Memorial Day- The Official, Unofficial Start of Summer

It's Memorial Day.

Swimming pools are opening.  Grills are sizzling.  The kids are nearly out of school.

And the call of summer can almost be heard already, "I'm sooooo bored!"

At Things To Do, Utah, we're here to help you find interesting places to go and fun activities throughout Utah that won't break the bank.

To kick off Summer 2014, here are 10 of our favorite places to go, in no particular order:

1. Wild West Jordan Playground.  West Jordan, Utah- This playground, themed around an 1880's Utah main street, has climbing walls, a multi-story playhouse made to look like the old Saltair, and of course, plenty of playground equipment.  Part of the expansive West Jordan City Park, the playground is a great place to spend a warm summer afternoon.
2. Hogle Zoo.  Salt Lake City, Utah- Hogle Zoo has been undergoing a major transformation over the last few years.  Asian Highlands, Rocky Shores, and Elephant Encounters are being joined this year by African Savanna, complete with 4 new lions.
3. Hill Aerospace Museum.  Hill Air Force Base, (near Roy) Utah- The history of aviation and the U.S. Air Force unfolds in massive fashion at this high flying museum.  From World War I to the Cold War and today's military fighter jets, this museum is just plain cool.  Don't miss the SR-71 Blackbird, a huge and amazing looking plane that set speed flight records before being retired.
4. Antelope Island.  Accessible by causeway, west of Layton, Utah- This, the largest island in the Great Salt Lake, has a museum about the wildlife on the island, the Garr-Fielding Ranch, a sandy beach, and plenty of hiking trails.
5. Monte L. Bean Life Science Museum.  BYU, Provo Utah- Reopening on June 7, this life sciences museum was already a fascinating place to spend an afternoon.  New, improved and expanded, it should prove to be even more fun.  Head to their website for information on Family Nights and live animal shows.
6. Springville Museum of Art.  Springville, Utah- This gem of an art museum is one that a lot of people who've lived in Utah all their lives either don't know about or have never visited.  Take a day and explore this museum, housed in a building in Spanish Moroccan style architecture.  Don't forget the sculpture gardens.
7. USU Eastern Prehistoric Museum.  Price, Utah- This great museum splits its exhibits between paleontology and anthropology.  See a great collection of dinosaur bones, dinosaur eggs, and dinosaur footprints.  Take a picture with Utah's very own, Utahraptor.  Then, move over to the other side of the museum and learn about the people that first inhabited Utah.
8. Bridal Veil Falls.  Provo Canyon, Utah- Bridal Veil Falls is a beautiful, double horsetail cascade that tumbles from 600 feet from the canyon bottom.  At the base of the falls is a small wading pool, shady picnic areas, and paved walking/biking trails that run down the canyon.
9. Novell Children's Discovery Park.  Pleasant Grove, Utah- This is a playground that's been built around teaching kids science while playing.  Check out the different zones and explore music, dinosaurs, sound, and light.  When you're tired, sit down and play chess at one of the nearby tables.
10. We're leaving this to YOU to tell us where in Utah is your favorite place to go.  Just leave a comment below and we'll share it with all our readers.

Don't forget to follow us on Facebook and Twitter, where we post fun weekly events and other things to do.  And be sure to watch for some special things coming this summer that will help you find even more things to do.

Some FREE Activities This Weekend- Saturday, July 9, 2011

This Saturday, July 9th, 2011, there are a couple of FREE admission days taking place at some great attractions in Weber County.

The Treehouse Museum, a children's museum in downtown Ogden has a free admission day. This is a fantastic, interactive museum that lets the kids get hands-on with the exhibits. They can pretend they are the President of the United States and sit behind the desk

in a replica of the Oval Office, do fossil rubbings or complete a bone puzzle in the Dinosaur Discovery area, or discover interesting things about each state with the Great American Map.

For more information, check out the Treehouse Museum's website.

The Ogden Nature center is also holding a free admission day (as they are doing every Saturday during the summer). Come see a live bird program or participate in a nature craft activity. Walk around the 152 acre nature preserve and enjoy a picnic in the beautiful outdoors. Also see the "FOR THE BIRDS" exhibit of handcrafted bird feeders and bird houses.

For more information, check out the Ogden Nature Center's website.

The Hill Air Force Base Aerospace Museum is in the area as well and always offers free admission. If you have the time make a stop here to see a collection of great military planes, including an SR-71 Blackbird- the plane that holds the shortest time record for a coast to coast flight.

