10 Best Museums in Salt Lake City

The National History Museum of Utah is home to more than 1.6 million objects and archaeological specimens. The museum’s galleries primarily explore the distinct natural environments and native cultures of Utah and the West.

Visit Past Worlds to see some of the best of what the museum has to offer in its palaeontology exhibits. Learn what dinosaurs were native to Utah and visit the palaeontology lab, the museum’s working research facility where you can watch palaeontologists at work. The Great Salt Lake exhibit is another highlight; it explores the precise biology and geology of the lake and its surrounding ecosystem and showcases the fossilised shells and bones of ancient creatures that once lived in the lake.

Explore the crossroads of science, art, and technology at the Leonardo, a highly interactive museum in city centre Salt Lake City. The museum’s inspiration that art and science inform and enhance each other and therefore should be studied together comes from Renaissance artist and inventor Leonardo da Vinci.

Visitors learn about the principles of flight, one of da Vinci’s favourite subjects, through flight simulators and interactive exhibits using real planes, helicopters, and other flying machines. Investigate human perception through a series of optical illusions or reach into a massive LEGO pit and experiment with your own creative process. The museum also boasts excellent temporary exhibitions on the Dead Sea Scrolls, Pompeii, Banksy, and Kandinsky.

The Butterfly Biosphere at Thanksgiving Point houses a variety of exotic butterflies in a lush indoor space simulating the natural environments of the resident species. Explore the various habitats and see more than 1,000 live butterflies and other insects such as praying mantises and stick bugs.

In daily Creature Encounters, you can hold a friendly insect and learn about the important role insects play in Earth’s ecosystems. On select days, visitors can tour the on-site lab with an entomologist and even participate in the release of a newly emerged butterfly.

Children’s museum Discovery Gateway is designed to encourage children to discover, experiment, design, and collaborate. Galleries emphasise hands-on activities that explore STEAM principles and engage children with each other and the natural world.

Children can experience what it’s like to be a doctor or firefighter in the child-sized cityscape Kid’s Eye View or experiment with the laws of physics on a pinewood derby track at DG Derby. In the warmer months, hop inside a real helicopter on the terrace or learn about plants and the science of composting in the Garden. With plenty of opportunities to learn, play, and create, any child will find something to enjoy at Discovery Gateway.

Connect to the wonder of the cosmos at the Clark Planetarium, a science museum promoting public understanding of astronomy and space exploration. The planetarium’s exceptional exhibits are highly interactive and free – the only admission fees are to the laser light shows and the planetarium’s IMAX theatre.

Exhibits cover topics such as gravity, magnetic fields, and weather on Earth and in space. They incorporate plenty of games and activities. Check out the tornado simulator, touch a giant meteorite, or hop in a rover and collect resources on Jupiter’s Io moon in an immersive exhibit that gives you a closeup view of our solar system’s biggest planet.

The Utah Museum of Fine Arts has a small but powerful collection of global art objects spanning 5,000 years. Located on the University of Utah campus, the diverse permanent collection includes contemporary art, Hindu sculpture, and paintings from various periods in European art history. The museum also hosts a variety of exhibitions on subjects including American landscape photography and cartography in quilting.

Of note are the museum’s award-winning galleries, which explore critical responses to American expansionism and the displacement of indigenous peoples. The galleries showcase paintings, sculptures, and photographs, and they highlight diverse creators including women and artists of colour.

There’s always something new on display at the Utah Museum of Contemporary Art. A modern art space with six galleries housing rotating exhibitions, the museum presents local, national, and international artists working in a wide variety of media and styles. Museum admission is pay what you wish.

Originally established in the 1930s as the Art Barn, the intention was to create a space for local art to be fostered, displayed, and sold. In this spirit, the museum allocates one of the galleries to its artist-in-residence and has an art shop that sells works by local artists.

The Utah Sports Hall of Fame Museum celebrates the achievements of the state’s most accomplished athletes and sports figures. A hidden gem that sports enthusiasts will love, the museum has exhibits that showcase outstanding Utah athletes in basketball, football, baseball, skiing, and other sports.

View memorabilia and uniforms and learn about the history of sports in Utah as well as the impact that sports have had on the state’s culture and economy. The museum also has some interactive exhibits, including a VR experience where you can try out the luge.

Created by the nonprofit Utah Arts Alliance, Dreamscapes is an immersive art exhibit featuring a variety of surreal environments for visitors to explore. It’s the culmination of efforts by more than 100 artists, builders, and audio-visual wizards. The exhibit is built from upcycled and reclaimed materials.

Each dreamscape is highly imaginative, and some have interactive elements or make use of VR for a more immersive experience. Whether you’re diving into a submerged salon, wandering in a field of 5,000 handmade flowers, or meeting with a rainbow dragon in the clouds, you’re sure to encounter something that inspires you to dream.

The Chase Home Museum is a small collection of folk art and crafts from Utah’s diverse cultural communities. It lives in the historic Chase Home, built in 1854 in the centre of a 110-acre farm now known as Liberty Park. The home was built in the Greek Revival style, popular with early Mormon builders, and is one of the oldest homes in the city.

Exhibits highlight the rich cultural heritage of Utah’s ethnic and religious groups, including Native American, Mexican, Scandinavian, and Mormon. On display are musical instruments, masks, and traditional crafts such as pottery, beadwork, and quilting. The museum also hosts events such as the Scandinavian Heritage Festival and traditional Native American music and dance performances throughout the year.