Museums in Utah

In this section you will find information on selected museums focusing on Utah's history and arts venues. These, and many, many more, are waiting to catch your eye and spark your interest in Utah's heritage and culture. In addition to the heritage museums featured here, many cities have Daughters of the Utah Pioneers Museums. These eclectic collections include wonderful treasures. Inquire locally for details.

Museums You Won't Want to Miss

Northern Utah

Bountiful

Bountiful-Davis Art Center, 90 N Main St, 801-295-3618. Exhibits, events, workshops and gift gallery. Open Tuesday-Friday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Saturday noon to 5 p.m. Free admission.

Brigham City

Brigham City Museum of Art and History, 24 N 300 W, 435-226-1439. Permanent history displays, including historic preservation and downtown revitalization. Historic research and publications. Children's hands-on exhibits, quilt exhibits, rotating art exhibits with all media, including electronic art. Open Tuesday-Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Saturday 1-5 p.m. Free.

Lehi

Hutchings Museum, 55 North Center St, 801-768-7361. Pioneer exhibits, undersea life from Puerto Rico and Pacific; American Indian artifacts; minerals; birds and eggs; fossils; Viet Nam and South Sea Islands memorabilia. Open 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday, Friday, Saturday; 11 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday. Admission charge.

Logan

AVA Art Center, 43 South Main St, 435-753-2970, and the Nora Eccles Harrison Museum of Art, Utah State University, 435-797-0165 have permanent and traveling art exhibits year-round. Open Wednesday-Saturday, noon to 6 p.m. Free.

American West Heritage Center, 4025 S Highway 89-91 in Wellsville, 435-245-6050. Living history special events throughout the year, including Baby Animal Days, Mountain Man Rendevouz and a Pioneer Day Festival and Smokeout. Membership includes admission to all the special events. Admission and hours vary by event.

Ogden

Eccles Community Art Center, 2580 Jefferson Ave, 801-392-6935. Exhibits and sells work by regional artists. Monthly exhibitions, including a high school student art competition. Open Monday-Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Saturday, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Admission fee.

Fort Buenaventura State Park, 2450 A Ave, 801-399-8099. Fort Buenaventura brings back one of the most fascinating periods in Western American folklore: the Mountain Man era. The Fort has been recreated on the original site; guides in period dress interpret the fort as well as the historical lifestyle of the Mountain Men and the Native Americans who inhabited the area. Authentic artifacts are also displayed. Admission charge,

Hill Aerospace Museum, 7961 Cottonwood St Building 1955, Hill Air Force Base, 801-825-5817. It has one of the largest collections of vintage aircraft assembled anywhere in the United States. Guided tours combine facts with engaging stories of planes and the pilots who flew them. Free, donations appreciated. Open Tuesday-Saturday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Ogden Union Station, 2501 Wall Ave, Ogden, 801-629-8680. No longer in operation as a train depot, the station is home today to four museums, an art gallery, library and model railroad display. Highlights include the Browning Firearms Museum, Browning-Kimball Car Museum, Utah State Railroad Museum and Eccles Rail Center. Hours: Wednesday-Saturday, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Charge for admission. Open daily, 7 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Treehouse Museum, 347 22nd St, 801-394-9663. Treehouse is a nonprofit educational organization for children and families to "Step into a Story." Admission charge. Open Tuesday-Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Park City

Kimball Art Center, 638 Park Ave, 435-649-8882, provides a complete center for the visual arts with gallery and studio space. Traveling exhibits are a regular feature, as are art and craft workshops. Park City has many other art galleries for browsing. Admission to Kimball collection is free; charge for special exhibitions. Open Tuesday-Friday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The Park City Museum, 528 Main St, 435-645-5135, has a re-created Territorial Jail, yearly exchanging exhibits and summer walking tours led by costumed guides. Admission charge. Open daily from 10 a.m to 5 p.m.

Payson

Historic Peteetneet Museum and Cultural Arts Center, 10 N 600 E, 801-465-9427. This museum is housed in a restored 1901 three story Victorian school building. You'll see pioneer artifacts, a Freedom Room, History of Writing, a blacksmith shop, historical clothing, as well as an art gallery with permanent and rotating exhibits. It also serves as the information center for the Nebo Loop Scenic Byway. Free exhibits are open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday-Friday.

