This Is The Place Heritage Park

We went for the Candlelight Christmas experience just one day before its last opening—and it was such a lovely evening. There was a line for admission, but it moved smoothly and wasn’t bad at all. The weather was unbelievably warm for late December in Utah—honestly felt more like California 🤣. Each house had different demonstrations and activities, which made walking through the park really engaging. Everyone we encountered was friendly, and the whole event felt especially welcoming for families with kids. A charming and festive way to celebrate the season!

Such a beautiful and fun place to visit! I loved exploring the historic village and learning about Utah’s pioneer history. The staff in period costumes were super friendly and made the experience feel authentic. Great for families, there’s a petting zoo, train rides, and lots of hands-on activities for kids. The mountain and city views are amazing too! Everything was clean, well-organized, and full of charm. Definitely one of the best spots to visit in Salt Lake City if you want history, nature, and fun all in one place.

It has been years since I last visited this historic site and I am pleased with the positive changes. There are several large parking areas and so many attractions including gift shops and clean restrooms. The main feature is of course the huge bigger than life statues depicting historical events and peoples who explored and developed this region. There is even a village depiction early settlers life which might take hours to property explore and for which there is an entry charge. The lure of donuts and Dole whip was also enticing. I especially enjoyed the view is the Salt Lake valley as well as the monument in memory of those who dared to dream of a better life.

Held a wedding event at the Kimball Home. Everything was beautiful! The setting is gorgeous! Most of the staff were very helpful. We did have one on site employee during the event that was quite rude with any questions we asked her. Everyone else was phenomenal to work with and very responsive. There is plenty of parking for guests. Only gave 4 stars due to the lack of air conditioning in the kitchen (too HOT to work in for a September event, wouldn’t be able to use at all for a hotter month event) and no fridge shelves in the refrigerator. I did ask prior to the event if there was AC in the kitchen and was told there was. But there was not. We had to change plans last minute due to the extreme heat in the kitchen.

I only walked around the grounds, but worth the stop to see the impressive statues representing important figures in SLC history, plus beautiful views of the valley.

We always enjoy This Is the Place Heritage Park. The history, the beautiful view of Salt Lake Valley, and the staff that bring the history alive. Seeing the village all lit up at night for the Candleligjt Christmas was so different than our regular daytime visits. My favorite activities included the live nativity! The animals were asleep, so we had to be extra quiet and that made the Holy Family even more special! Learning a polka at the school had a wonderful sense of community! There were even free cookies and wassail to taste! And several other hands-on activities and hot cocoa, Brigham's mini donuts and other food to buy! That was a lovely new Christmas activity that I look forward to doing again!

I would like to give special recognition for the outstanding hospitality service and genuine enthusiasm for serving others. I have visited this place many times with family and friends, and this is the first time I have encountered someone with such authentic kindness and a true willingness to go above and beyond. Her attention, positive attitude, and warmth truly make a difference and create a memorable experience. She not only does her job well, but does it with passion and a sincere desire to help, which is something rare to find today. If you ever visit this place, do not hesitate to ask for her—you will have a wonderful experience and feel welcomed from the very first moment.

This is the Place Heritage Park is an amazing, must-go place during the winter months! The Candlelight Christmas program they do each winter is truly amazing! Not only do they have a ton of the buildings open to see, they have people stationed in each to tell you about each building and their purpose. Brigham's Donuts, though? It might be a little pricey, but I guarantee you, it is so worth it! They are served warm and fresh, and are soft, delicious, and amazing! In the Brigham Young Academy building, it gives not only the history of the building itself, but says its significance and that the funds it receives comes not only from visitors but also from donations and a small sum of state funds. I have not as of yet gone during the warmer times of the year, but I hope to come again this summer and take part in the full experience.

This was one of the destinations from our tour bus. Unfortunately, the tour guide only gave us 20 mins to explore the area. A historic place with many statues on site. They were definitely worth the photo op. I saw other family going on train rides that would take you from one place to another. If you want to enter the zoo, there was an admission fee. Also there were pony rides for the kids to enjoy. Once you are done, there was a gift store available to shop for soverniers. If you want to spend most of your time here especially when you have kids or enjoy a family fun, I would avoid booking a tour. I believe the vistors parking is free.

