Summer break is here. The kids are home, the days are long, and the activities budget can disappear fast if you're not careful.
The good news: Utah County has an incredible amount of free and low-cost things to do with kids this summer. The important note for 2026: with the state under drought conditions, not all splash pads are open. I've verified the current status of every major one below — and added a deals section for nearby attractions worth knowing about.
Free Splash Pads in Utah County — 2026 Verified Status
Utah is experiencing its lowest snowpack on record in 2026. Per UPR's May 2026 reporting, Governor Spencer Cox declared a statewide drought emergency, with 22 of 29 counties experiencing extreme drought conditions. Cities are making individual decisions about splash pads based on whether their systems recirculate water.
Eagle Mountain — Cory B. Wride Memorial Park ✅ OPEN Per ABC4's 2026 splash pad guide, Cory Wride uses a recirculating water system and is running seven days a week, 10am to 8pm. Zipline, playground, pickleball courts, and an all-abilities park on the same grounds.
Eagle Mountain — Nolan Park ❌ CLOSED for 2026 Per ABC4, Nolan Park does not recirculate water and is closed for the full 2026 season as part of Eagle Mountain's drought conservation effort.
Lehi — Ivory Ridge and Lehi City Family Park ✅ BOTH OPEN Per ABC4, both Lehi splash pads are open — their systems reuse water. Both opened May 23.
Provo — Pioneer Park ✅ OPEN Open since May 23. One of the busiest splash pads in the county — arrive early on hot days.
Pleasant Grove — Cook Family Park ✅ OPEN Viking ship themed splash pad, opened May 25. Also has a bike pump track and skate park.
Spanish Fork — North Park and Adventure Heights ✅ BOTH OPEN Per Coupons4Utah's 2026 guide, both Spanish Fork splash pads are open. North Park is right off I-15. Adventure Heights is an all-abilities park with a splash pad, river, playground, and zipline.
Springville — Springville Splash Pad ✅ OPEN Per Utah's Adventure Family, open since May 9. Features a little river and bigger sprayers with playground and shade trees.
Santaquin — Sunset Park ✅ OPEN Open for 2026.
Shops at the Riverwoods — Provo ✅ OPEN Free interactive fountains near Tucano's Brazilian Grill at the Riverwoods outdoor mall.
Splash pad status can change as drought conditions evolve. Always check your city's website or social media before heading out.
Free Museums in Utah County
Monte L. Bean Life Science Museum — BYU, Provo Wildlife displays, massive taxidermy animals, live reptile shows. Free admission.
BYU Museum of Paleontology — Provo Real dinosaur fossils and a fossil vending machine. Free.
BYU Museum of Art — Provo Per WhichMuseum's 2026 guide, one of the most visited university-campus art museums in the United States. Free, open Tuesday through Saturday.
BYU Earth Science Museum — Provo Dinosaur skeletons, fossils, and minerals. Free. Often less crowded than the Paleontology Museum.
Springville Museum of Art — Springville Per the museum's website, the oldest museum dedicated to visual fine arts in Utah. Free admission, donations welcomed. Over 2,000 works, a sculpture garden, and a Spanish Revival building on the National Register of Historic Places. Closed Sundays.
Provo Pioneer Village — Provo Hands-on Utah pioneer history. Free.
Just Over the County Line: The Gale Museum — South Jordan Per the City of South Jordan, free admission, hands-on history exhibits, interactive general store, scavenger hunts, and free monthly craft kits for young children. A short drive from Eagle Mountain and Saratoga Springs.
Free Outdoor Adventures
Bridal Veil Falls — Provo Canyon 607-foot double waterfall, paved path, stroller accessible. Free.
Saratoga Hot Springs at Inlet Park — Saratoga Springs Natural warm pools on the northwest shore of Utah Lake. Paved trail from parking. Free and genuinely unique.
Cascade Springs — Alpine Loop Boardwalk trail through natural terraced springs. Free — check seasonal road closures first.
Y Mountain Hike — Provo 2.4-mile round trip to the "Y" above BYU. Panoramic valley views. Free.
