Getting ready forthe Natural History Museum of Utah.
Dinosaurs, the Great Salt Lake and Utah's first peoples at the Rio Tinto Center above the University of Utah, with noise-canceling headphones, light-sensitivity glasses and fidget toys to borrow free at the Level 1 ticket desk, quieter times the museum names, and a social story to read ahead.
Sensory supports. Headphones, glasses, fidgets to borrow; social story.
Hours
Open 10 am to 5 pm every day, and until 9 pm on Wednesdays. Tickets aren't honored after 4:30 pm (8:30 pm on Wednesdays). Closed every Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day, and closes early at 3 pm the day before each (Wednesday Nov 25 2026 and Thursday Dec 24 2026). Also closed on the days of its annual fundraising gala and annual all-staff retreat.
“Guests may borrow noise-canceling headphones, light-sensitivity glasses, and fidget toys free of charge from the Tickets Desk on Level 1, subject to availability.”
“If you prefer a quieter Museum experience, we recommend visiting Monday through Thursday after 1:30 p.m. or on Wednesday evenings between 5:00 p.m. and 9:00 p.m., when the Museum is typically less busy.”
“To help you prepare for your visit, download our Social Story to learn what to expect during your Museum experience.”
The social story for general visitors walks through getting there, arriving, each gallery and winter tips. It says staff wear name tags, field trips come most weekdays of the school year between 9:30 am and 2 pm, and you can step out onto a terrace on any floor and use your ticket's bar code to come back in.
The hours page also says Saturdays are lively and suggests weekday afternoons after 1:30 pm or Sundays for a quieter trip.
The museum's Sensory Bags are tactile kits designed for visitors who are blind or have low vision.
For accessibility questions, email Echo Paixao at epaixao@nhmu.utah.edu or call 801-587-5721. For other accommodations, the museum asks you to use its Guest & Member Experience form, 1 to 2 weeks before your visit.
School field trips, most weekdays from September to May, 9:30 am to 2 pm (the museum's social story says field trips may be loud)not stated
Saturdays (the museum calls them lively)not stated
Quieter, in the museum's words
Monday through Thursday after 1:30 pm, and Wednesday evenings from 5 to 9 pmquiet zone
The terraces, one on each floorquiet zone
Prices: adult $24.95; senior (65 and up) $22.95; young adult (13 to 24) $22.95; child (3 to 12) $20.95; children 2 and under, museum members, and University of Utah students, faculty and staff with a valid ID are free. One companion supporting a guest with a disability gets in free. Discounts are applied only at the admission desk, and the museum offers homeschool reservations and discounts for groups of 12 or more.
Other discounts, each checked at entry: with an EBT or WIC card (Museums for All), up to 6 tickets for $2 each, out-of-state cards included; ASTC passport (more than 90 miles away, with proof of residence and membership); Blue Star Museums for active duty military, reservists and National Guard plus up to 5 family members, from Armed Forces Day through Labor Day; free admission for veterans and one guest each on Veterans Day; free admission for guests from federally recognized tribes and children in their household; $2 off adult, senior and youth and $1 off child for University of Utah Alumni Association members; ICOM card holders; Rio Tinto Copper Card holders; the school field trip Bounce Back wristband; and the Visit Salt Lake Connect Pass.
Buy tickets online to get them by email ahead of time. To reschedule or ask about a refund, use the museum's admission help form. An average visit is two to three hours.
Getting there: two levels of surface parking next to the building, then an uphill walk to the main entrance on footpaths, stairways and ramps. Drivers can drop passengers at the turnaround first; don't leave children under 8 there without an adult. More street parking is on Colorow Road, one block west. Seven accessible parking spaces on the upper level connect to a ramped path to the main entrance, about 356 feet with an incline; two are van-accessible. From the turnaround to the main entrance is about 150 feet. There's no UTA bus service to the museum on Sunday; the University of Utah's Sunnyside and RP Circulator shuttle routes stop right in front.
Food: you can bring your own food and drink, though table space is limited. Food, drinks and gum aren't allowed in the galleries or on the Sky Terrace; covered containers of water, and baby bottles with water, milk or formula only, are allowed everywhere. The Canyon Café on Level 2 is open 10 am to 5 pm, and the social story says it doesn't take cash.
Strollers aren't available to borrow, but every exhibition is accessible with strollers and wheelchairs; use the elevator between Levels 4 and 5, where there's no ramp. Wheelchairs are free to borrow, first come, first served, at the Level 1 Ticket Desk. An Infant Care Room with a changing table is on Level 2 next to the café, and all-gender restrooms are on Levels 1, 2, 3 and 5.
Service animals are welcome; pets are not. Roller skates and shoes with wheels can't be used inside, and balloons and bubbles aren't allowed. The social story suggests calling ahead after a severe winter storm to check that the museum is open.