Advice! When you get in, after you view the visitor center, take the tram for the complete circuit of the overall park. The guide will give you the overview of the perimeter and you can decide what to see - or if you see everything. The entire park is a tribute to the heritage of the area from before the Mormons arrived in the late 1840s. It ranges from a tepee and hogans for Native Americans, to settler cabins to many buildings spanning various time period over the next 100 years. Very pleasant guides in many of the buildings - who are eager to share their knowledge. The park is "more or less" a big rectangle that is roughly 4 city blocks by 3 city blocks with a couple of sites just outside of the rectangle. There were guides in nearly every building in Main St - which runs through the center. In total, we saw nearly all of it in 4 hours - got lunch there - and covered over 3 miles on foot.

I was pleasantly surprised with how much there is to do here! There are so many buildings to look at, history to learn, activities for kids to do, crafts, food and fun! We've been here twice with the kids and are never able to fit every single activity they offer here in one stay. My kids particularly love the train, the pony rides and visiting the goats, eating the Brigham donuts, fishing for gold and making leather straps!

I went to a special event here, and the event was amazing (an Edgar Alan Poe Speakeasy!), and the venue created the perfect ambiance for the event. Parking is easy and accessible. The venue was large and clean. The historic building added a delightful vibe to the event! I was impressed and had no idea this venue would offer such fun and exciting vibes for events.

Christkindlmarkt slc one weekend a year. The best, so fun, fabulous food. Awesome variety of German fair and all kinds of goodies for sale. Any one can enjoy walking around. You can sign up to be a part of the lantern parade. My favorite highlights are the performances on the stage and the people in costumes walking around they make it all the more festive for food I like the raclatte, pretzel w/ mustard and the chimney roll is very desirable.

What a fantastic outing we all had here. Decent prices for the admission and of course, my favorite was the farm. The little walkway through the goats was super fun and they were loving the attention. We went on a weekday where there wasn't any kids or school groups and us adults enjoyed it. We all happily stopped in the candy store too. Imwhen the weather is beautiful this is a fun place to stroll and learn a little about the history of the area and how they got here.

Very spacious and historically interesting place. It reminds me of Gardner Village, only A LOT bigger, but not quite as cute:) Still, my family and I had an enjoyable experience here:) Thanks!

This place is fun. My favorite time to come is in the fall when they do their event "Little Haunts". Your littles can wear their Halloween costumes and trick or treat. My 1 and a half year old daughter loved it last year. We both had fun. There is a fun train too.

Excellent place for family fun!! So much history and interactive events and program for kids. Each location has a rep there to explain the history, events and how it impacted (supported) the town (settlers). There is a train that takes you all the way around the park. it does have pre-set stops that you can get on and off as you please. There are so many interactive events for kids to enjoy and help learn about history (build your own cabin, panning for gold, and bead making.leather stamping and other activities) alone with a petting zoo and animals. A beautiful children's memorial path is on location torwards the back right side of the park. Its touching to hear the stories and seeing all the names of the children that died on the trail while the settlers headed this way. Check their web site for future events...holidays the go all out.

Wow! THIS IS THE PLACE. Thank you, Yelp! I would not have known this place without you. If you are in the area and have kids, make a point to go here. We took my 3 year old grandson here to enjoy our trip to Salt Lake City. We didn't know where to go, so I looked up places on Yelp. This popped up. After breakfast, this was where we headed. We had time to kill since we couldn't check into the rental until 1:30. Arrived at around 9:45. Purchased tickets to go. Very reasonable, considering the different activities available. Lots of walking....walked and looked through several homes and buildings. Each area had someone giving you a history of each area. To go back in time and imagine how the Pioneers lived. It's hard to imagine a mom with 13 kids in such a small space equivalent to a master bathroom as a house! There are numerous displays of actual activity, such as watching a blacksmith, tinsmith?, working farm, riding a pony, and the list goes on and on. Kids can pan for gold and take it to the bank to see how much it's worth. There is an ice cream parlor, a grill to order food, and so much more. Petting zoo, a park, and many picnic areas. We went on train rides to take us from one stop to another to minimize the walking. The staff were very friendly and each one knows a lot about the history of the place. There are a lot of statues and displays of historical information. It is definitely a place that would require you to come back because there is so much to see. The best part is that each activity does not charge an additional fee. It is part of the admission fee you pay. Most places you have to buy a ticket or pay a fee for a pony ride, petting zoo, etc, not here. The gift store is a plethora of everything. From candles to holiday items. You can easily get lost in there. My grandson, the shopper, didn't know what he wanted. There were so much to choose from. I quickly had to get out of there for fear of making a large purchase. We enjoyed our visit to this place and I highly recommend it. I felt like we only scratched the surface because there was so much to do, but we were exhausted since we had to be at the airport at 3 in the morning.