Provo/Orem

UVU Museum of Art, 260 W 1800 S, 801-863-4200. The museum includes temporary exhibits featuring both national artists and Utah Valley University students. The permanent collection includes photography, contemporary and Western American art pieces. It's open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday-Saturday; closed major holidays. Free.

Brigham Young University / Provo

Museum of Art, North Campus Dr, 801-422-8287. Family interactive center, print study room, theater, art study center; 75-seat restaurant, bookstore and permanent and temporary exhibits of paintings and sculpture. Open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday, Wednesday and Saturday; 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday, Thursday and Friday. Free.

Museum of Paleontology, 1683 N Canyon Rd, 801-422-3680. Guided tours. Exhibits of fossils from most geologic periods and research collections of dinosaurs and other vertebrates, especially from the Jurassic period. Free admission.

Bean Life Science Museum, 645 E 1430 N, 801-422-0020. Preserved and mounted mammals, insects, plants and fish. Exhibits based on the life cycles of all species, education programs and children's hands-on Discovery Area. Open Monday-Friday, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. No admission charge.

Museum of Peoples and Cultures, 700 N 100 E, 801-378-6112. Guided tours. Permanent and temporary exhibits tracking the anthropology of world cultures. Open Monday-Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. General admission is free.

Salt Lake City

Chase Home Museum of Utah Folk Arts, S Constitution Dr, Liberty Park, 801-533-5760. Contemporary folk art by artists from American Indian, rural, occupational and ethnic communities. The museum, itself, is in an adobe home built over 150 years ago. Sign up for a free folk art workshops. Open Thursday-Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission is free.

This is the Place Heritage Park, 2601 Sunnyside Ave, 801-582-1847. Living history events and activities daily 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission charge.

Discovery Gateway, 444 W 100 S, 801-456-KIDS. Discovery Gateway is Utah's premier children's museum, with hands-on and interactive activities. Play with water, create a comic strip, learn how cars work. Open Monday, Wednesday- Sunday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Admission charge.

Classic Cars International, 355 W 700 S, 801-201-1683. A collection of antique, classic and special interest autos, including Pierce-Arrows, a Stutz Bearcat and a 1906 Cadillac "Tulip" roadster. Call ahead to schedule an appointment.

Finch Lane Gallery at the Art Barn, 54 Finch Ln, 801-596-5000. Visual, performing and literary programs, generally free to the public. Open Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Tuesday, 9 a.m. to 8:30 p.m.

Fort Douglas Military Museum, 32 Potter St, 801-581-1251. The museum is housed in the 1875 Quartermaster Victorian Infantry Barracks Building at Fort Douglas. 1,500-volume library of military history of Utah and Fort Douglas, reading room, two cemeteries, guided tours, permanent and temporary exhibitions. Open Tuesday-Saturday from noon to 5 p.m.; free admission.

Hellenic Cultural Museum, 279 S 300 W, 801-359-4163. The museum, located in the Holy Trinity Cathedral, reflects the life of the early Greek immigrants. Displays include a mining exhibit, photographs, costumes, dolls, letters and manuscripts. Open Wednesday, 9 a.m. to noon; Sunday, 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Free admission. Guided tours may be scheduled.

Church History Museum, 45 N West Temple, 801-240-3310. Art, films, puppet shows, costumed interpreters and audio tours related to the history of pioneers and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Open Monday, Friday and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Tuesday-Thursday, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Free admission.

Price Family Holocaust Memorial, 2 N Medical Dr, 801-581-0098. Includes an exhibition gallery and a memorial garden. Learn about the history and growth of the military in the state. Visit Tuesday-Saturday from noon to 5 p.m. Admission is free. Hours vary by season. There is no entrance fee.

Pioneer Memorial Museum, 300 N Main, 801-538-1050. Thousands of artifacts from the late 1800s, such as carriages, tools, clothing, dolls and toys. The stairwells between floors are filled with hundreds of paintings and photographs. Open Monday-Friday, 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Free admission.

Utah Museum of Contemporary Art, 20 S West Temple, 801-328-4201. Changing exhibits of contemporary visual arts, art workshops, performing arts, films, educational programs and art classes for children and adults. Open Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Friday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. A $10 donation is suggested.

