West Jordan and Taylorsville sit side by side in the middle of the Salt Lake Valley, with the Jordan River running down their east side. West Jordan is the bigger of the two, and much of what a visitor wants is packed into a few miles of it: Gardner Village, a water-wise botanical garden, a new arts center and a rodeo arena. Taylorsville, to the north, has Salt Lake County's Mid-Valley Performing Arts Center and an 89-acre regional park. And unlike Herriman and Riverton, both are reachable from Utah Valley without a car, at least from Monday through Saturday.
This page is the West Jordan and Taylorsville day on its own. For the cities just south of here, see our Herriman and Riverton guide.
From Provo
By car: OpenStreetMap routing puts West Jordan City Hall about 34 miles and 42 minutes from downtown Provo, Gardner Village about 34 miles and 43 minutes, and Taylorsville City Hall about 39 miles and 47 minutes, all without traffic. Without a car: take FrontRunner to Murray Central. For West Jordan, change there to a TRAX Red Line train toward Daybreak; Historic Gardner station sits across 7800 South from Gardner Village, and the next stop, West Jordan City Center, is beside City Hall and Veterans Memorial Park. For Taylorsville, change instead to UTA's Midvalley Express, a bus rapid transit line that began service on April 12, 2026, runs every 15 minutes along 4700 South, stops at Salt Lake Community College's Taylorsville campus, and is free to ride through April 2029. FrontRunner does not run on Sunday, so the car-free version is a Monday-through-Saturday plan.
Before you go
October belongs to Gardner Village. WitchFest runs through October 31, and our WitchFest guide covers it, along with the Ginormous Pumpkin Regatta in Daybreak on October 17.
The first Friday of the month is free music. West Jordan and the county library hold a free concert every first Friday except July; the next one is Friday, October 2.
Summer is festival season. Taylorsville Dayzz and West Jordan's Western Stampede run back to back at the end of June and the start of July, and the splash pad and outdoor pool on this list run only in summer.
Three of the West Jordan stops share a street. The Gene Fullmer Recreation Center, the Canyon View Credit Union Community & Arts Center and the West Jordan Arena all sit on 2200 West around 8000 South, within a few blocks of each other.
Fifteen things to do in West Jordan and Taylorsville
1. Gardner Village and WitchFest
A village of shops and restaurants built around the historic Gardner Mill, directly across 7800 South from the Historic Gardner TRAX station. From September 18 to October 31, 2026, WitchFest fills it with witch displays, and admission to the village, displays and shops included, is free. Getting there: 1100 West 7800 South; by train, the Red Line's Historic Gardner stop. Cost: Free to walk in; the shops and restaurants charge as usual. Season: Open all year, with WitchFest the big draw from mid-September through Halloween. Our WitchFest guide
2. Conservation Garden Park
The Jordan Valley Water Conservancy District's demonstration garden: more than 9 acres of water-wise landscapes, with a giant chess set and a walk-through water pipe for children, on paths the garden says are fully accessible. It is free. Getting there: 8275 South 1300 West. Cost: Free. Hours: Monday through Saturday, 8 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. in April, September and October, and to 8 p.m. from May through August; weekdays 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. from November through March. Season: Open all year; the grasses and trees color up in the fall. Conservation Garden Park's visitor page
3. Veterans Memorial Park
West Jordan's main park sits behind City Hall, across the street from the West Jordan City Center TRAX station, with baseball fields, pavilions and a large playground. It is also the city's event ground: the Memorial Day Car Show and Tribute, the Western Stampede carnival, summer movies in the park and the outdoor First Friday concerts all happen here. Getting there: 1985 West 7800 South. Cost: Free. Season: Open all year; the events cluster from Memorial Day through August. West Jordan's parks page
4. First Friday Concerts at the Viridian Event Center
A free concert on the first Friday of every month except July, put on by the city and the Salt Lake County Library, with activities for all ages before the music. Recent lineups have run from a Linda Ronstadt tribute to Motown and Celtic bands. Getting there: The library's Viridian Event Center and Veterans Memorial Park, 8030 South 1825 West. Cost: Free; food trucks, when they come, charge. Hours: Preshow at 6:30 p.m. and concert at 7:30, or at 8 in June and August. Season: Indoors most of the year; outdoors in June and August, and in May and September when the weather allows. The next one is October 2. West Jordan's First Friday page
5. Canyon View Credit Union Community & Arts Center
West Jordan's new community and arts building is where the Cultural Arts Society of West Jordan's groups perform. The Sugar Factory Playhouse stages its shows here: A Midsummer Night's Dream in March 2026, Footloose in June and The Hound of the Baskervilles from September 17. So do the West Jordan Symphony, whose fall concert, Into the Stars, is on October 10, and the youth theater. Getting there: 8105 South 2200 West. Cost: Tickets vary by show. Season: A year-round calendar of plays and concerts. The Cultural Arts Society's events page
6. Ron Wood Park and the West Jordan Wheels Park
West Jordan's big west-side park has the city's Wheels Park, a 20,000-square-foot concrete skate park with a street plaza, a bowl and a separate area for roller skaters and beginners, where the city ran a summer skate camp for children in 2026. Beside it are the Sierra Newbold Playground and a splash pad that recycles its water; tap the blue pillars to start it. Getting there: 5900 West New Bingham Highway. Cost: Free. Hours: The splash pad runs 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Season: The splash pad runs Memorial Day to Labor Day; the skate park and playground are open all year. West Jordan's Wheels Park page
7. Gene Fullmer Recreation Center
A Salt Lake County recreation center with an indoor leisure pool, kept at 86 degrees, with a waterslide, a current channel, a bubble bench and a play structure, next to a six-lane lap pool. The county warns that pool hours are limited, so call the front desk before you go. Getting there: 8015 South 2200 West. Cost: A county day-admission fee. Season: Indoors, so it is the cold-day and rainy-day answer all year.