We held our High School Prom at The Garden Place last weekend and they were fantastic to work with from beginning to end. The Garden Place is beautiful and ideal for any event. The setting is lovely. The staff was helpful through every step of the planning process. Everyone commented on the stunning backdrop to the event. It was a perfect venue for a Spring formal

I was expecting more of an educational experience but instead I encountered so many discrepancies among the "historical" buildings. I walked in knowing this is an LDS focused area but didn't realize history would be altered in the process. For example, at the splash pad there's a plaque that states they were the first to bring irrigation to the west. Clearly, dismissing the fact that the indigenous having been irrigating the west for thousands of years. The leather stamping was an interesting activity but there was no history or story behind the significance of leather work. We stopped in the school house which had a little more input and the worker was sweet and trying her best. She shared with us that Brigham Young had developed his own alphabet to be phonetically based spelling. Though it was interesting there was no mention of the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) developed during the same time period by doctors. Honestly, I only know that because I was a speech therapist. It's so cool that the LDS church tried to do something similar during that time, but acknowledging that there actually is a phonetic alphabet would be so beneficial to little learners. My family settled in the west in the 1870's so it's important to me to celebrate and learn about pioneers while also acknowledging and appreciating those who were there first. That is not the point of "This is the Place" so just keep that in mind. I highly suggest any other activity in the area. Salt Lake City is home to some of the most amazing museums, zoo, and activities for your family; in my opinion this is not "the place".

The only people there on a snowy Sunday! Outdoor attractions were closed. Large, quiet. Gift shop has coffee and hot chocolate. The main walking areas are ice free due to electrical heating. It would benefit from an ice-free drop off area.

Loved visiting this place with my whole family. Charming, takes you back in time. I hope to go again soon.

This is a very interesting place to visit. We went on a perfect day. There was a train that went around the place. It's interesting how they moved a few original houses in Utah to this place. It was very cool to check out the inside of the house and how they lived in the olden days. There was a snack shop and a small dining place. The food was great. This is a great place to check out and see how the original Utah settlers lived.

The park was great! However we went to the restaurant there at the huntsman inn and the service was terrible. The waitress called out the wrong number so our food went to another family (they took it because it was their number that was called). When we asked the hostess when our food was coming out they said they called the number (they did not). The waitress came out and started arguing with us and told us to just take the food off of the table of the other family. We explained that the family had already gone through it and started eating off of it and they CONTINUED to argue with us saying it was not their fault and they will not re make the food. Eventually another worker came out and said they will re make the food. It was the worst customer service experience I have ever had. The prices were expensive for what you got on top of that. I will not be going back, I will also recommend that people NOT go to the inn to eat.

This is a pretty good heritage park interactive museum especially for someone who is not familiar with Mormon History, and the life and hardships they had to overcome when they entered the Salt Lake Valley. A new memorial was just dedicated to the children that had lost their lives making the trek along the pioneer trail. Very sad actually. It's a beautiful memorial, and worth a visit as you sit and contemplate what it must have been like for these pioneers, and their children. Today was Dog Day of Summer where you were encouraged to bring your dog. They had vendors specific for animals, and watering stations through out the park. Which was really nice for the doggies. This is annual event, and tickets were discounted to get in. If you've never been, I suggest riding the choo-choo train around the park so that you can see which area would be of interest to you. I am a huge Native American lover, and was glad to see that they have a section of the park dedicated to the Indians that helped the pioneers to survive. They have demonstrations at certain times if interested in watching their magnificent dancing, and learning about their crafts, and way of life. They have a bigger, and better souvenir shop. Lots of beautiful, and high quality Indian jewelry with all the other things you would find in a souvenir shop, petting area with pet friendly animals, pony rides, panning for gold, play area for small children and a splash pad. Take an afternoon, and transport yourself back to another time, and place in history, and contemplate how your life would have been living the pioneer life, which to me seems simpler, at least compared to today's life which so full of too much technology.