University of Utah / Salt Lake City

Utah Museum of Fine Arts, 410 Campus Center Dr, 801-581-7332. Permanent collection of approximately 15,000 art objects representing world cultures for the past 5,000 years. Musical concerts, lectures, films, gallery talks. Open Tuesday, Thursday-Sunday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Wednesday, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Natural History Museum of Utah, 301 Wakara Way, 801-581-6927. Paleontology exhibits include dinosaur skeletons and fossils. There's also an extensive collection of artifacts from ancient tribal cultures. Children's hands-on exhibits and art projects, too. Admission charged. Open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily; open until 9 p.m. on Wednesdays.

Springville

Springville Museum of Art, 126 E 400 S, 801-489-2727. This is Utah's first and oldest art museum. Eleven exhibition galleries, a sculpture garden and a permanent collection of over 1,000 works by more than 250 national and local artists. Free admission. Open Tuesday-Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Wednesdays 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Tooele

Historic Benson Grist Mill, 325 Pole Canyon Rd, Stansbury Park, 435-882-7678. The mill mirrors the past with a log cabin, a working blacksmith shop, historic buildings and equipment. This renovated mill was constructed by pioneers and is listed on the National Historic Register. Call for times and event information.

Tooele Valley Museum and Historical Park, 35 N Broadway, 435-843-2143. A steam engine, dining car, simulated mine and children's train. Numerous exhibits of the local mining, railroading and smelting history. Free, although donations are appreciated. Open by appointment only.

Wendover

Historic Wendover Airfield, 345 E Airport Way 435-665-7724. Visit the most original World War II air base in the U.S. There is a small museum in the Flight Operations building, open Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Saturday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. See photographs and dioramas about bomber training in Wendover, including an atomic bomb group. There is an admission charge.

Central Utah

Delta

Great Basin Museum, 45 W Main, 435-864-5013. Video and displays on Topaz, a World War II Japanese internment camp. Displays of rocks and fossils of the west desert, artifacts and interpretation of western culture and history. April-October: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday to Saturday. November-March: Thursday, 10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Donations are appreciated.

Eureka

Tintic Mining Museum, 241 W Main St, 435-433-2054. Located in the historic Eureka City Hall which was built in 1899. A library includes Eureka Reporter newspapers from 1902 to 1942, history room, mining artifacts, a mineral display and self-guided tours. Usually open Friday and Saturday from noon to 5 p.m. during the summer. Admission is free.

Fairview

Fairview Museum of History and Art, 55 N 100 E, 435-427-9216. Historical artifacts, art, local historic archive, oral and family history collections and an extensive Avard Fairbanks sculpture collection. Open Tuesday-Thursday, noon to 4 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Free admission, donations welcome.

Fillmore

Territorial Statehouse State Park Museum, 50 W Capitol St, 435-743-5316. Utah's oldest existing government building now houses interpretive exhibits on the state's political beginnings. Open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday to Saturday. Admission fee.

Eastern Utah Museums

Castle Dale

Museum of the San Rafael, 70 N 100 E, 435-381-3560. Features a Paleontology Room with life-size dinosaurs which rotate on a central platform; all are dinosaurs that were discovered in Emery County. Exhibits also include Native American artifacts and displays highlighting their culture. Open Monday-Friday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Admission charged.

Green River

John Wesley Powell River History Museum, 1765 E Main St, 435-564-3427. River Runners Hall of Fame commemorating men and women who have matched their wits against Utah rivers. Also, replicas of the different kinds of boats used to explore the West's waterways including a unique round hull boat used by American Indians, primitive rafts used by early day river runners, and the boats and equipment used by present-day explorers and adventurers. Open Tuesday-Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. There is an admission charge.

Helper

Western Mining and Railroad Museum, 294 S Main St, 435-472-3009. Gift shop, indoor displays and two outdoor locations that contain a 1917 railroad caboose and mining equipment that dates from early to modern times. Open Monday-Saturday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Donation recommended.

Jensen

Dinosaur National Monument Quarry Visitor Center, 11625 E 1500 S, 435-781-7700. View about 1,500 dinosaur bones from 150 million years ago. Primarily self-guiding tours; occasional talks given during summer season. Open daily. Summer hours: 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Spring and Fall: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Winter hours: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Fee charged.