Squaw Peak Road — Provo Canyon Sweeping views over Utah Valley with minimal effort. Free.
Jordan River Trail — Lehi and Saratoga Springs 9 miles, fully paved, flat, open year-round. Free. Dogs welcome on leash. Full guide with every access point: Jordan River Trail local guide.
Rock Canyon — Provo Easy free hike at the base of the Wasatch. Great for short hikes and picnics.
Provo River Parkway Flat, paved trail following the Provo River. Shaded, stroller-friendly, free.
Deals Worth Knowing About
Not everything on this list is free — but these are genuinely worth it and good to know before the summer slips away.
Thanksgiving Point — Lehi
Freedom Celebration at Electric Park — Free on July 4th Per Thanksgiving Point's events page, the Fourth of July celebration at Electric Park is free to enter — live entertainment, food, and fireworks at 10pm synchronized to 93.3 FM. Gates open at 4pm.
$5 Tuesdays — Every Tuesday in September Per Utah's Adventure Family's confirmed 2026 dates and Thanksgiving Point's official $5 Tuesdays page, every Tuesday in September admission is just $5 per person at all six venues: Butterfly Biosphere, Curiosity Farms, Mountain America Museum of Ancient Life, Museum of Natural Curiosity, Ashton Gardens, and Mountain America Jurassic Jungle. The Ropes Course inside the Museum of Natural Curiosity is also $5. Venues normally run $10 to $25 per person — this is a really really good deal. Book online in advance — tickets can sell out, especially for Jurassic Jungle.
Utah's Hogle Zoo — Salt Lake City (Worth the Drive)
Hogle is about 35 minutes from Eagle Mountain and Saratoga Springs — not Utah County, but worth including because families ask about it constantly.
Free Admission on July 4th — Military and Veterans Per Utah's Hogle Zoo's official promotions page, active-duty military, veterans, and their immediate families get free daytime general admission on designated military appreciation days — including July 4th.
Year-Round Military Discount Per Hogle Zoo's official page, military personnel get $3 off general admission year-round with a valid military ID at the ticket window.
EBT and SNAP Cardholders Per Hogle Zoo's official promotions, EBT and SNAP cardholders can purchase up to 6 tickets at $12 for adults and $10 for children — significantly below regular admission.
Wild Wednesdays — Winter Only (Plan Ahead for Next Season) Per Coupons4Utah's verified 2026 guide, Wild Wednesdays run on the last Wednesday of each month from November through February only — $6 online, $8 at the gate, sponsored by Salt Lake County ZAP. These are not available in the summer, but worth putting on next year's calendar.
Free Community Programs
USU Extension — Create Better Health Kids Summer Clubs Per USU Extension, free summer cooking and activity clubs for kids across Utah County. Check extension.usu.edu for locations.
Utah County Library Summer Reading Program Every branch runs a free summer reading program. Check your city's library for the current schedule.
Free Outdoor Movies in the Park Cities across Utah County host free outdoor movies all summer. Check your city's parks and recreation page.
City Festivals — Free Activities All Summer
Saratoga Splash — June 10-13 Strawberry Days, Pleasant Grove — June 12-20 Lehi Round-up — June 24-27 Freedom Festival, Provo — June 15 through July 4 Provo Balloon Fest — July 2-4 (free to attend)
A Note from a Local
One of the things I tell every family that moves here is that Utah County's quality of life doesn't require a big budget to access. The outdoor access, the city events, the free museums — these are the things people fall in love with after they move in.
If you're considering a move to Eagle Mountain, Saratoga Springs, or Lehi, the things on this list are part of what everyday life looks like here. Not a highlights reel — just a regular summer.
Questions about living in Utah County? Let's chat →
Frequently Asked Questions
Which splash pads are open in Utah County in 2026? Due to the statewide drought, some splash pads are closed. Verified open as of June 2026: Cory Wride Memorial Park (Eagle Mountain, 10am-8pm daily), Ivory Ridge and Lehi City Family Park (Lehi), Pioneer Park (Provo), Cook Family Park (Pleasant Grove), North Park and Adventure Heights (Spanish Fork), and Springville Splash Pad. Nolan Park in Eagle Mountain is closed for the full 2026 season.