Get out there and have some fun in Utah this weekend!

Reciprocal Agreements Can Save You Money...

There are a number of Utah attractions where you can buy season/yearly passes- Lagoon, Hogle Zoo, Tracy Aviary, etc.

But, what many fail to realize is that when you purchase these season/yearly passes, is that there are often other benefits to these purchases known as reciprocal agreements. These agreements get you into other attractions for free, for free on certain days, or give you a discount off the regular admission price.

But, not all reciprocal agreements are crafted equally, or, one yearly pass may offer you access to attractions that you would use more than those offered with another pass' agreements. When buying season/yearly passes, take these different factors into account:

1) What season/yearly pass will you use the most? For example: if you buy a yearly pass to Hogle Zoo, will you use it enough to make it pay for itself PLUS save you money on additional visits? Are you more likely to visit Hogle Zoo, Tracy Aviary, or Ogden Eccles Dinosaur Park, etc.?

2) What reciprocal agreements does that yearly pass have? Does it offer enough value to make it worth buying that particular pass or should you consider a different season/yearly pass that gives you access to other attractions that might be of more interest to your family?

3) Do the reciprocal agreements offer free admissions to other attractions, discount admissions, or a combination of both, and which of these would you use most often?

4) Some reciprocal agreements offer free admission on certain days of the month (usually weekdays). Can you make the time to take advantage of these reciprocal agreements?

5) If you live in Logan, for example, would buying a yearly pass to Thanksgiving Point in Lehi be worth the time you would need to make to travel? In this case, buying a pass to the Willow Park Zoo may be a better value and still give you opportunities to visit other attractions for free or discounted rates. Consider the distance that you would need to travel in order to take advantage of passes and reciprocal agreements.

Here is a list of some of the attractions in the state that offer season/yearly passes that also come with reciprocal agreements. While I try to list as many as I can, this is not intended to be a comprehensive list, nor does this list guarantee that all the reciprocal agreements will be honored, as they can be changed by participating parties at any time.

Hogle Zoo- Tracy Aviary (50% off admission every Thursday); Willow Park Zoo (50% off admission Nov. 1 thru Feb. 28); there are also reciprocity agreements with other zoos and attractions in many other states, usually a 50% off admission.

Tracy Aviary- Hogle Zoo (50% off admission every Thursday); Willow Park Zoo (free admission); Thanksgiving Point Farm (free admission on 1st Thursday of every month); Red Butte Garden (free admission); Ogden Nature Center (free admission 1st Thursday of every month); Living Planet Aquarium (50% off admission); Ogden Eccles Dinosaur Park (free admission on weekdays only, excluding holidays and special events); there are also reciprocity agreements with other zoos and attractions in many other states, either free or discounted admission.

Willow Park Zoo- Hogle Z00 (free or discounted admission. Willow Park Zoo's website is not clear on the reciprocity policy); Tracy Aviary (free or discounted admission. Willow Park Zoo's website is not clear on the reciprocity policy); there are also reciprocity agreements with other zoos and attractions in many other states, either free or discounted admission. Call Willow Park Zoo to inquire about reciprocity agreements.

Ogden Eccles Dinosaur Park- Tracy Aviary (free admission on weekdays); Ogden Nature Center (free admission on weekdays); Ogden Union Station (50% discount on daily admission).

Red Butte Garden- Tracy Aviary (free admission); there are also reciprocity agreements with other gardens and attractions in many other states, either free or discounted admission.

Odgen Union Station (three museums included in pass- Utah State Railroad Museum, John M. Browning Firearm Museum, and the Browning-Kimball Classic Car Museum)- Ogden Nature Center (free admission); Ogden Eccles Dinosaur Park (free weekday admission, excluding holidays and special events).

Getting season/yearly passes is both a great way to explore and save money.

We're Back and Traveling Once Again

Sorry, folks. It's been a little while since I've been able to post anything. That pesky day job seemed to get in the way all too often over the last little while.

Having gotten the "day job" out of the way, I've spent a few days rambling around the state with the kids looking into some new places and checking up on some old favorites. I've got a lot of new information and some great places for you to visit. So over the next little while, I'll be posting about all of them.