Recently visited here with six grandchildren and three of their parents. While we enjoyed our visit and stayed for several hours however we felt somewhat cheated. We were charged full price for admission (cod the math- close to $150.00!!) but we were unable to visit several exhibits as they were closed. Why were we charged full price but not given the full experience????

This is a GREAT place! My granddaughter loves the pony rides, ZCMI toy store and the spontaneous dancing in the streets (square dancing.... to impropmtu concerts by gifted musicians!). Highly recommend!

We went to the Christlkindlmkt Festival held here and it was so much fun! Craft booths full of Christmas decor from German, Russian or Norwegian crafters. Lots of people wearing their lederhosen outfits. Lots of delicious food booths...creative new treats on sticks. Happy place to go for free! Weather was perfect. Great time with friends. 11am- 8 pm Dec 1-4 only

There is a whole day of things to do and see at this place. Getting here on a weekday at 9:45 is great! You can jump right into what your want to do before it's really hot. We spent roughly 6hrs here with plenty of time playing at the splash pad, playground, stream, and visited nearly all the sites and buildings. There are activities and crafts that are included in your ticket purchase. The train to get around the park is included. Good and gifts are available for extra at a few spots. We had a good time. I wish I had remembered a water bottle and some snacks and sandwiches. Although we did wear swimsuits and bring towels and sunscreen, those are a must! Note: I bought the "Visit Salt Lake Connect Pass" to get discounts on entry to this spot and others. I bought the pass on Groupon for another discount, and used Rakuten for a discount on top of that as well.

So fun and interesting! Been on several field trips with 1st graders and 4th graders. The "pioneers" really make it interactive and fun for the kids-- carding and spinning wool, a pretend shave at the barber shop, learning the Deseret alphabet at the schoolhouse, beating rugs, ploughing the garden, pony rides, a train ride, storytelling... It's a fabulous way for kids to learn history and have fun. I've also enjoyed several "special events" here, especially Chriskindlmarkt. It's magical!

Came here at night the day after it snowed during candlelight Christmas. It was $5 to get in and it is totally worth it. There are several buildings where you can do different activities. I tried Brigham's Donuts and they are so good. In the different buildings you can roll your own candle out of beeswax, learn a line dance, see a live nativity scene, visit an old-school candy store, help tie a Garland together, and learn about how people lived back in the day.

This was a great place to visit while we were here in Utah. It's kinda cool to say I walked where Brigham Young once walked. There is a gift shop and museum also. We weren't able to go in because of covid 19. I definitely plan to come visit again when things are open.

I fully intend on updating this review once summertime comes, because I can't wait to come back. But I was here for winter, and the big Christmas celebration they do, and it was darn fun. Why haven't I been making this an annual tradition? As Christmas goes, it's really remarkable. Most of the pioneer homes along the street here are fitted with something unique, and you have a grand adventure all evening as you visit each one and see what it holds. In one, you get to make your own beeswax candle. In another, you tie a fabric garland. In yet another, there are donuts; another, wassail. There's a living nativity. A blacksmith. Artisan goods for sale. Leatherworking. Carolers. Quilting and DIY crafts. A little ride to take you along the streets. It's Christmas magic! That brings me to the summertime. It's been 16 years since I was here, and my last visit was only to walk through and not spend any time there. So perhaps I haven't been since I was a kid, and that's a shame! It's a big ol' slice of living Utah history. If you have friends in from out of town--particularly families or people with kids--this is the place to take them, pun intended. See you in summer!

This is the place is a great location. I have been here numerous times for weddings, parties, Halloween festivities, Christmas festivities, and today the German festival. I can't pronounce the name of it so I won't even try. It was full of shops and booths of German vendors and German food. They had entertainment as well. It was very fun to walk around and see all of the different things. We had crapes for lunch. That were pretty delicious!

