrossed and entertained!

So, as a local, I have memories of the old Childrens Museum in North Salt Lake...and feel nostalgic and miss it. But it was getting run down and old, so, on with the new... This musuem strikes me as...a huge space, with great potential...but underfunded and sparse. They continually add things, so I'm willing to give them a break, but I can't help but think about how much more efficient they could be with their space whenever I visit. However, the Salt Lake City Library System (not to be confused with the Salt Lake County Library System) offers a "community exploration pass" to library patrons on the first of every month. Free admission to 4 different locales, including--the Discovery Gateway. Otherwise, admission for an entire family can get steep. But the kids love it, they do bring in traveling exhibits, and Santa's there in December...so, 4 stars it is for the Discovery Gateway!

This museum is a "must see" for families visiting Salt Lake City. We visit a few times a year and the kids always want to come here. This trip we brought a two year old, three years old and four year old. We spent two and a half hours here! The play village offers a construction zone, a fully stocked grocery store with sandwich station , a beautiful little house complete with piano in the living room, a car mechanics garage, a farm, a garden and this time around there was a bank, complete with vault. But that's not all, there are water tables which have recently been upgraded, a baby play area, a story time, a puppet play area, an area for shadow puppets, a huge interactive ball run (which we easily spent an hour doing) building areas...wanna build race cars and race each other? And some physical play structures as well as a helicopter imaginative play landing pad and "hospital" which is located outside in a beautiful courtyard on the second floor. Some pro tips: Go right at opening: it gets busy, especially around the holidays or school breaks. Tuesday's are field trip days for the schools. Food is not allowed and there are no snack areas inside the museum but you can pack food and eat just outside the museum in some picnic tables provided. There are lockers provided for stuff. .25 cents to rent. Strollers are only allowed in certain areas.

This place gets a ton of traffic since it's right downtown and it is wearing pretty well for how many millions of ankle biters have been through. It's a value compared to Thanksgiving Point's Curiosity Museum ( about 1/3 less for the boy and I) but it's also a bit less of an attraction. Only driving half the distance is appealing as well. Here's what the boy rates as five treats: The beehive. Basically some flexible tuning all over the place with cool cranks, air power, and other ways to propel plastic balls through it. We spent far too long in this area but it was his favorite. The helicopter. Several areas of the museum are sponsored by corporations. You have a car tune up area by Ken Garff, a grocery store by Harmon's, etc. IHC has a pretty cool hospital set up on the patio with a real life flight helicopter. It was fun. Until the parents told me I had to get out and share with the children. Like I said, the place gets a ton of kids. Entire herds were wandering around. As such, there was some wear and tear in parts. Dress up and costume areas had very few costumes and most were torn and damages. Areas that required paper for art, wind tunnels, etc, we're all out of supplies. He cool recycling center to show the difference of paper, cans, and plastic didn't have any of the stuff to show. It's a good value for a kids' museum and your booger eaters will have fun here. Just don't expect perfection and you'll be in great shape.

This museum here is the bees knees! Why am I using twenties terminology? Because I can. Anyhow. As we were only visiting, we purchased a special three month pass for our family of six for only $60 or so. There months pass for a week and a half? Considering a single visit at regular admission price ($9.50/person) would have put us out $57, it was a deal! Although the museum isn't the most fabulous museum I've been to (That one is in San Hose), it is definitely ten times better than the one we have in Hawaii. It does a pretty good job entertaining the little ones. My son barely made it into the place as his attention was captivated by the plastic ball area in the entryway. The kid can put plastic balls in tubes for so long his father and grandfather fell asleep. My girls loved the town area that has a house, construction area, a store, a farm, and a water play section. There's also a section for little ones three and under where they can supposedly play without getting trampled, but there always seemed to be larger children wreaking havoc in it. Upstairs is a bit more scientific with offerings for the big kids like recording a newscast, making a movie, magnets, experiments, etc. There was also a special "Bob the Builder" exhibit that I found supremely unexciting, but my three year old enjoyed it so I suppose it appeals to the wee ones. My husband, two older children, and his poor friend and friend's daughter were held captive in a science demonstration that we were coerced into signing up for at the front desk. It sounded magical. It was not. It was okay, but nothing exploded and it ran for a SOLID HOUR. I assumed it would be a good half hour at the most considering the age recommendation was four years old and up but it was soooo long. And I wasn't even inside unlike my husband who, when I peered into the window, seemed to be asleep on his desk. But overall, bees knees. If we lived in Utah we would be there often. And not just because it's located in a mall full of glorious shops mommy loves... OH! Best part. Exiting through the gift shop and hearing the worker mutter (while a child outside screamed it's little head off) "Ah, my favorite sound. Shoot me now." Ha!

My kids really love this place. The birds eye view where it's a small town is so fun for imaginary play. They love the Harmon's grocery store and the house. The water play area is super fun too. Be prepared to have the little ones get wet. There is an outside area with a helicopter and a small medical center. My older kids could have just played out there the whole time. The whole museum seems a little run down. I think it could use some updating but I have heard they are working on that. Be prepared to exit out the gift shop and have your kids ask for everything in there. You can get a validation for the parking garage for $1 for 3 hours.

A really nice place for the kiddos. All sorts of activities for them to do and all of them are fun, Fun, FUN! The only hard part is parking. It's in a downtown area that means if you have a vehicle that doesn't fit in a parking garage, then you'll have to find street parking.