In the last three days, we have been to:

The Hutchings Museum- Lehi
Timpanogos Cave- American Fork
Cabela's- Lehi
Golden Spike National Historic Site- Promontory
ATK Thiokol Rocket Garden- near Promontory
Marble Park- Bothwell
Bear River Wildlife Refuge- near Willard
BYU Earth Sciences Museum- Provo
BYU Museum of People and Cultures- Provo
Springville Art Museum- Springville
Krishna Temple- Spanish Fork
Bean Life Science Museum- Provo

Besides the gas for all this traveling (1 tank for $73.00), the total cost of entrance to all of this locations- $30.00 for myself and two of my children. The only place we visited that would have raised the cost if we'd had all the kids with us was Timpanogos Cave. Everything else was either free or a set entrance fee per car.

The locations above that have links are places that I've reviewed before and the ones without links are places that I will be reviewing shortly. All my travels around the state of Utah just continue to prove one thing- We have a lot of amazing places, within a short drive, that are either free or inexpensive, and are lots of fun for kids and adults alike.

A "Jurassic Park" Where the Dinosaurs Won't Eat You

If you like dinosaurs, then Utah is an amazing state to be in. Feel free to correct me if I'm wrong, but in my own search of museums in the state that are in whole, or in part, dedicated to dinosaurs, I have found twelve. TWELVE! That is more dinosaur museums than I've found in any other state.

Most people are familiar with Dinosaur National Monument that is located in Utah and Colorado, out near Vernal, Utah. But, are you familiar with any of the other dinosaur museums? There may be one closer to you than you realize.

One that is very unique and really geared towards both adults and children is Ogden's George S. Eccles Dinosaur Park. I remember the first time I took my kids to the park. They were enthralled with the dinosaurs that we found around every bend in the winding paths, and I was just as interested as they were. They nearly jumped out of their shoes when, after having just found a dinosaur, it roared loudly at them.

The Eccles Dinosaur Park has quite a few attractions that make it so much fun to visit. There are more than 100 life-sized statues of dinosaurs throughout the park, including predators, marine animals and flying reptiles, that are brought to life through attention to detail, robotics and sound systems.

Quite a few of the dinosaurs in the park were indigenous to Utah. Remember the Velociraptor from the "Jurassic Park" movies? Wuss! The park has a replica of the Utahraptor, a ferocious dinosaur discovered in 1993 in Grand County, that would have eaten Velociraptor's lunch.

Through movies and books we've become familiar with many types of dinosaurs such as the Tyrannosaurus Rex and Triceratops. What makes the Eccles Dinosaur Park so fascinating is that it also has replicas of truly weird species of dinosaurs from other parts of the world such as South America and Asia.

Before, or after you are done wandering the park, head into the Elizabeth Dee Shaw Stewart Museum. The museum contains many of the recent dinosaur fossil finds from around Utah and around the world. Full skeletons of dinosaurs are on display and you can watch people working in the lab to prepare more dinosaur bones and teeth for display.

Take the kids and go on over to the Geode Mine where they can dig for gems, pan for gold and crack geodes with the geode splitter. They can even keep the gems they find when they go digging.

The park also has an education center that my kids loved. They got to see exhibits and color dinosaurs pages to take home with them. There is a fun, dinosaur themed playground for the little ones and picnic tables scattered around the east side of the park.

Eccles Dinosaur Park is one of those places I've mentioned before that offer family memberships. A basic family membership will cost $60.

Spend a day with the dinosaurs (other than Barney). If your kids are anything like mine they'll enjoy the day and then exhaustedly fall asleep that night with smiles on their faces.

Place: Ogden's George S. Eccles Dinosaur Park
Location: 1544 East Park Boulevard, Ogden (located at the mouth of Ogden Canyon)
Phone: 801.393.3466
Hours: Memorial Day to Labor Day, Monday through Friday 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., Sunday 12:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.; Off-season, Monday through Friday 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., Sunday 12:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.
Cost: Children 1 and Under: Free! 2 to 12 Years Old: $5.00; Students with ID: $6.00; Adults: $7.00; Senior Citizens 62+: $6.00


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Distance from:
Salt Lake City: 44.1 miles
Ogden (downtown): 3.6 miles
Provo: 85.8 miles
Logan: 49.3 miles

More Firetrucks Than You Can Shake A Hose At

It's instinct. When we hear a siren, we stop, look around, find the emergency vehicle and wonder where it's going. Most little kids love police cars and fire engines. It could be the flashing lights and sirens. It could be the police officers and firefighters. Whatever it is, many kids, and adults find these vehicles amazing.

