Far-Out Museums

The Wasatch Front has some really fun museums. We aren't going to highlight the well-known Discovery Museum, the Leonardo, or the Museum of Ancient Life at Thanksgiving Point. This week we celebrate lesser-known, less flashy museums that deserve your time as well. At these museums, you'll find fabulous displays and lots and lots of history. To find out more about each museum, including directions and photos, click on the link!
Here are 7 of our favorites:
Benson Grist Mill (near Grantsville): We found this museum quite by accident. A five story mill, a water wheel, and a scavenger hunt for the kids are the highlights of this stop. As you drive out to the Firefighter's Museum (see below), plan a 45 minute stop at the gristmill, too. (Free)
The Firefighter's Museum (Grantsville): This may be the most underrated museum we've visited. We spent over an hour wandering among hundreds of old fire engines from all around Utah. During our visit, we didn't see a soul-- not even a museum worker! The machines are beautiful, and no one seems to know about this one. (Free)
Pioneer Memorial Museum (Salt Lake City): Run by the Daughter's of the Utah Pioneers, this museum has more pioneer artifacts than anywhere we've ever been. See Brigham Young's wagon and the original Eagle Gate monument inside. (Free)
Fort Douglas Museum (Salt Lake City): We were very impressed by this small museum. The displays inside are nice, but the helicopters and tanks from many periods in Utah's history were really fun for our kids. (Free)
LDS Church History Museum (Salt Lake City): The LDS History Museum holds some amazing artifacts from Utah's history. A lifesize statue of the Angel Moroni, Brigham Young's sunglasses, and the death masks of Joseph and Hyrum Smith were a few of our favorites.
Hill Aerospace Museum (Ogden): This museum reminds me a lot of the Firefighter's museum, but instead of fire engines, you will be looking at massive airplanes. If you have boys that like machines, this is a must visit museum. Of the museums mentioned here, this is the most interactive and busiest. (Free)
BYU Museum of Paleontology (Provo): This museum is small, but it has some amazing fossil exhibits like a T-rex head, triceratops head, and a giant sloth. Our boys love that there are lots of things to touch, which isn't always the case at museums. (Free) For other museum reviews, go to Utah Valley Family Adventures, or take this direct link to our Museum tab.
*Though all of our featured museums are "Free," all gladly accept donations when you attend!