Name: Scarecrow Festival 2026
Start: 2026-10-12
End: 2026-10-17

Thanksgiving Point is one of Utah's largest nonprofits, with the mission to ignite curiosity and build confidence in children from all backgrounds through hands-on STEM programs and experiences. It is home to seven popular Utah attractions: the Museum of Natural Curiosity, the Museum of Ancient Life, Curiosity Farms, Ashton Gardens, Butterfly Biosphere, Jurassic Jungle, and The Carousel. Thanksgiving Point a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization located in Lehi and is one of the best places to experience interactive family fun.

The [Museum of Natural Curiosity](https://thanksgivingpoint.org/attractions-tickets/museum-of-natural-curiosity/), voted the Best Museum in Utah for over 5 consecutive years, is one of the most interactive kids science museums in the state. Over 400 hands-on exhibits meant to connect kids to STEM and nature.

The [Museum of Ancient Life](https://thanksgivingpoint.org/attractions-tickets/museum-of-ancient-life/) contains one of the largest collections of mounted dinosaurs in the world and is one of Utah's best dinosaur museums. A must visit for dino-enthusiasts!

The [Ashton Gardens](https://thanksgivingpoint.org/attractions-tickets/ashton-gardens/) feature over 50 acres of stately gardens, grand lawns, and the largest manmade waterfall in America. Home to Utah's most popular events -- including the spring Tulip Festival (the only Tulip Festival in the Rocky Mountain Region) and Luminaria (Utah's largest holiday light show), the Ashton Gardens are a must-visit destination in south Salt Lake County.

The [Butterfly Biosphere](https://thanksgivingpoint.org/attractions-tickets/butterfly-biosphere/) is the only insectarium and butterfly conservatory in Utah. Meet over a thousand live butterflies from around the world in the conservatory and go hands-on with daily bug shows in the insectarium.

[Curiosity Farms](https://thanksgivingpoint.org/attractions-tickets/curiosity-farms/) is a real working farm showcasing the newest and coolest advancements in agriculture technology. With playgrounds, pony rides, cow milking, and more, it is an interactive and fun farm science museum for all ages.

[Jurassic Jungle](https://thanksgivingpoint.org/attractions-tickets/jurassic-jungle/), Thanksgiving Point's newest attraction, is Utah's largest indoor prehistoric play world, featuring five stories of interactive fun with slides, climbers, dino-themed games, and more. Conquer missions to win prizes with a Wearable Data Wristband and bring your grippy socks for an exciting family experience.

[The Carousel](https://thanksgivingpoint.org/attractions-tickets/the-carousel-at-thanksgiving-point/) is a Victorian-inspired merry-go-round with 30 hand-painted horses that take you on an adventure full of wonder, imagination, and excitement.

Make the most of your visit and save money on a full day of adventure with the [Thanksgiving Point All-Access Pass](https://page.thanksgivingpoint.org/all-access-pass)! The All-Access Pass grants you anytime admissions for one day to all seven Thanksgiving Point venues. Customize your adventure and explore some of Utah's best attractions at one low price. After your visit, apply the cost of your All-Access Passes to a [Thanksgiving Point membership](https://page.thanksgivingpoint.org/become-a-member) -- granting you and your family unlimited year-round access to all seven venues. It's the smartest investment in unforgettable experiences, right here in Utah.

With restaurants, private event rentals, wedding venues, and hundreds of events and programs, it's a no-brainer: visit Thanksgiving Point today for an entire day of fun and hands-on play!

Thanksgiving Point Institute

As Utah’s only butterfly conservatory and insectarium, the Butterfly Biosphere at Thanksgiving Point is an experience unlike any other! Explore the Beverly Taylor Sorenson Butterfly Conservatory, where over a thousand friendly butterflies from around the world flutter and land on fingers. The Discovery Zone is home to hundreds of live insects that all play an important role in Earth’s ecosystems. Hold a bug at one of our many live Critter Encounter shows. Finish up your experience with a Butterfly Release or Lab Tour to create memories that will last a lifetime.

