An impressive adventure awaits at Discovery Gateway in Salt Lake.

We always knew we were going to visit the Children’s Museum during our trip to Salt Lake City, but we had no idea what to expect.  It’s located in the Gateway which seems to be a well-known outdoor mall in the SLC area, with a Planetarium, a splash pad, Dave and Busters, a cool candy shop, and a lot of places to dine all very close by to the museum..  The museum itself was in a pretty large building (60,000 square feet!) and we took a set of stairs up to the second floor where the front desk was. We introduced ourselves to the incredibly friendly staff before being offered a tour around to see each of the exhibits. 

I was so impressed by how much knowledge and insight the woman who helped us had in regard to the museum. She was probably in her late 20’s and didn’t have a child of her own, but clearly loved her job and was able to articulate the intention of each interactive exhibit in such an impressive way.  This museum is so clearly designed to help kids of all ages and abilities develop confidence in themselves in every aspect of the world. The first room had a massive bee-themed climbing structure that even I wanted to start climbing around in with a real live beehive (bees unable to come inside) you could look at!  There was an entire small town set up in the next room with a lifelike house, mechanic, grocery store, farm, bank (being built!), and more! Everything was so realistic and every kid looked gleefully lost in their imaginations. The second floor had an entire STEM section, a sensory room adapted for children who become overwhelmed by loud noises and other overstimulation, a real-life helicopter with a Search and Rescue simulator and a hospital all outdoors on the outside roof deck.  There was also a gymnastics room meant for kids who just need to shake their bodies out and run around wild too.    

    They have guests come into host classes, workshops and set up their own interactive exhibits as well.  We were instructed to warn parents about field trips that frequent the museum Tuesday through Friday. If you have small children, Sunday and Monday are the best days to visit.  

 Accessibility: This museum is ADA certified and there are entrances and elevators accessible to wheelchairs and strollers at every level.  There are also quieter museum hours (Sundays and Mondays) and Sensory Inclusive Afternoons every month that you can call to get dates and times for.  Service animals are permitted as defined by the ADA (not emotional support animals). It is also constantly in the process of providing educational signs in both Spanish and English.  

From Website on Parking: "The most direct and secure parking for Discovery Gateway is in the NORTH GARAGE at The Gateway. Park toward the south end of the garage and enter the elevator lobby in the southwest corner. Park on levels -1, 0, or +1 and enter through the South-West doors marked with our logo. Press +2 in the elevator to get to the Museum entrance. If the NORTH GARAGE is full, proceed to the SOUTH GARAGE across the street and adjacent to the Planetarium. There’s typically more parking available in this lot, and it’s a brief walk to the entrance of the museum on Rio Grande street. The first hour of parking is FREE. Parking validations may be purchased at Admissions Desk or Information Desk for $1, and they cover up to 3 hours."