Fall is when Utah Valley goes to the farm, for the corn mazes and pumpkin patches, but kids who love animals do not stop loving them in November. A few places let them meet farm animals year-round, from a working farm in Lehi to a free county farm in Murray. This guide covers the year-round options, the spring baby-animal season and the fall farms, with the drive from Provo.
Farm Country at Thanksgiving Point, Lehi
Farm Country, at 3003 North Thanksgiving Way, is a working farm on the Thanksgiving Point campus, about 21 miles and 26 minutes from downtown Provo. It is home to chickens, cows, horses, llamas and peacocks, with educational displays and pony and wagon rides.
- Hours: Monday through Saturday; Thanksgiving Point's venues are closed on Sundays.
- Admission: about $10 a person in recent pricing, with children 2 and under and Thanksgiving Point members free.
- Baby animals: the Baby Animal Festival, once a single day, now runs all of May, with baby goats, bunnies, calves and pigs and, for an extra fee, a chance to brush and pet the goats in their pen.
- Discounts: with a SNAP or WIC card and photo ID, children 3 to 12 in the household are free and teens and adults are $3, for up to six people, outside special events; see Free Museum and Attraction Days for Utah Families.
For the rest of the campus, see Thanksgiving Point.
Wheeler Historic Farm, Murray
Wheeler Historic Farm, at 6351 South 900 East, is Salt Lake County's working farm and public park, 75 acres with a historic farmhouse, an activity barn, stables, gardens, trails and a playground, about 38 miles and 45 minutes from Provo.
- Free: the farm and park are open daily from dawn to dusk, and walking the farm and visiting the animals costs nothing.
- The milking demonstration: Monday through Saturday at 5 p.m., hands-on with a cow, a goat or both, $1 for ages 2 and up; buy tokens at least 15 minutes ahead at the Activity Barn or the Country Store.
- Wagon rides and farmhouse tours: wagon rides run daily, and farmhouse tours are by reservation.
- The rule: the county says it is not a petting zoo but a working farm, and it asks visitors not to feed the animals or put fingers near them.
The zoo and the aviary
- Hogle Zoo, Salt Lake City, about an hour from Provo: open year-round, with a discount for families with an EBT or WIC card.
- Tracy Aviary, Liberty Park, about 57 minutes from Provo: birds rather than barnyard animals, and free for up to four with a SNAP card.
The seasons
- Spring: baby animals, above all Farm Country's May festival.
- Fall: the corn mazes, pumpkin patches and harvest festivals; see Every Fall Farm Festival in Utah Valley.
- Holidays: Thanksgiving Point marks Labor Day with a luau; for school-break plans, see Easter and Spring Break Week in Utah Valley and Labor Day Weekend in Utah Valley.
Practical notes
- Skip Sundays at Thanksgiving Point. Its venues are closed.
- Go to Wheeler for free. The animals cost nothing to visit.
- Time Wheeler for 5 p.m. That is the milking demonstration.
- Plan May for babies. Farm Country's festival runs all month.
Related Guides
- Free Museum and Attraction Days for Utah Families
- Easter and Spring Break Week in Utah Valley
- Labor Day Weekend in Utah Valley
- Every Fall Farm Festival in Utah Valley
- Thanksgiving Point
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Frequently Asked Questions
Is there a petting zoo in Utah Valley open year-round?
Thanksgiving Point's Farm Country in Lehi, about 26 minutes from Provo, is a working farm with animals to meet and pony and wagon rides, open Monday through Saturday and closed Sundays. Admission has been about $10 a person in recent pricing, with children 2 and under free.
Is Wheeler Farm free?
Yes. Salt Lake County's Wheeler Historic Farm in Murray, about 45 minutes from Provo, is free to walk and see the animals, daily from dawn to dusk. The milking demonstration, Monday through Saturday at 5 p.m., is $1 for ages 2 and up.
Can kids pet the animals at Wheeler Farm?
It is not a petting zoo. The county describes it as a working farm whose animals serve an agricultural purpose and asks visitors not to feed or put fingers near them; the milking demonstration is the hands-on part.
When is the best time to see baby animals?
Spring. Thanksgiving Point's Baby Animal Festival at Farm Country has grown into a celebration lasting all of May.
Are there discounts for families on SNAP or WIC?
Yes. At Thanksgiving Point, including Farm Country, children 3 to 12 in the household are free and teens and adults are $3 with a SNAP or WIC card and photo ID, for up to six people, Monday through Saturday outside special events.
When is the milking demonstration at Wheeler Farm?
At 5 p.m.
Is Farm Country open on Sundays?
No. Thanksgiving Point's venues are closed on Sundays.
Is Tracy Aviary free with a SNAP card?
Yes, for up to four people.