Why is Nolan Park splash pad closed? Nolan Park does not use a recirculating water system — all water goes directly to the sanitary sewer. Eagle Mountain closed it for all of 2026 to conserve water during the drought emergency. Cory Wride uses a recirculating system and is open.
When are $5 Tuesdays at Thanksgiving Point? Every Tuesday in September. Admission is $5 per person at all six Thanksgiving Point venues including the new Jurassic Jungle. The Ropes Course is also $5. Venues normally cost $10 to $25 per person. Book online in advance — Jurassic Jungle tickets can sell out.
Does Hogle Zoo have free days in summer 2026? Hogle Zoo's Wild Wednesdays ($6 admission days) run November through February only — not in summer. However, military personnel and veterans get free admission on designated military appreciation days including July 4th. EBT and SNAP cardholders can get significantly discounted tickets year-round.
Are the BYU museums free? Yes. Multiple BYU museums are free to the public — Bean Life Science Museum, Museum of Paleontology, Museum of Art, and Earth Science Museum. All worth visiting.
What is the Springville Museum of Art? The oldest museum dedicated to visual fine arts in Utah, with free admission. Over 2,000 works, a sculpture garden, and a beautiful historic building. About 10 minutes south of Provo. Closed Sundays.
Related reading:
- Jordan River Trail in Lehi and Saratoga Springs: A Local's Complete Guide
- Fourth of July 2026 in Utah County: Fireworks, Events, and What's New This Year
- New High School Coming to Saratoga Springs: Everything Families Need to Know
- Whole Foods is Coming to Lehi: What The Collective at Morning Vista Means for Utah County
- Saratoga Springs Real Estate Market Update: June 2026 Report by Neighborhood
- Eagle Mountain Real Estate Market Update: June 2026 Report by Neighborhood
Sources: ABC4 — Eagle Mountain Nolan Park closed 2026, Cory Wride open with recirculating system; ABC4 — Verified 2026 splash pad status across Wasatch Front; UPR — Gov. Cox drought emergency, 22 of 29 counties extreme drought, May 2026; Utah's Adventure Family — 15 Utah County splash pads 2026 verified open dates; Coupons4Utah — 80+ Utah splash pads 2026 status guide; Thanksgiving Point — $5 Tuesdays official page: every Tuesday in September, $5 all 6 venues including Jurassic Jungle; Utah's Adventure Family — $5 Tuesdays Thanksgiving Point 2026 confirmed dates; Thanksgiving Point — Freedom Celebration at Electric Park, free entry, July 4th; Utah's Hogle Zoo — Official promotions page: military $3 off year-round, free admission military appreciation days including July 4th, EBT/SNAP $12 adults/$10 kids; Coupons4Utah — Hogle Zoo Wild Wednesdays winter only Nov-Feb, $6 online/$8 gate, May 2026; Utah Valley — 100+ Free or Cheap Things to Do in Utah Valley; City of South Jordan — The Gale Museum: free admission, craft kits; Springville Museum of Art — Free admission; WhichMuseum — BYU Museum of Art, June 2026; USU Extension — Create Better Health free kids summer programs; ABC4 — Free summer activities Utah families, April 2026.
Written by Kat Ashby, Principal Broker and Realtor® at RootQuest Realty LLC in Saratoga Springs, Utah. Kat holds a Utah Division of Real Estate Principal Broker license (Credential #10382396-PB00) — a designation that requires demonstrated experience, additional coursework, and a separate licensing exam beyond the standard agent license. She has been actively selling in Utah County since 2020, with deep experience across Lehi, Eagle Mountain, Saratoga Springs, and the broader Wasatch Front, specializing in buyer and seller representation, new construction, and corporate relocation through Altair Global. She is fluent in English and Portuguese, earned her bachelor's degree in Psychology from Brigham Young University, and lives in the community she sells in.