5 Fun Things to do in Salt Lake City

1. Ski

Outdoor sports enthusiasts will find Salt Lake City loaded with fun things to do. The skiing in the area is some of the best in the American west, with local peaks topping out at 11,330 feet. The Salt Lake City tourist bureau offers discounts into multiple ski resorts in the area.

Take advantage of the mountains during the summer months by hiking on the enormous amounts of trails and parks, camp and explore the wilderness, and enjoy the scenic view from horseback.

2. Sweet's Candy Co. Factory Tour

Just three miles from the Salt Lake City International Airport, Sweet's Candy Co. offers a 40-minute tour of their 180,000 square-foot candy factory. The candy company has been around Salt Lake City since 1900 and offers both certified Kosher and sugar-free gourmet candy varieties.

See how Sweet's famous taffies, chocolate-enrobed orange and raspberry sticks, cinnamon bears, chocolate-covered cinnamon bears, candy pebbles, fruit slices, jelly beans, sour gummies, sour grapefruit and cherry balls, and chocolate-covered nuts, are all made. And no worries if the tour wakes up your sweet tooth – the tour concludes at the Sweet Candy Co. outlet shop.

3. Discovery Gateway Children's Museum

This hands-on museum is a fun thing to do in Salt Lake City for kids of all ages. The Discovery Gateway Children's Museum offers over 60,000 square feet of exhibit space dedicated to inspire exploration. Learn about gardening in a 30 foot tall beehive, try out a news anchor position, learn how stories evolve, and see how artists and engineers collaborate to form new technology, and explore a child-sized world where everything is scaled down to a smaller size. An outdoor exhibit allows visitors to climb upon a helicopter and imagine themselves as commandos, Arial emergency support, or a pilot.

4. Hogle Zoo

Checking out Utah's largest zoo is a fun thing to do in Salt Lake City. Explore the 42-acre campus that is home to over 800 animals. The exhibits include snow leopards, African elephants, long-tailed chinchillas, white rhinoceros, giraffes, cougars, Siberian tigers, gorillas, American bison, and gray wolves.

If you have ever wanted a behind-the-scenes look at the job of a zookeeper, be sure to check out Hogle Zoo's animal encounter program, where you can get up close and personal with the animals, feed them, pet them, and learn more about them from a personal guide.

5. The Living Planet Aquarium

Inspired by the marine biology at the Great Salt Lake, the Living Planet Aquarium offers more than 1,200 animals for view. There is always a good time to be had at the aquarium's penguin encounter, it's one of the most fun things to do in Salt Lake City. The exhibit "Journey to South America" features brightly colored creatures from the rainforest, while the "Ocean Explorer" display shows off incredible underwater species such as seahorses, jellyfish, octopus, and a coral reef. A special section of the aquarium highlights the local marine wildlife.

Don't miss perhaps the most famous Salt Lake City site—Temple Square.