Why a Day Trip to Thanksgiving Point is a Must

Thanksgiving Point is located at the point of the mountain in Utah County in Utah. It is a short drive from Provo or Salt Lake City. And let me tell you that it is worth the drive.

If you are planning a visit to Salt Lake City, Utah then you HAVE to make time to go to Thanksgiving Point. Kids of all ages will be able to find something that they love.

This is not a sponsored blog post. They have no idea I exist. Haha!

Important Info about Thanksgiving Point

• website can be found here
• Hours: Monday-Saturday 10:00 am-8:00 pm, closed Sunday
• Address: 3003 North Thanksgiving Way, Lehi, UT 84043
• Number: (801) 768-2300
• Prices: range from $10-$20
• Museum of Ancient Life
• Ashton Gardens
• Museum of Natural Curiosity
• Farm Country
• Mammoth Screen Theater
• Golf
• Spa
• Larry H. Miller Megaplex Theater

Thanksgiving Point has so much to offer it is hard to get everything done in a day. We picked the things my children would have the most fun doing. We asked what they wanted to do as well.

First let me say that for each of the museums there is a separate entrance fee. This is a total bummer and it can get expensive. You easily spend a full day at many of the museums.

If you are a local then it makes sense to get a year membership. They range from $100 for an individual pass to $750 for the mack daddy family or grandparent pass. The normal family pass is $275. Hello Christmas gift!

We were lucky to borrow my awesome friend’s cooperate pass for the day. This pass got us all into each museum for free. This is one reason why we wanted to do as much in one day as possible.

Our First Stop: Museum of Ancient Life

This is one awesome museum! There are so many rooms and it just keeps going and going. The dinosaur exhibits are fantastic. They are broken up by different dinosaur eras. There are so many things to look at and do.

The vast information about the dinosaur and bones is fun to read. We read as much as we could with 4 small kids pulling our hands wanting to keep going. Ha!

There are two interactive children areas. One is an awesome sand and water play area with dinosaurs. Even our 15 month old wanted in on the action.

The other play area is just sand. But the kids get to pretend to be paleontologist discovering dinosaur bones. My kiddos were having a blast and we had to drag them away from both play areas.

Next in Line: Farm Country

Thanksgiving Point has a live working farm! It was so much fun! We bought animal food at $1 per bag. We could feed: sheep, goats, donkey, chickens, horses, cows, and many more.

Our son wasn’t interested in feeding the animals until we can to a little pond and he threw some to the ducks. The girls only wanted to feed the baby animals. The other ones were too big.

Once when Miss S was about to feed a goat it sneezed and she was done feeding animals. Haha! The kids had a blast looking at the animals and being able to be so close to them to pet. The smell on the other hand was not a favorite of theirs.

The line for the pony rides was ridiculously long. So instead we went on a wagon ride pulled by two big and beautiful horses. Miss S didn’t want to get off so we were able to stay on to go again. I guess everyone was in line for a pony ride.

The gentleman driving the wagon had jokes left and right. They were funny! The only one I can remember is:

What do you call a cow laying down? Ground beef! Haha!! 🙂

There is an inside play area in Farm Country. We didn’t play on it because we had family there that needed to go soon. And we needed to go to the Butterfly Biosphere.

Then we Headed to the Butterfly Biosphere

The Butterfly Biosphere really surprised me, in a good way. 🙂 I was expecting just the butterfly biosphere. Nope, it’s so much more then that.

It is a mini insect museum. There is a mini play area, two in fact. And an amazing butterfly biosphere. If it wasn’t so hot in the biosphere I could have stayed a lot longer.

My son loved looking at the insects and their habitats. I loved that the glass was super thick and we could get close but still be safe from possible touching. 🙂

The Butterfly Biosphere was beautiful. The gal was telling us that there is an average of 1,000 butterflies inside. It is 85 degrees inside. About 100-200 butterflies hatch each day. They have a lifespan of a few days to 2 weeks.

You can not touch or pick up butterflies but if one lands on you that is okay. There are butterflies flying around, eating, mating, and just hanging around. It was such a beautiful place.

We made a quick stop at the cafe at Thanksgiving Point, right next to the Butterfly Biosphere. We had to have ice cream! And celebrate my niece turning 3 that day.

Last Stop, The Museum of Natural Curiosity

Only my two oldest remember going to the Museum of Natural Curiosity. They were very excited to go back. This is a great place for kids to play, explore, learn, and have a blast.

It is a great place for parents to have a heart attack, always be on the look out, and not get a second of rest. Haha!

If you can manage to have two adults there then it makes it much easier. Eddy went with our baby to the three and under area where there are balls, a mini slide, places to crawl, and a fun padded area.

I got to side at the exit to the climbing/slide/rope play area. That was until our 3 year old, Miss S, didn’t want to go on the rope bridge high above. I held her cute little hand and we went together.

There were times when I got a bit nervous because it was so high! Then I took a wrong turn and had to slide down on my bum to get out of there. Glad to say we both made it safe and sound. Haha!

There are a few different areas to play in. The jungle area, the mini town area, water play, a playground outside, and an exploration place. Eddy and I were getting tired so after the big kids had time in the jungle and mini town area we called it quits.

We had a full day of fun and excitement. This year we have a family pass to the aquarium and love it. We talked about getting a family pass to Thanksgiving Point next year.

We know our kids would love being able to go more often. We could spend more time at different museums. Eddy and I could go on dates and walk around the beautiful Ashton Gardens.

I hope you have a desire to make a day trip to Thanksgiving Point sometime in the near future. If you already have been or have a membership, what are you favorites?

Happy Travels and family fun!

Xoxo, Steph