Price

Prehistoric Museum, 155 East Main St, 435-613-5060. See bones discovered near the museum, including a mammoth and the Utahraptor. In the Dino Discovery Area, kids can unearth dinosaur bones, search for pottery shards and other hands-on activities. Open Sunday-Wednesday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Thursday-Saturday, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. There is an admission charge.

Vernal

Utah Field House of Natural History State Park Museum, 155 E Main St, 435-789-3799. Life-size replicas of prehistoric creatures, including a 90-foot long Diplodocus skeleton. The collection also features relics of prehistoric and recent American Indian residents of the region, fine mineral exhibits, plants and wildlife and fossils. Open Monday-Saturday from 9 a.m to 5 p.m. Admission charge.

Uintah County Heritage Museum, 300 E 200 S, 435-789-7399. Exhibits include traditional clothing and tools of American Indians, a collections of firearms and a rotating art exhibit. September-May, open Monday to Friday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. June-August, open Monday to Thursday from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Friday 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Free admission.

Southwestern Utah Museums

Cedar City

Southern Utah Museum of Art, Southern Utah University, 13 S 300 W, 435-586-5432. Changing exhibits of regional and emerging artists, as well as pieces by students from SUU's art and design department. Free admission. Open Monday-Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; extended hours from June to September.

Iron Mission State Park and Museum, 635 N Main, 435-586-9290. The story of development in Iron County. A diorama, based on descriptions of the original iron foundry, is on display. Displays also include a collection of horse-drawn vehicles used from 1870 to 1930; some 200 American Indian relics, including clothing, hunting weapons and food processing tools. Open daily. Summer hours: 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Winter hours: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Closed Sundays November through February. Day-use fee.

Bryce

Paunsaugunt Western Wildlife Museum, 1945 W Scenic Byway 12, 435-834-5555. Also known as the Bryce Natural History Museum, it features more than 800 preserved animals and birds of prey from around the world, as well as a collection of more than 1,500 butterflies. You can also hand-feed a herd of exotic deer. Open April 1 to November 15, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Admission is charged.

St. George

Rosenbruch World Wildlife Museum, 1835 S Convention Center Dr, 435-301-7777. Exhibits include over 200 species of wildlife from around the world displayed in a nature setting, extensive world bug collection, children's petting room, and art gallery. 1835 Convention Center Drive, St. George, UT 84790. Open 10 a.m to 5 p.m. Monday-Saturday. Charge for admission.

St. George Art Museum, 47 E 200 N, 435-627-4525. The St. George Art Museum is housed in a former beet seed storage facility. It hosts a variety of rotating exhibitions, including works by local and regional artists. The Family Discovery Center has materials for kids to create their own art. Admission is free, donations are appreciated. Open Tuesday-Saturday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Southeastern Utah

Blanding

Edge of the Cedars State Park Museum, 660 W 400 N, 435-678-2238. A world-class museum of Native American culture, an Ancestral Pueblo (Anasazi) village and an archaeological repository. View the largest collection of Ancestral Puebloan pottery on display in the four corners region; climb into a kiva and discover both ancient and contemporary Native American cultural traditions. Open daily 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; shortened hours December-February. Day-use fee.

The Dinosaur Museum, 754 S 200 W, 435-678-3454. Features realistic, life sized dinosaur sculptures, skeletons, paintings and fossil displays. The museum also contains a History Hall of Hollywood Dinosaur Movies with movie memorabilia from the silent classics to the high tech dinosaurs of today. Paleontology exhibits complete the collection, including dinosaur eggs and fossilized dinosaur skin. Open late spring to fall, Monday-Saturday, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission charge.

Moab Museum, 118 E Center St, 435-259-7985. History of the Moab area, from the dinosaurs and early ancients, 1800s exploration and mining. Permanent and temporary exhibitions. Open Tuesday-Saturday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission charge.

Monticello

Frontier Museum, 232 S Main St, 435-587-3401. Houses exhibits representing the cultural and ethnic history of the community. Open year-round, Monday-Saturday 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Sunday, 1-4 p.m. Free, donations accepted.

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