8. The Western Stampede
West Jordan's Fourth of July. In 2026 it ran July 2 to 4, with a PRCA rodeo each night at the city arena and a carnival at Veterans Memorial Park. A drone show on July 3, the Grand Parade on the Fourth and fireworks after the rodeo that night rounded it out. Getting there: The rodeo is at the West Jordan Arena, 8125 South 2200 West; the carnival is at Veterans Memorial Park. Cost: Rodeo tickets and carnival rides are sold separately. Season: The first days of July. The Western Stampede schedule
9. A demolition derby at the West Jordan Arena
The same arena hosts a city-run demolition derby in the late summer; the 2026 derby was on August 15. Getting there: West Jordan Arena, 8125 South 2200 West. Cost: Ticketed. Season: August.
10. Mid-Valley Performing Arts Center
Salt Lake County's performing arts center in Taylorsville opened in June 2021 next to Taylorsville City Hall, with a 400-seat main stage, a 200-seat black-box studio called Studio 5400 and a lobby art gallery. Its calendar mixes community companies with touring shows. Getting there: 2525 Taylorsville Boulevard. Cost: Tickets vary; they are sold through ArtTix. Season: A year-round calendar. Salt Lake County Arts & Culture's page for the venue
11. Valley Regional Park
An 89-acre Salt Lake County park in Taylorsville, near the county library and recreation center, with a disc golf course, a ball diamond complex, a playground and a separate playground for ages 2 to 5, a pavilion and volleyball. It is also where Taylorsville Dayzz happens. Getting there: 5100 South 2700 West. Cost: Free. Season: Open all year. Salt Lake County's Valley Regional Park page
12. Taylorsville Dayzz
Taylorsville's three-day festival at Valley Regional Park. The 2026 edition, June 25 to 27, was its 30th, with a parade, a petting zoo, carnival rides, food booths, concerts, a 5K and fireworks, and admission and entertainment were free. Getting there: Valley Regional Park, 5100 South 2700 West. Cost: Free admission; the carnival rides and food cost extra. Season: The last week of June. Taylorsville Dayzz
13. Taylorsville Pool
A Salt Lake County outdoor pool with a zero-depth entry, water toys, a waterslide, a diving board, and both 25- and 50-meter lap lanes, with large umbrellas for shade. Getting there: The county's pool page has the address and the season's hours. Cost: A county day-pass fee. Season: Summer only. Salt Lake County's Taylorsville Pool page
14. Millrace Park
Taylorsville's river park on the Jordan River has a bass-fishing pond, a concrete boat ramp onto the river, Jordan River Parkway access, pickleball, sports fields, pavilions and an off-leash dog area that requires a permit. Getting there: 1150 West 5400 South. Cost: Free; anglers 12 and older need a Utah fishing license, which our licenses guide explains. Hours: Dawn to dusk. Season: Open all year. The Jordan River Commission's Millrace Park page
15. The Jordan River Parkway
The paved parkway follows the river along the east side of both cities. Two easy places to join it are Millrace Park in Taylorsville and the Historic Gardner TRAX station in West Jordan, which has its own trail access and sits across the road from Gardner Village. That makes a walk, a ride and a stop for lunch possible without ever moving the car, or without a car at all. Getting there: Millrace Park, 1150 West 5400 South, or Historic Gardner station, 1127 West 7800 South. Cost: Free. Season: Year-round. Our paved-trails guide covers the Utah County stretch of the same river trail.
Related Guides
- Things to Do in Murray and Midvale, Utah, From Provo
- Things to Do in Cottonwood Heights, Holladay and Millcreek, From Provo
- Things to Do in Herriman and Riverton, Utah, From Provo
- Things to Do in South Jordan and Daybreak, From Provo
- Things to Do in Sandy, Utah, From Provo
- Things to Do in Draper, Utah, From Provo
- The Pumpkin Regatta, WitchFest and the Salt Lake County October
- Things to Do in Provo Without a Car
Frequently Asked Questions
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