If fire engines, firefighters and a sense of history intrigue you and your kids, then you need to head out to Grantsville to the Desert Peak Complex. This is where the Utah Firefighters Museum is located and they have a mind boggling collection of fire trucks and other equipment that looks right into the history of Utah firefighting.

There are over 50 fire engines from all different eras, starting in 1914. The museum also has 3 horse drawn and 9 hand cart fire apparatus. You can also see many different kinds of helmets and firefighting gear that has been used for the last century.

Outside is a touching memorial area where Utah firefighters who have given their lives in the line of duty are properly remembered.

I don't know if it's all the bright shiny fire trucks or being surrounded by reminders of heroism, but this museum made my heart race and my adrenalin run just like when I was a kid watching a fire truck race past us on the road.

Place: Utah Firefighters Museum
Location: Grantsville,the museum is in the Desert Peak Complex on SR 112.
Phone: 435.884.3376
Hours: Friday and Saturday, 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. (and by appointment)
Cost: FREE


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Distance from:
Salt Lake City: 34.7 miles
Ogden: 68.0 miles
Provo: 73.1 miles
Logan: 111 miles

Free Event of the Day for May 19, 2008

Want to see snakes and lizards up close and personal?

The BYU Monte L. Bean Museum is presenting its live animal show on Monday evening at 6:30 p.m. and again at 7:30 p.m. Tonight's topic is reptiles.

After the animal show, take the opportunity to see all the amazing exhibits on display of the plant and animal world. The kids will love it.

Place: Monte L. Bean Life Science Museum
Location: 645 East 1430 North, Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah
Phone: 801.422.3963
Hours: Mon.-Fri. 10 a.m. to 9 p.m, Sat. 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Closed Sunday
Cost: FREE


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Distance from:
Salt Lake City: 44.5 miles
Ogden: 79.9 miles
Provo (downtown): 2.3 miles
Logan: 125 miles

Art In The Unlikeliest of Places: The Springville Museum of Art

Just over 50 miles south of Salt Lake City, Utah, in Springville, is an art museum that you might more likely see in a major metropolitan area, not a town of just over 20,000 people. The current building completed in 1937 (with several additions since) it is the oldest museum dedicated to the visual fine arts in the state of Utah. The museum building, designed in the Spanish Moroccan style is a work of art by itself.

The museum houses both its own permanent collections and hosts traveling exhibitions. Its particular focus is on Utah Art, a major Soviet collection, early Americana, and the European Steed Collection. But, if you think that a museum of this quality is for adults only, think again.

The Springville Museum of Art also has two youth galleries on the lower level and hosts many programs for children aimed at both helping children appreciate art and stirring their interest in art. Many of these programs are hands on events where children can participate in making a piece of art themselves.

Don't miss "Community and Family Night," each Monday at 6:00 p.m. This free event provides quality cultural and educational opportunities to the community of Springville and beyond. The program consists of a Guest Artist Presentation, Entertainment, and a Children's Art Project. There is also the "Sunday Concert Series" on select Sundays each month, starting at 5:00 p.m.

The museum is a wonderful place to go and see and learn about amazing, world class art, in one of the unlikeliest places.

Place: Springville Museum of Art
Location: 126 East 400 South, Springville, UT
Phone: 801.489.2727
Hours: Tuesday to Saturday, 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.; Wednesday, 10:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.; Sunday, 3:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.; Closed on Mondays
Cost: FREE

Museum of Natural Science- Oh, That's What That Was

Years ago, I attended Weber State University. Back in those days it was known as Weber State College. I lived in a dorm on campus, hung out at the Union with my friends, slept in the library daily from 10:30 a.m to 11:15 a.m., went down to the pond late at night (and got chased away by security), and, oh, yeah, went to classes.

One of my favorite classes was chemistry. In fact I took two chemistry classes while I was there. Both of the classes were taught in the Lind Lecture Hall. Now most lecture halls on campus (and many other campuses I've been to) are pretty sterile places. They are rooms, tiered like a theater or sporting arena, filled with tables and chairs, and other than the lectures that take place inside, there is usually nothing exciting or memorable about them. The Lind Lecture Hall was different. At the time, I didn't realize it was a museum, I just thought it was a cool place to hang out until class started.

The Lind Lecture Hall is the home of the Museum of Natural Science at Weber State. It features exhibits on exploration, native cultures, geoscience (all about the earth), the animal world, the plant world and, finally, the physical world (or the things human have created).

