Things to Do in Lehi, Utah (2026): A Local's Guide

Abigail Giordano Senior Writer, Provo.com

Lehi has quietly become one of the most entertaining stops in Utah Valley. A generation ago it was a farming town best known for its flour mill; today it sits at the center of Silicon Slopes — and it's packed with things to do, from one of the best museum-and-garden complexes in the state to outlet shopping, miles of paved trail, and a rodeo that's been running for nearly 90 years.

Whether you're visiting for an afternoon or you've just moved to the area and want to know what's worth your time, this guide covers the best of Lehi — organized so you can build a half-day, a full day, or a weekend around it.

Thanksgiving Point: the main event

If you do one thing in Lehi, make it Thanksgiving Point. This roughly 100-acre complex at the south end of the city is the single biggest attraction in Utah County, and it's really five destinations in one:

• Ashton Gardens — a sprawling, beautifully themed botanical garden with a waterfall, a rose garden, and seasonal blooms. It's also home to the Tulip Festival each spring, when hundreds of thousands of tulips fill the grounds.
• Mountain America Museum of Ancient Life — one of the largest dinosaur museums in the world, with mounted skeletons, a Carboniferous forest, and a Cretaceous ocean exhibit. A reliable hit with kids.
• Museum of Natural Curiosity — a hands-on children's museum with more than 400 interactive exhibits, including a rainforest with a canopy walk, a water-works area, and the outdoor Kidopolis "mini-city." Adults end up just as absorbed as the kids.
• Butterfly Biosphere — a butterfly conservatory and insect zoo that's a quick, magical stop, especially for younger children.
• Farm Country — a working-farm experience where kids can meet animals, take a wagon ride, and learn where food comes from.

Each venue is ticketed individually or via a membership, so it's worth deciding ahead of time what kind of day you want. One venue fills a morning; the whole campus can fill a weekend. There's also a farm-to-table restaurant on site that uses produce from the gardens — a nice way to cap a museum day.

Shopping at the Outlets at Traverse Mountain

Just off I-15 at the north end of the city, the Outlets at Traverse Mountain is the first and only outlet mall in Utah County. It's an open-air center with the usual roster of brand-name outlet stores, mountain views, and easy freeway access — a popular stop on its own or paired with a Thanksgiving Point day. Because it sits right by the freeway, it's also a convenient break if you're driving between Salt Lake City and Provo.

The Murdock Canal Trail and the outdoors

Lehi is a genuinely good base for getting outside. The paved Murdock Canal Trail runs for miles right through the city — past Thanksgiving Point and on into neighboring communities — and it's flat, wide, and accessible for walking, running, biking, or strollers. It's one of the best easy-mileage trails in northern Utah County.

For water, Utah Lake is about 20 minutes south, with boating, paddleboarding, and kayaking in the warmer months and some of the best sunset views in the valley. And because Lehi sits at the mouth of the canyons to the east, the trailheads, reservoirs, and scenic drives of the Wasatch are an easy reach — see our roundups of things to do across Utah Valley for the bigger outdoor picture.

History and local landmarks

For a dose of local character, the Lehi Roller Mills — the flour mill that famously appeared in the 1984 film Footloose — still operates downtown, selling freshly milled flour and baking mixes, and it's one of the city's most photographed landmarks. The Hutchings Museum is a quirky, kid-friendly natural-history and pioneer museum with rocks, fossils, and live animals. And the Lehi Utah Temple, a more recent addition to the cityscape, draws visitors to its landscaped grounds.

Lehi's summer events calendar

Lehi has one of the fullest community calendars in Utah County, and summer is when it really comes alive. The centerpiece is Round-Up Week in late June, built around the Lehi Round-Up Rodeo — a PRCA rodeo that has been running since 1937, making it one of the longest-standing community traditions in the valley. In 2026 the rodeo runs four nights, June 24–27, with a grand parade, an all-horse parade, a golf tournament, and family events filling out the week. The rodeo's concessions are run by volunteers, and the famous "Rodeo Burger" is a local rite of passage.

Beyond Round-Up, the city runs a weekly farmers market in summer and a Fourth of July celebration at Thanksgiving Point. For the latest on what's happening around the valley week to week, keep an eye on the Provo.com events calendar.

Make a day of it

A good Lehi day might look like this: start the morning at one Thanksgiving Point venue (the dinosaur museum or the children's museum if you have kids; Ashton Gardens if you don't), grab lunch on site or at one of the restaurants near the outlets, spend the afternoon shopping at Traverse Mountain or walking a stretch of the Murdock Canal Trail, and finish with a sunset drive down to Utah Lake. If you're visiting in late June, build the evening around the rodeo.

Because so many of Lehi's attractions cluster near the same freeway exits, you spend less time driving between stops than you might expect for a city this spread out.

Thinking about staying?

A lot of people discover Lehi as a day-trip and end up wondering what it would be like to live in the middle of all this — the jobs, the amenities, the brand-new neighborhoods. If that's you, our complete guide to living in Lehi covers the housing market, schools, the famous commute, and what daily life is actually like in the hub of Silicon Slopes. And if you're weighing nearby towns, our guide to American Fork Canyon — one of the most beautiful canyons in the state, just up the road — makes a natural next stop.

Lehi has come a long way from its flour-mill days. For visitors and newcomers alike, it's now one of the most rewarding places to spend a day in all of Utah Valley.

Abigail Giordano

Senior Writer

Abigail Giordano is a senior writer at Provo.com covering student life, family resources, and community events across Utah Valley. Her writing focuses on making Provo more accessible and navigable for newcomers, students, and families — the practical guides that help people feel at home faster.