Is the Clark Planetarium Worth Visiting? An Honest Take

Free admission, three floors of hands-on space exhibits, two theaters, and a fresh 2023–2024 renovation. The catch? It sits downtown in Salt Lake City, which is either wildly convenient or a genuine pain depending on where you’re starting from. So is the Clark Planetarium worth visiting, or is it just a place to kill an hour while you wait for a dinner reservation?

Is the Clark Planetarium Worth Visiting?: Things to Consider

1. Where is the Salt Lake City Planetarium?

2. How Much is the Clark Planetarium?

3. How Much is Parking for Clark Planetarium?

4. What Are the Clark Planetarium Hours of Operation?

5. How Long Do You Need?

6. What Are the Exhibits?

7. There is a Play Area

8. There Are Both IMAX and Dome Theaters

9. You Can See a Clark Planetarium Laser Show on the Weekend

10. You Can Get Clark Planetarium Discount Tickets

Clark Planetarium FAQ

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Is the Clark Planetarium Worth Visiting? The Quick Verdict

Short version, for those who don’t read the small print on a free thing: yes, if you’re already downtown — no, if it requires a special trip into the city. The exhibits are free, the building is a comfortable two-hour stop, and the recent renovation gave the place a fresh coat of paint and some new toys. But it’s a modest 10,000-ish square feet, not a full-day destination. Treat it as a worthwhile add-on, not the reason you drove to Salt Lake.

• Address: 110 S 400 W, Salt Lake City, UT 84101, inside The Gateway
• Admission to exhibits: Free
• Theater shows: Roughly $8–$10 plus tax; kids 2 and under and members free
• Time needed: About two hours for exhibits; add an hour for a show
• Best for: Families with elementary-age kids who like to push buttons

1. Where is Clark Planetarium?

The Clark Planetarium is located at 110 S 400 W in downtown Salt Lake City, run by Salt Lake County. If you’re in the area anyway, the location is convenient. If you’re not, it’s a giant pain to access — parking garages, one-way streets, and the kind of downtown traffic that makes you question your life choices.

The good news: it sits inside The Gateway, an open-air shopping and entertainment complex, so you have easy access to lots of restaurants near Clark Planetarium. There are also several nearby hotels from which to choose. If you’re making a science-and-museums day of it, it pairs nicely with a drive up to Eccles Dinosaur Park in Ogden.

2. How Much is Clark Planetarium?

Is the Clark Planetarium free? It sure is. You can walk into the building and play with all three floors of exhibits at no charge — no ticket, no timed entry, no upsell at the door. The only things that cost money are the theater shows and whatever your kids talk you into at the gift shop.

That’s the whole pitch, and it’s a strong one. A free, indoor, hands-on science museum is exactly the kind of thing you want in your back pocket on a too-hot or too-cold Utah afternoon. For a paid science museum done right, see how Chicago’s Museum of Science and Industry compares — it’s a much bigger commitment of both time and money.

3. Clark Planetarium Parking

Park in The Gateway’s South parking garage. The setup has changed since this post first went up: it’s now a scan-the-QR-code, pay-by-phone system rather than a ticket at the gate. You park, pay through the app, and then scan a second QR code at the Clark Planetarium front desk to validate. With validation, you’re looking at roughly $1 for up to three hours — just remember to “end” your session in the app when you leave, or you may keep getting charged.

Alternatively, the Utah Transit Authority has a stop near The Gateway if you’d rather not deal with downtown driving at all.

Pro tip: Don’t skip the front-desk validation step — without it, downtown garage pricing adds up fast. The old paper “validation coupon” is gone, so do it through the app and QR scan instead. Parking rates and free-hour policies at The Gateway change, so confirm the current deal when you arrive.

4. Salt Lake Planetarium Hours

As of this writing, the Clark Planetarium is open from 9:30 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, and 9:30 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. It opens earlier and stays open later than it used to, which is genuinely useful if you’re trying to squeeze in a show after dinner. Because hours and seasonal closures shift, it’s worth a quick check on the official Plan Your Visit page before you go.

Note: The theaters run later than the exhibit floors on weekend nights, so an evening visit may be a show-only affair. If your heart is set on the hands-on exhibits, go during regular daytime hours.

Pro tip: Arrive early. The place is best enjoyed when it’s not wall-to-wall with other people’s children.

Bonus pro tip: If you have the luxury of visiting on a weekday, it’ll be calmer than the weekend — right up until a school bus disgorges forty kids on a field trip. Get there right at opening to beat the groups.

5. How Long Do You Need?

The exhibits take up roughly 10,000 square feet across three floors. That isn’t as large as it sounds to people like me who have no concept of distance — this will not be an all-day event. You can comfortably knock it out in about two hours. If you want to see a movie, tack on another hour for the show. Compare that to a place like the US Space and Rocket Center in Alabama, which eats an entire day — Clark is a snack, not a feast.

6. Clark Planetarium Exhibits

Here’s the asterisk: the Clark Planetarium reworked its exhibits in a 2023–2024 renovation, so the floor map has shifted around since my visit. The current displays are organized into thematic zones, and some of the individual sections below may have been renamed, moved, or refreshed. I’ve kept the descriptions of what I saw — just don’t be surprised if a specific exhibit has a new name or a new home when you get there. The bones are the same: three floors of interactive, push-the-button, watch-it-happen space science.

The signature centerpiece is hard to miss: a roughly 30-foot, two-story audio-kinetic ball sculpture — Newton’s Daydream, by artist George Rhoads — in the main lobby stairway. Balls travel along tracks, ring bells, and clatter through chutes, and kids will stand there watching it for an unreasonably long time. There’s also a Science on a Sphere display, a six-foot globe that projects planets, weather, and other data across its surface.

