School often feels like it gets in the way of adventure time. At least that is how it feels to me! I am always sad to see everyone head back to school because I love summer and being able to do family activities all the time. One solution is finding things we can do as a family after dinner before bedtime. Being able to have a family activity helps me stay happy! Here are 19 ideas of places that are open a little later so you can adventure together.
Thanksgiving Point
Thanksgiving Point has 6 different venues and they are all open until 8 PM. You can enjoy an indoor play area, walking through the gardens, visiting farm animals, or digging for dinosaurs. Here are all the places you can explore at Thanksgiving Point:
- Discovery Farm
- Museum of Ancient Life
- Butterfly Biosphere
- Ashton Gardens
- Museum of Natural Curiosity
- Jurassic Jungle
BYU Monte L. Bean Museum
The Bean Museum is filled with animals on display, and has scavenger hunts for all ages. It stays open until 9:00 PM every day, except Sunday. You can even catch family night shows on Mondays at either 6:30 pm or 7:30 pm.
BYU Planetarium
Enjoy planetarium shows and learn more about the stars on Monday and Friday nights at 7:00 pm (also 8:00 pm on Friday). The tickets are very affordable, so it is a great family outing: $2 for kids 11 and under and $5 for everyone else.
Roots of Knowledge
The UVU Fulton Library is home to an amazing stained glass display. A giant wall is filled with images in glass that show history, art, and science through time. It is beautiful. There is so much to see and there are hidden objects all over. Roots of Knowledge has different hours based on UVU library schedules, but on weekdays it is usually open until midnight, so it is a great after school activity.
Springville Art Museum
The Springville Art Museum is a very family-friendly art museum. There is an entire basement with hands-on activities to teach about and explore art. The galleries are also full of awesome art to give kids a cultural experience. The SAM is open until 8:00 pm on Wednesdays, so it is a great time to visit after school.
Cabela's
Located in Lehi, this is one of our favorite after school activities that can be free, or maybe a dollar or two. Cabela's has lots of animals on display, including a room of Utah animals, plus a big fish tank. There is a huge animal mountain, and an electronic shooting gallery that costs $1. Cabela's is open until 10 PM, and it is a fun outing for kids.
Playgrounds
One of our favorite ways to get out of the house after school is to check out a fun playground as a family. And boy, are we lucky to live in Utah County with the best playgrounds around. Here are our top ten favorites:
- Cory Wride Memorial Park: Eagle Mountain
- Smith Family Ranch Regional Park: Eagle Mountain
- Patriot Park: Saratoga Springs
- Lehi Family Park
- Highland Family Park
- Cook Family Park: Pleasant Grove
- All Together Playground: Orem
- Hillcrest Park: Orem
- Quail Orchard Park: Provo
- Adventure Heights Playground: Spanish Fork
Hikes
You can't beat a lovely evening hike, especially in the Fall and Spring. We love to squeeze in a hike when we all have a free evening together after school. These trails are quick and easy, so they shouldn't take too long to enjoy.
- Buffalo Peak
- Dripping Rock
- Battle Creek Falls
- Bridal Veil Falls
- Upper Falls
- American Fork Nature Trail
- Grotto Falls
- Cascade Springs
- Rock Canyon Interpretive Trail
- Timpanogos Falls
Lehi FamilySearch Center
There is a unique experience at the Lehi FamilySearch Center. At this center you can learn more about your family heritage. There are a ton of interactive activities where you can see the famous people you are related to, record family stories, and lots more. The FamilySearch Center is open until 9 on Tuesday through Thursday.
Christa McAuliffe Space Center
There is a really fun space center in Pleasant Grove. They show planetarium shows, but also laser light shows. You can catch a show on Wednesday, Friday, or Saturday nights. The other thing they offer are simulators where you are placed in a room and you have to solve problems with your space adventure. The simulators can take a few hours up to a good portion of the day. They are offered the same nights as the shows.
Provo Beach Resort
This venue is full of fun. You can enjoy bowling, laser tag, arcade games, FlowRider, and more. Provo Beach Resort is open until 9 PM every day and located in the Shops at Riverwoods.
Escapes in Time
We are big fans of doing an escape room as a family, and we love the family-friendly rooms at Escapes in Time. Working together as a family to solve puzzles and clues helps strengthen teamwork. They have times available until 10 pm on school nights, so you could easily fit an hour escape room into your after school time. Located in Orem.
Indoor Play Areas
In the winter, we love the great indoor play areas to burn off some energy after school and before bedtime. There are spots with trampolines, inflatables, playgrounds, and more.
- Airborne Lindon: open until 9 pm
- Hang Time Adventure Park in Orem: open until 9 pm
- SkyZone Saratoga Springs: open until 9 pm
- The Big Green in Saratoga Springs: open until 8 pm
- Lowe's Xtreme Air Sports: open until 8 pm
- The Hive Adventure Park in Spanish Fork: open until 9 pm
- Funrise Indoor Playground in Cedar Hills: open until 8 pm
Indoor Pools
Swimming and splashing at the pool is my kids' favorite thing to do. Luckily, there are some awesome indoor pools since school usually means that most pools close up for the season.
- Lehi Legacy Center: open until 9 pm
- Provo Rec Center Pool: open until 10 pm
- Springville Pool: open until 9:30 pm (slides close at 8 pm)
- Orem Fitness Center: open until 9:50 pm (slide closes at 9 pm)
Virtual Dugout
This is a brand new activity in Lehi. The Virtual Dugout is an interactive batting cage with a screen. You do not need to be a professional baseball player to enjoy all the fun games they have where you can pitch or hit and score lots of points. They are open until 9:30 pm.
Just Add Chocolate
One of our favorite family activities that we tried was dipping our own chocolate. Just Add Chocolate has classes every night for families, groups, or dates. They teach you the tricks, and then you dip away. You can use molds or drizzles. It is super fun, and you get to take all your treats home. They have workshop times at 5:30 or 7:00 pm.
Labyrinth Reality Games
This activity is actually located inside the same building as Airborne Lindon, but it is a separate venue. In Labyrinth Reality Games, there are a bunch of different rooms that are like mini escape rooms. Each has a puzzle or challenge to solve. Some are physical, some are mental, but all are fun and you can hop from room to room figuring them out. Great for kids. They are open until 9 pm on weekdays.
Rad Tag Laser Tag
This laser tag location is awesome because you can see your laser when you shoot, so it makes it easier to aim and hit targets. They have a ton of different games you can play when you join a laser tag game. There is also a small arcade. They are open until 9 pm and located in Pleasant Grove.
Fat Cats
We live close to Fat Cats in Saratoga Springs, so we often find ourselves heading there for a quick outing after school. You can bowl, play glow in the dark mini golf, and enjoy the arcade. They are open until 11 pm, so there is plenty of time to squeeze in some fun. Locations in Provo and Saratoga Springs.