Went horseback riding here and that was super fun. Everything else was pretty underwhelming. The view was nice and it was so hot during the summer. I recommend coming here if you have an activity.

My friend had her wedding here yesterday. The event started at 4:30. As the event started, a guy showed up with a ladder to do something with lights that we never actually saw. The venue had all day to get the lights fixed. Or the entire next day when the building was closed. But instead, they chose to call this person in during a wedding because "they thought it would be fast." Be wary of having an event here. The rental cost is a lot. Enough that you shouldn't have to worry about construction happening while the event is occurring.

I'm sure you can tell if you read all my reviews that I'm a sucker for museums and historical sights. This is one of the better ones I've been to in recent years. The whole setup is fantastic. I love the little train that runs around the property and all the interactive stuff. The workers are all friendly and helpful and it's just a beautiful place. Well Done!

Beautiful location a lot to see and do! I was visiting as part of the art in the park event which was fabulous! I hope they do it again!

Highly educational and highly recommend. We spent half a day here, but could have stayed longer. My children loved it, and so did I.

Our entire family enjoyed this place. My children could have spent hours just panning for gold and digging up jewels. The people at all of the locations were extremely friendly. Don't be afraid to ask questions and pretend like you are a customer. My kids got a "shave" at the barber shop, got to experience a printing press, and watch a guy make pottery. I just wish we had more time and that the donut place hadn't closed early that day. A couple tips: Bring your own plastic bags to put your "gold" in. It's $1 per person to dig for jewels. My kids loved it and it was worth it. Each person gets 3 activities for their wristband. You can always use yours for your kid to do things as well. You may want to bring swimsuits for your child to play in the water.

This place was truly special and magical. A step back in time with pristine replicas of old houses. Everything was beautifully done and gave a good sense of life for early pioneers. Each building had a plaque with it's history and someone inside to chat with. We went during the little haunts celebration and it was by far our kid's favorite memory of our trip to Utah. This is truly such a gem of a place with great care taken to make sure the grounds are well kept and employees are friendly. I loved the buildings, petting zoo, playground and my favorite was the choo choo at the top of the hill with the best view of SLC. Cannot wait to come back and visit again.

My tour bus stopped here for a 20 minute stop at the gift shop, since I wasn't interested in any of the treasures inside, I turned my attention to two treasures on the park grounds. There is a statue of Joseph Smith and Brigham Young entitled "Eyes Westward". It shows the two Mormon pioneers holding a map and looking forward. It has a long descriptive plaque describing the story of the Mormons expedition to Utah. The second treasure is an enormous monument named "This is the Place" - referring to Brigham Young's words when the Mormons stopped to settle in what is now Salt Lake City. The centerpiece of the monument is a huge stone obelisk with full body sculptures of Smith and Young atop the structure. Look at the detail on this monument! There are dozens of sculpted panels and sculptures everywhere. Cowboys, farmers, pioneers, covered wagons, Indians, soldiers. It's a treasure chest of artistic achievement and story telling. It is awesome.

This place is so great for kids! The membership fee is really reasonable and there is so much to do, particularly in the summer. They have pony rides and panning for gold. They also have a fun little train and an amazing playground. What I also love about This is the Place is that they have great events throughout the year, such as the Christkindlmarket. We came here over the recent holiday and were able to meet Santa, get some gingerbread cookies, and make a craft. Can't wait to return.

My cousin was visiting from Taiwan and wanted to try out horseback riding. We booked online for an hour ride. Arrived 15 minutes prior to our appointment time to sign waivers. The barn is easy to find. Was a beautiful day for a leisure ride with some good views. There was about 7 people in our group, rising in a single file line bookended by the professionals. Great price and something fun to do! I would say I wish there was slightly more instructions and info before we started riding. But that's just the slight OCD in me. Had a great time!