The Lecture Hall is round and so the pathway through the museum takes you in a circle. Start anywhere, learn something neat, and move on until you are back where you started. The dinosaur skeleton is always a hit with kids. The rainfall of Utah map gives you a better idea were our water comes from and how it is stored for our use. There are skeletons from all parts of the animal world. The exhibit on exploration tells us about the early explorers of the Americas, including Fathers Dominguez and Escalante and Lewis and Clark.

You wouldn't think that all this information along with some really outstanding exhibits could be packed into the center of a university lecture hall. But it is. And when I was going to school, all I thought it was, was a cool place to hang out before class started. Who knew? Apparently not me.

Place: Museum of Natural Science
Location: Lind Lecture Hall, Weber State University, Ogden, UT (on campus, follow Edvalson Street up the hill to the northeast corner of campus)
Phone: 801.626.6653
Hours: 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday
Cost: FREE


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Distance from:
Salt Lake City: 33.8 miles
Ogden (downtown): 3.4 miles
Provo: 75.4 miles
Logan: 50.8 miles

Jurassic Museum- BYU Earth Science Museum

When it comes to museums, one favorite, particularly of kids (and kids at heart, of course) are dinosaur museums. They set the imagination loose. These large skeletons of creatures that once actually existed, loom large and foreboding in the minds of children. They love the fantastical idea that these bones could come alive. The sheer size of the monsters is enough to both frighten and excite. Just think about the recent movie "Night at the Museum." A favorite character for kids was the T-Rex.

Utah is one of those great locations when it comes to dinosaur museums. We have an armload in the state, so no matter where you live, there is probably one fairly close to you.

The BYU Earth Science Museum is one of those really cool museums. I remember as a child going to BYU to see the huge skeletal remains of dinosaurs. The Earth Science Museum is one of those treasures in our own backyard. It is one of the top five collections of fossils from the Jurassic Period in the entire world.

At the museum you can see a T-Rex skull, the fossilized imprint of dinosaur skin, or even touch fossils and dinosaur bones at the Touch Table. There is a full Allosaurus skeleton standing near a mural of what Utah might have looked like during the Jurassic Period. Check out the giant sloth that would have weighed 5 tons when it was alive- that more than two of your families cars put together! You can even see paleontologists working in the lab, removing fossils from rocks.

Head out to the museum to see an amazing collection- just wait to watch "Jurassic Park" until after your visit. You don't want the little ones too scared.

Place: BYU Earth Science Museum
Location: 1683 North Canyon Road, Provo, UT (just west of LaVell Edwards Stadium)
Phone: 801.422.3680
Hours: Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Cost: FREE


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Distance from:
Salt Lake City: 43.9 miles
Provo (downtown): 2.1 miles
Ogden: 79.3 miles
Logan: 124 miles

Free Event of the Day- May 5, 2008

FREE Family Monday the Utah Museum of Natural History

On the first Monday of each month, the Utah Museum of Natural History opens its doors for extended hours and FREE admission. Monday, May 5, 2008 is a Free Family Monday.

Head up to this great museum on the campus of the University of Utah. Free tours will be given today at 12:00 p.m. and 2:00 p.m.

This evening, between 5:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. live physics demonstrations will be given in the lobby of the museum. The demonstrations are intended to show kids (and adults) how much fun science can be.

Roam the museum, taking in the exhibits of caves, dinosaurs, Fremont culture in Range Creek Canyon, an exhibit featuring the National Wildlife Refuge System (only on display until May 26, 2008), the earth and earthquakes (including a live seismometer), a mine you can walk into, minerals, and don't forget to check out the working Paleontology lab.

As an added bonus, head on over to the John Widtsoe building (just a short walk from the museum) to the rooftop observatory and join in the free star party! Don't pass up the chance to see all of these amazing exhibits for FREE.

Place: Utah Museum of Natural History
Location: 1390 E. Presidents Circle, University of Utah Campus, Salt Lake City, UT
Phone: 801.581.6927
Hours: 9:30 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.
Cost: FREE


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Distance from:
Salt Lake City (downtown): 3.0 miles
Ogden: 39.3 miles
Provo: 45.8 miles
Logan: 84 miles

Hill Aerospace Museum- Get Close to Some Great Aircraft

I love to watch airplanes and helicopters take off and land. I think they are amazing pieces of engineering. I once even considered a career as an aerospace engineer, but all that math got in the way. I really enjoy getting the chance occasionally when I am up in Layton, UT to watch the military aircraft flying to and from Hill Air Force Base. Watching the F-16's take off, make quick banking turns or even a barrel roll is awesome.