#### Included in these Attractions Passes:

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Butterfly Biosphere

Escape from city life at Farm Country, a real working farm in the heart of Silicon Slopes. This educational and entertaining experience is all about connecting with nature and learning about the American farm industry. Whether you’re there to pet the animals or try your hand at classic farm chores, Farm Country provides hands-on opportunities unlike any other in the Salt Lake metropolitan area.

Every child gets a FREE pony ride with admission, plus everyone can enjoy a free wagon ride, pulled by a tractor or two draft horses.

Farm Country at Thanksgiving Point

More than 400 hands-on exhibits make the Museum of Natural Curiosity one of the most interactive museums in the state. Explore Rainforest and Kidopolis, where hidden treasures and secret passageways challenge the adventurous and engage the young at heart. Science and nature come alive in the Discovery Garden and in Water Works, where interacting with wind, water, and earth will expand your understanding of the natural world. Check out the rotating Innovation Gallery for a brand-new experience with each visit. The options are endless for curious minds of all ages at the Museum of Natural Curiosity.

Currently, at the Innovation Gallery, check out [Mission Aerospace](https://thanksgivingpoint.org/museum-of-natural-curiosity-displays-mission-aerospace-exhibit/)! Learn about the history of flight, navigation, and exploration. With stations where individuals can design and construct their own plane or rocket and an interactive maze with aviation facts, NASA history, and puzzles, you won't want to miss this!

See the museum from above with a Canopy Tour! This high-ropes course is suspended over 40 feet in the air and is a great challenge.

Museum of Natural Curiosity

Travel back in time and explore what life was like over 65 million years ago in the Museum of Ancient Life! With 60 complete dinosaur skeletons, this museum has one of the world’s largest displays of mounted dinosaurs. More than 50 hands-on exhibits, like the Erosion Table and the Quarry Dig, make interacting with pre-history easier than ever before. You can even watch our paleontologists and volunteers unearth a 150-million-year-old Barosaurus. Whether you come by day or by night, the Museum of Ancient Life is a lively adventure that you’ll never forget.

The amazing Eremotherium laurillardi, more commonly known as the Giant Ground Sloth, is now on display at the Museum of Ancient Life! This specimen was discovered alongside two other Giant Ground Sloths in 1975 in Daytona, Florida. After nearly 40 years of investigation, preparation, and sorting, this herbivore will be on display in the lobby of the Museum of Ancient Life until 2024.

#### Included in the Salt Lake Connect Attractions Pass

Mammoth Screen 3-D movie is not included in the Visit Salt Lake Connect Pass.

Mountain America Museum of Ancient Life

The Younique Foundation inspires hope and healing in adult survivors of child sexual abuse. One of the main ways we do this is through our Haven Retreat. We need your help supporting our retreats! Contact volunteer@youniquefoundation.org for service projects--tying fleece blankets, gathering supplies for classes, and creating notes and bookmarks--to support survivors!

Saprea

The Ashton Gardens is a botanical oasis in the Utah desert. Featuring 50 acres of stately gardens, grand lawns, and the largest manmade waterfall in America, the Gardens offer opportunities to reflect and rejuvenate in the wonders of the natural world.

The gardens are organized like rooms, with trees, shrubs, and grasses serving as living barriers between the 17 themed spaces. Whether you're feeding the Koi fish in the Monet Pond, enjoying a picnic lunch in the Rose Garden, or stumbling into the Secret Garden, there's beauty to be found with every step.

This summer, a prehistoric adventure comes to life at the Ashton Gardens. Wander through the misty[Dinosaur Island](http://thanksgivingpoint.org/dinosaur-island/), where animatronic dinosaurs of all shapes and sizes lurk in the vegetation. Hear the roars of 27 different dinos, cross paths with gentle giants, and even navigate through a fight between a T-rex and a Triceratops. With programs, activities, and more planned throughout the summer, this thrilling expedition will captivate all ages. Can you escape from Dinosaur Island?