Not a bad place to spend a few hours with the kids. There are animals, including some that can be petted, play areas, a "train," towering statues and tons of refurbished historic structures approximating a growing frontier town. They even sneak in a few nods to the local native people and non-Mormon faiths here and there. First, let me complain that the "train" is not really a train. It's just a street vehicle with tires pulling little carts over an asphault road. It's mocked up to be train-like, but a discerning youngster will know the difference and may be disappointed. Some of the historic buildings are interesting, but the history itself is presented with little depth from the perspective of heroic settlers; a happy story of Anglos making the world a better place. Some of the kids areas are really cool. There's a big ship they can climb all over near a shallow articial stream and a real pond. Another area is a mini-village with pint-sized period houses. The animal area is fun and features goats, sheep, ducks, horses, rabbits and the like. Pony rides are only available some of the time, since it was closed on our visit. We went on a Sunday and I think this was a good choice. The place was virtually empty. The bathrooms by the Kid's Village were locked however which reminds me that Sundays run with a skeleton crew here, so try to check before coming exactly what features here are open or not. Overall I'd suggest skipping this place and hitting the similar, and less ideological, Wheeler Farm. It's free. But, if you're interested in Mormonism or want the "train" experience, luxurious gift shop, or historic village, it's worth the price of admission.

During the holiday season, most of the buildings are open. Many staffed by knowledgeable folks. Some have arts and crafts, others dancing, others food. Some of the buildings are original, relocated from their pioneer locations; others are modern replicas. They have a train, horse-drawn cart, and nativity. It is getting more popular every year. So plan accordingly.

My daughter and I have lived here in Salt Lake City for almost 5 years but we'd never been to the This is the Place Heritage Park so we decided to finally check it out. While the park itself was fine, probably more fun for my daughter than myself, there wasn't anything special or outstanding about the place. However, my daughter and I are serial membership collectors because we like to return to places to explore things we may have missed our first time. The park has an ad, in the form of a brochure, that states you can apply your admission toward a membership at the end of the day. All well and good, lots of places do this. However, when we exited the park and went to do just that, the woman behind the counter (not her fault) told us that we could not get the Duo membership for the two of us because it was designed for 2 adults. In order to get a membership for the two of us, we would have to pay an additional $25 to upgrade to the Basic membership. In other words, in order to get a membership for a family of two - one being an 8-year-old girl with reduced admission cost (my wife died two years ago), I would have to pay $25 extra. Not wanting to be unreasonable or unfair to an otherwise decent place to go (mediocre at best), I decided to reach out to the customer service via their website. That was two weeks ago and they still haven't returned my email with even so much as a "we acknowledge you've sent us an email" reply so I'm posting this very public review instead. Maybe this will get their attention. If you don't have a traditional family a.k.a. two parents and child(ren), this place will discriminate against you. Sadly, when researching who owns the place so I could complain directly to them, I discovered this park is owned and run by the State of Utah. Excellent family values, Utah. "Sorry your wife died and left you a widower, but a membership for two people will now cost you an extra $25, sir."

After my negative initial experience at "This is the place heritage park" I decided to give the park another chance during the summer season. This park is quite large and there's lots to see and do when all the activities are accessible. My family and I spend a good 3 hours in the park and we weren't able to see everything during that time. However, we did have a good time. I was a bit astonished in the difference between the limited season and the summer season. It's almost not worth going to the limited season as there's very little to do and see.

A great place to learn about Utah and Pioneer history! They keep it fun with leatherwork, Indian crafts, gold mining, school lessons, a splash pad in the summer, etc. They also have trail rides for an additional fee, which my niece and I LOVED. We've always had friendly staff who are very knowledgeable and keep it real with their costumes, speech, etc. Lots of fun!

Really fun place. We loved hearing about all the history of Salt Lake and the LDS church. The baby animals in the spring is fun. If you go during a time when the train isn't running you get in free (at least we did). You really don't need to ride the train to get a good experience here. There are plenty of guides in every building that will tell you stories. Plus it's right across from the Hogle Zoo and down the road from one of the best Breakfast joints in Utah (Ruth's Diner) so this is really the perfect place to spend a Saturday.

