The Natural History Museum of Utah is one of the state’s lesser known treasures. It is part of the University of Utah and is located in the University’s Research Park at 301 Wakara Way in Salt Lake City and housed in the Rio Tinto Center which opened in November 2011.
If you are a museum lover and a student of natural history, this place is a “not-to-miss” Utah attraction. It includes engaging exhibits and has more than 5,000 artifacts on display. It is one of the finest museums of its kind in the country and houses more than 1.5 million specimens and object that are used by the students and researchers at the University.
Included in the museum are marvelous paleontology discoveries from Utah, intriguing minerals and gems found around the world, artifacts from prehistoric inhabitants of Utah and accounts as told by the Five historic nations that were found to have lived in the Utah area.
You will wander through the history of Utah’s dinosaur and animal life, enjoy an interactive experience with earthquakes, erosion and a replica earth globe in a journey to discover how the earth, and the local Utah landscape has changed throughout history. The valley views from the observation deck are stunning. Children love the interactive exhibits along with Our Backyard—an environment that is intimate and discovery-based for children to personally enjoy the wonders of natural history.
The museum has ten permanent exhibits that you will enjoy over and over again as you learn about Utah’s landscapes and cultures. These exhibits are interactive and dynamic. You can spend hours at one exhibit or spend your time breezing through all of them in one visit. The ten exhibits are:
Then there are the rotating exhibits that have been some of the favorites over the years. Visit the museum’s website for more details on the current exhibits.
See this next article on the Utah State Capital Building.
If you are a museum lover and a student of natural history, this place is a “not-to-miss” Utah attraction. It includes engaging exhibits and has more than 5,000 artifacts on display. It is one of the finest museums of its kind in the country and houses more than 1.5 million specimens and object that are used by the students and researchers at the University.
Included in the museum are marvelous paleontology discoveries from Utah, intriguing minerals and gems found around the world, artifacts from prehistoric inhabitants of Utah and accounts as told by the Five historic nations that were found to have lived in the Utah area.
You will wander through the history of Utah’s dinosaur and animal life, enjoy an interactive experience with earthquakes, erosion and a replica earth globe in a journey to discover how the earth, and the local Utah landscape has changed throughout history. The valley views from the observation deck are stunning. Children love the interactive exhibits along with Our Backyard—an environment that is intimate and discovery-based for children to personally enjoy the wonders of natural history.
The museum has ten permanent exhibits that you will enjoy over and over again as you learn about Utah’s landscapes and cultures. These exhibits are interactive and dynamic. You can spend hours at one exhibit or spend your time breezing through all of them in one visit. The ten exhibits are:
- Sky – hang out in the Sky terrace, learn how our seasons work, how stars are created
- Native Voices—depiction of Native American culture and art of ancient inhabitants of Utah lands
- Life—focused on Utah’s biological variety you can explore natural life from the smallest DNA particles to entire ecosystems
- Land—enjoy a geological journey as you learn more about the three geological regions of Utah--the Rocky Mountains, the Basin and Range, and the Colorado Plateau
- First Peoples—this exhibit is a reconstruction of an actual archeological dig site where you can learn more about some of the prehistoric people who inhabited the Great Basin
- Gems and Minerals—from raw mineral forms to beautiful cut gemstones, you could spend hours admiring this collection
- Great Salt Lake—from a great view of the lake itself you can learn about the history of the Great Salt Lake which is a remnant of the former Lake Bonneville
- Past Worlds—dinosaurs, dinosaurs and more dinosaurs
- Our Backyard—playtime in this pond and stream area complete with live bugs
- Utah Futures—here you can be a participant in various games that will show you the results of your daily activities on the environment
Then there are the rotating exhibits that have been some of the favorites over the years. Visit the museum’s website for more details on the current exhibits.
See this next article on the Utah State Capital Building.
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