Ashton Gardens at Thanksgiving Point

Utah State Parks and Recreation and the Utah Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association (UHGPGA) are partnering to preserve this unique recreation area that is an excellent site for teaching and gathering experience for flyers of all levels. It is known worldwide as one of the best training sites for both paragliding and hang gliding. Flight Park State Recreation Area is being jointly managed by Utah State Parks and Recreation and the Utah Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association. Please visit the UHGPGA website for more information about flying safety and requirements. Just west of the parking lot, there is also a modelport for RC airplanes and helicopters.

Flight Park State Recreation Area

**The Route**

A fairly short, easy hike in the Suncrest neighborhood, this trail affords spectacular views to both the Salt Lake valley and Utah County.

This out-and-back trail is good for families, bikes, and hikers of all expertise levels. There are hills, but they are navigable by most levels, the trail is wide and more like a jeep track for a good portion of the route, and dogs are welcome. The alien tower is a metal pyramid structure at the top of one of the small peaks, and gives the best views into both sides of the mountain.

**Insider's view:** An excellent hike nearly all-year round. Dogs are allowed.

**Difficulty:** Easy - low technical difficulty and stamina requirements

**Highest point:** 6673 ft

**Lowest point:** 6171 ft

**Best time of year:** Year Round

**Safety information:** The foothills are home to wildlife. Watch for rattlesnakes, especially in summer months. Wear closed-toed shoes when hiking, and be aware of your surroundings. Make sure you stay hydrated.

**Roadbook**

Follow the trail to the west and south until it starts to curve back to the east. Take the smaller trail up the hill - look for the metal triangular structure at the top of the hill.

- Start point - Deer Ridge Offleash Dog Trailhead, Deer Ridge Dr, Draper, UT 84020
- Lowest point, 6168 ft - 0 mi
- Highest point, 6673 ft - 1.4 mi
- Alien Tower - Destination - 2.7 mi

**How to Get There**

**Public transport:** Bus routes do not travel up to this trailhead - best access is by car.

**Parking:** Park on the street at the trailhead.

Alien Tower Trail

Boondocks Food & Fun! Exciting fun for everyone! Boondocks provides a variety of entertainment options that appeal to all ages and interests.

Boondocks Food & Fun - Draper

Visit Salt Lake

Salt Lake is the place where the Wasatch mountain peaks frame city streets. Sure, Salt Lake's famed for our winter powder ([four legendary ski resorts](https://www.visitsaltlake.com/things-to-do/skiing-snowboarding/) just 30 minutes from downtown), but that's just one season's story. Summer brings families [hiking through wildflower meadows](https://www.visitsaltlake.com/things-to-do/outdoor-recreation/) before cooling off at a Jazz game or the Gateway fountains. Autumn paints our mountain canyons in gold, perfect for morning strolls that end at local coffee shops. Spring? That's when you might spot baby bison on Antelope Island before heading to the Eccles Theater for a Broadway show. Our soaring Wasatch Mountains rise dramatically from downtown Salt Lake, creating a place where every day offers both natural wonders and urban energy. And while we sit perfectly between the [national parks](https://www.visitsaltlake.com/things-to-do/outdoor-recreation/state-national-parks/) with Yellowstone's geysers and Utah's red rock country, the real magic happens right here, where everyone can [discover the history](https://www.visitsaltlake.com/plan-your-visit/about-salt-lake/) of the city as they find their own rhythm between mountain adventure and city life.

Sports Salt Lake

See Ashton Gardens transform into 50 acres of vibrant autumn colors as you discover dozens of imaginative scarecrows and creatively carved pumpkins submitted by the community at Scarecrow Festival. Along the way, enjoy festive seasonal displays, delicious food, local vendors, and family friendly activities on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday while soaking in the magic of the season.October 12 – 17, 20269 am – 7 pmLate Opening: October 17, 10 amFestival Market and Concessions: October 15-17This calendar listing is brought to you by NowPlayingUtah.com, Utah's one-stop, online website for arts and entertainment events, powered by the Utah Cultural Alliance.

Scarecrow Festival 2026

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