Very enjoyable destination for an outing, especially if you like historical reenactment villages, which I do. Take a step back in time, its living history here. Historians and preservationists have taken original, historic cabins and village buildings and carefully re-erected them here; there is a chapel, a general store, cabins, farm buildings with horses and sheep, and cast members are dressed in period costumes, actually living the parts. They will demonstrate and teach you pioneer dancing, candle dipping, blacksmithing and other pioneer crafts. I love holidays here, and had a blast one Halloween with their presentation of scarey stories held in tiny candle lit cabins. A number of these original buildings are actually haunted and its quite chilling to hear skilled storytellers tell you the stories, right there in the cottages. They also have a Sleepy Hollow presentation too. I love their Candlelight Christmas celebration. During holiday times there is food served in the dining hall and live musicians play for dancing and also at Christmas, carolling. Highly recommended and very enjoyable, for both kids and adults. The park is really more like a large village, so it is big enough that you can wander off and away from people, on the dirt pathways, and get a feel for how it might have felt to come into the valley there, marvel at the nice views, and feel like you're viewing the valley from a mountain field, back in time, right there in the city. Here's a little review http://www.utah.com/stateparks/this_place.htm

Super disorganized, and the barn with the baby animals is closed. They advertise baby animal days all over the place, but are not delivering. Very disappointed. The kid is amused with the little houses and freshly fried donuts, but my sadness at not petting a furry cow cannot be taken away with mere donuts.

My kids (18 months and 3.5 years old) LOVE this place! And ask to visit at least weekly. They love the big and little train, the new playground which is so much fun! (Would be even better if they would put up sunshades), the animals, pony rides, etc. I love how large the area is, and that we get good exercise and it not only tires my kiddos out, but it's good exercise for me too. If I could only have one membership in Salt Lake, this would be it.

The mission of This Is the Place Heritage Park is to "preserve and promote the heritage and history of Utah." This 450-acre Utah State Park allows visitors the opportunity to step back in time and experience what 19th Century frontier life in Utah was like. You can watch wool being carded and spun into yarn, learn more native plant dyes, watch quilting demonstrations, learn about farming techniques at the time, and other domestic skills. As their web site states: "A visit to the Park is not a tour of historic artifacts behind velvet ropes and glass, but a true experience of life as it was in the early days of the West." This makes the Park a great place for the family because kids aren't going to be bored by some stuffy museum. During the holidays This Is the Place Heritage Park celebrates Christmas with a "Candlelight Christmas." The Park is decorated like a Currier & Ives card during Christmas and you can visit with Father Christmas and see live reindeer, enjoy carolers, take part in crafts and art projects, and celebrate Christmas 19th Century style. We attended this a few years back and had a lot of fun. If you are looking for a unique family activity for the holidays this is worth checking out. Just make sure to bundle up because it can be very cold at night. This Is the Place Heritage Park is also home to other activities and events throughout the year and can even be home to your event or wedding! They offer dozens of historic buildings that can be rented for a variety of activities and occasions. How about a 19th Century themed wedding? Visit their web site for more information.

Took the family here for an afternoon and we had a lot of fun. Our little ones were able to experience life as a pioneer while having some fun. We took the little train ride Around the park, petted some animals, rode a horse, washed some clothes on a washboard, watched some leather working, tilled the garden and took in the beautiful SLC view. Our kids loves it and didn't want to leave! They also have a cute little gift shop. The biggest bummer was that we went on a weekday in the Fall so some of the events were not taking place and the doughnut shop was closed (a bit of a bummer). We will definitely come back when it is running at full capacity.

This place was very disappointing. We went there for a school feild trip and wow, was that the worst 4 hours of my life. The employees there did not give us a good experience. They were very inappropriate and boring, as all they did was talk. They had made many drug references and also sexual references. They had only let us go to 4 certain places when there were candy stores and gift shops right next to them, but we couldn't go into them. We also went to the worst places there. All they did was talk and not let us do anything else. The news printing guy was very rude and harsh and even made one of the students cry by calling her stupid. This happened because she hadn't answered the question correctly. It was also unfair for the guys as they got to sit on the floor, while everyone else sat on the benches. I know it was part of the "1850s experience", but the floor was dirty. This was a very boring and stupid place to go. The Hogle Zoo is right next to it, so go there!! Don't put your children through a terrible experience, like what we got.

Great historical site with well-tended grounds. There is an area with picnic tables and a gift shop. Plenty of parking, even for tour buses. There are stone benches near the monuments so you can rest or take photos.