My love of aircraft is what first took me to the Hill Aerospace Museum, located on the northwest corner of the Air Force Base. It's not hidden. You can see it from Interstate 15 as you drive north and south. What many people don't realize as they drive by is that all those planes, rockets, and helicopters you can see are part of the FREE museum exhibit. That's right. You can get up close and personal with some of the most amazing aircraft ever built, for free.

The Hill Aerospace Museum has some great planes, including a B-17 "Flying Fortress," a B-29 "Superfortress," a B1-B "Lancer," and my personal favorite, an SR-71 "Blackbird." The SR-71 set both speed (2, 193 mph, 3,529 kph) and altitude (85, 068.997 feet, 25,929 meters) records during it active lifetime. When the final SR-71 was retired, it flew from California to Virginia in 68 minutes, 17 seconds. This is a sleek looking plane and a marvel of modern engineering and you can get an up close look.

The museum is home not only to aircraft but to over 4,000 other artifacts relating to the Air Force and aviation history, including military uniforms, flight suits, vehicles, ordnance and artwork. You can also visit the Utah Aviation Hall of Fame, honoring some of Utah's greatest aviators. There you can learn about Colonel Gail Halvorsen, the original Candy Bomber during the Berlin airlift (1948-1949).

Be sure to visit the Memorial Park and Chapel to remember those who fought and died for their country. The Chapel has a beautiful stained glass window that memorializes the 384th Bomb Group. The Chapel is open on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

Want to try your hand at flying an airplane? Keep your feet on the ground, my friends. They don't give rides, but you can try your hand at flying a plane in an aircraft simulator. Strap yourself into a chair and pretend to eject from the plane. If you have any questions ask one of the many volunteers who are former pilots themselves.

Make sure you set aside at least a couple of hours and quite possibly more. Around every corner and turn in the path lies another fascinating piece of aviation history.

Place: Hill Aerospace Museum
Location: 7961 Wardleigh Road, Building 1955, Hill Air Force Base, UT
Phone: 801.777.6868
Hours: Open seven days a week, 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., closed Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day.
Cost: Free (donations are accepted and appreciated)


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Distance from:
Salt Lake City: 32.3 miles
Ogden: 7.7 miles
Provo: 80.9 miles
Logan: 55.8 miles

Monte L. Bean Museum- An Amazing, Free Museum

When I was in 3rd grade we went on a field trip one spring day to Timpanogos Cave. When we arrived we were told the trail wasn't open due to bad weather. What do you do with a hundred disappointed grade school kids when the field trip is canceled? Fortunately, one of our teachers (a student teacher from BYU as it so happened) suggested that we go to BYU and visit the Bean Museum.

I am as fascinated today by the Monte L. Bean Museum as I was thirty years ago. This is a life science museum which has vast collections from the natural world of plants and animals. The exhibits are open to the public and include: birds (whooping cranes and pheasants and waterfowl of the world), a rotating exhibit from their massive insect collection (over 2 million specimens), shells from around the world, a large selection of animals from Africa, an international wildlife collection, and much more. There are also temporary exhibits that rotate throughout the year. Currently the museum is showing an amazing collection of animals that were a gift from Ken Behring.

In addition to the exhibits, the museum hold live animal show to educate people about the natural world. Currently, the days and times of the shows are as follows:

Monday: Reptiles at 6:30 pm and 7:30 pm
Tuesday: Adaptations at 7:30 pm
Wednesday: Utah Plants and Animals at 7:30 pm
Thursday: Ecosystems at 7:30 pm
Friday: Invertebrates at 7:30 pm
Saturday: Reptiles at 1:00 pm

If you've never had a chance to see one of the shows, you are in for a treat. The kids will love it!
The best part, the entrance to the Bean Museum and the live animal shows are FREE. There are other activities, such as Saturday Safaris, that have a fee, but for the value you get, these fees are nominal.

Place: Monte L. Bean Life Science Museum
Location: 645 East 1430 North, Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah
Hours: Mon.-Fri. 10 a.m. to 9 p.m, Sat. 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Closed Sunday
Cost: FREE


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Distance from:
Salt Lake City: 44.5 miles
Odgen: 79.9 miles
Provo (downtown): 2.3 miles
Logan: 125 miles