Hypnotist’s
Juggling Acts
The West…just as it was! Step back in time with a visit to This Is The Place Heritage Park. The non-profit This Is The Place Foundation manages Utah’s premier living history attraction, our historic 450-acre Utah State Park. Our mission is to preserve and promote the heritage and history of Utah. You’ll find it alive in storied accounts of the settlement of the West, told by our knowledgeable interpreters in a setting of original and replica historic homes. You’ll also see artisans and interpreters demonstrate 19th Century frontier life in a working environment. While you look on, the blacksmith explains his trade while he creates items used elsewhere in the Village, and the furniture maker turns ordinary wood into a masterpiece!
A lively variety of domestic skills are demonstrated in Village homes. You can watch wool being carded and spun into yarn that will be colored with a kaleidoscope of dyes made from native plants, many grown right here at the Park. At another historic building, candles are being dipped layer-by-layer over a small open fire in the backyard, and quilting demonstrations are sure to leave you warm at heart!
A visit to the Park is not a tour of historic artifacts behind velvet ropes and glass, but a true experience of life as it was in the early days of the West. The Native American Village offers a window to a world long since gone, where members of Utah’s indigenous tribes interpret the history of their native people. You can also enjoy the Park from the comfort of one of our three replica trains and see and hear the history of the settlement, or simply spend the day walking the quiet streets on your own.
Elsewhere in the 450-acre Park is our Visitors’ Center, the welcome center of the Park. There you’ll find one of our newest attractions, the Heritage Park Preview exhibition, along with one of Utah’s finest gift and souvenir shops. The ZCMI Mercantile inside the Park is filled with old-fashioned gifts and candy and is sure to be one of your most memorable shopping experiences during your visit.
This Is The Place Heritage Park
2610 East Sunnyside Ave
Salt Lake City, UT 84108
Where wildlife meets wild lights! ZooLights returns to Hogle Zoo this holiday season with more sparkling lights, over 250 animated light displays, and more nightly fun than ever before! View glittering animated animals made out of lights, warm up under heaters and enjoy a hot chocolate and deep-fried s’more along the way. Take a ride on the Conservation Carousel (weather permitting) and then stop in to see Santa in EdZoocation Station! Stop into the Wild Zootique to finish your holiday shopping and pick up some hologram glasses to see the lights as never before.
Join the Reindeer Parade!
Join the reindeer parade each evening at 5:15 in the Entry Plaza as two of Santa’s tiny reindeer make their way to Santa’s Station – then visit with the Jolly Old Elf himself! Santa’s Reindeer will leave ZooLights! with Santa on Christmas Eve.
Family Friendly Early New Year’s Countdown
Get the kids in bed on time while still letting them ring in the new year, with our early countdown at 9 pm at ZooLights! Kids can do a New Year craft, get a noisemaker, and count down with our lighted countdown display. Come early to see all the lights and enjoy the last night of ZooLights.
December 26-30, 2022
Select Days, 5:30–9 pm
Hogle Zoo Lights
2600 Sunnyside Ave S, Salt Lake
Christmas Elves | Santa | Christmas Lights |
Live Reindeer | Holiday Dining | Scavenger Hunts |
Restaurants | Boutiques | Escape Rooms |
Children Activities | Home Decor | Magic Shows |
Farm Animals | Chocolate Wagon | Woodland Fairies |
Photo Settings | Weddings | Brick Lined Paths |
Village Setting | Event Venues | Bakery |
November–December 24, 2022
Monday-Saturday, Multiple Events/Times
Gardner Village Christmas
1100 W 7800 S, West Jordan
Bundle up and enjoy Festive Fridays at the Wheeler Farm in Murray. Take a wagon ride and see some holiday lights displays. Santa will greet visitors on the Farmhouse’s porch from 5 pm – 7 pm. Kona Ice will be here selling hot cocoa.
December 15, 2023
Friday Nights 5–7 pm
Festive Fridays
Wheeler Historic Farm, Murray
Bring in the Fall Harvest & celebrate Halloween the old-fashioned way in beautiful Cache Valley!
September 22–October 30, 2023
Monday-Saturday, Multiple Events/Times
Fall Harvest Festival
American West Heritage Center, Wellsville
September–October
Monday–Sunday, Multiple Times
Pumpkin Days
Wheeler Historic Farm, Murray
This year’s Soldier Hollow Classic’s I.F.A. Country Festival Dog Show offers an assortment of crafts, activities, and demonstrations with dozens of top artisans from throughout the west displaying a wide array of handmade products. Demonstrations will include weaving, spinning, sheep shearing, and pottery making. Navajo Rug Show, sponsored by Adopt-a-Native Elder, features finely woven traditional Navajo textiles and demonstrations by Navajo artisans. Families will also enjoy various animal demonstrations and activities, including duck herding, the Ultimate Canines Flying Dog Show, Wild Wonders Animal Show, and bagpipe performances by the Salt Lake Scots! The Country Festival also features great food and traditional Celtic music.
September (Week 1) Annually
Multiple Events/Times
Sheepdog Championship & Festival
Soldier Hollow Nordic Center, Midway