Stars, Black Holes, and the Far Reaches

The upper-floor exhibits cover the big, cold, far-away stuff — stars, black holes, and the outer solar system. It’s the section most likely to make a curious kid say “wait, what?” out loud.

Pro tip: In a stroke of pure money-making genius, there’s a display where you send bounce balls through a funnel to demonstrate orbital motion — and you buy said bounce balls from a gumball machine. Bring change, or accept that you’ll be the villain who said no.

Impacts and Meteorites

Is the Clark Planetarium worth it? When it comes to this section, the under-ten crowd would argue emphatically yes. There’s a collection of meteorites — including a genuinely hefty one — and an interactive game where you repel incoming asteroids with your arm movements, which is exactly as satisfying as it sounds.

Pro tip: The asteroid game is popular. Kids cannot get enough of it. Visit at off times if you’d like a turn before the heat death of the universe.

Standing on Another World

One immersive exhibit is built to make you feel like you’re standing on the surface of another world — trippy lighting, rover models, the works. The rovers, in my experience, only worked some of the time, which is either a maintenance issue or an extremely realistic simulation of actual Mars missions.

The Moon

The Moon exhibit features lunar lander models and Moon-themed displays. A heads-up worth giving: the museum’s NASA Moon rock was moved off-site during the renovation, and its current display status isn’t confirmed — so don’t promise the kids they’ll touch a piece of the Moon until you’ve checked at the front desk.

Our Solar System

Another zone walks through the solar system, planets, and comets — the classic “here’s our cosmic neighborhood” tour, with enough interactivity to keep it from feeling like a textbook.

A Restless Planet

Closer to home, an Earth-science area includes a large Foucault pendulum (the kind that slowly knocks over pegs to prove the planet is spinning, which never gets old) and a simulated tornado you can put your hands into.

Space Weather

A smaller cluster of exhibits near the theaters deals with space weather — screens, magnetic fields, and the sun’s bad moods. Because it sits in the path of foot traffic from the shows, it gets crowded fast.

Pro tip: This area floods every time a show lets out. Hit it early, before the theater crowds turn it into a hallway.

7. There is a Play Area

There’s a small, dedicated play area for young children only. It. Gets. Crowded. If a packed pit of toddlers stresses you out, visit early in the day before the room fills up. If you’re traveling with little ones in general, our tips for traveling with kids will save your sanity on a trip like this.

8. There Are Both IMAX and Dome Theaters

You can wander the interactive exhibits for free, but the movies cost extra. The Clark Planetarium has two theaters: the Hansen Dome Theatre, a 55-foot dome that runs star shows, animated films, and laser light shows, and the Northrop Grumman IMAX Theatre, with a screen about 70 feet wide by 50 feet tall.

As of this writing, show tickets run roughly $8 to $10 plus tax, generally tiered by age (about $8 for younger kids and around $10 for ages 13 and up). Kids 2 and under get in free, and members see shows free. The old before-5-p.m. matinee discount appears to have been replaced by this age-based pricing, so don’t count on a cheaper “evening vs. daytime” rate — check current Clark Planetarium pricing before you build your budget around it.

Both theaters offer a rotating lineup. IMAX documentaries change regularly — a recent example was a James Webb Space Telescope film — so check the Clark Planetarium movie schedule before you visit to decide what you want to see.

Pro tip: Kids ages two and under are free.

Bonus pro tip: Members get into the Clark Planetarium shows for free, which is the entire argument for a membership if you live nearby.

9. You Can See a Clark Planetarium Light Show on the Weekend

On weekend evenings, the Dome Theatre runs laser light shows — now branded as Cosmic Light Shows — that pair lasers with a music soundtrack, very much in the spirit of a high school AV club’s wildest dreams. One housekeeping note worth knowing: late seating generally isn’t allowed for these, for safety reasons, so don’t roll in fashionably late.

10. There Are Ways to Save on Clark Planetarium Tickets

Clark Planetarium admission is free, but the shows and concessions are not. There are a few ways to shave some cost off the extras.

Clark Planetarium Membership

Do you plan to visit more than once? Are the shows important to you? If so, a membership may pay for itself fast.

In addition to free shows, membership typically comes with gift-shop discounts, cheaper concessions, and reciprocal access through the Association of Science and Technology Centers, which can get you into a long list of other science museums around the country.

Travel with a Group

Groups of 20 or more can buy discounted show tickets.

Note: You’ll need to email the planetarium ahead of time to arrange the group rate — you can’t just show up with a crowd and expect the discount at the window.

Clark Planetarium Groupon Deals

You may be able to find deals for membership and shows on Groupon — availability comes and goes, so check before assuming there’s a deal.

Association of Science and Technology Centers Members Get Free Admission to the Dome Theater

Already a member of another science museum? If you have access to the Association of Science and Technology Centers reciprocity program, you may get into the dome theater for free. Terms can change, so confirm Clark’s current participation when you arrive.

Salt Lake Connect / Explorer Attractions Pass

Visiting multiple Salt Lake City attractions? The Salt Lake Connect Pass — now also marketed as the Salt Lake Explorer Pass — bundles admission to a stack of local attractions and includes one Dome Theatre admission plus one IMAX documentary at Clark. If you’re already hitting a couple of paid spots in town, it can be the cheapest way to fold in the shows here.

Clark Planetarium FAQ

Is the Clark Planetarium free?

Yes. Entry to the building and all three floors of interactive exhibits is free. Only the theater shows and the gift shop will cost you anything.

How long do you need at the Clark Planetarium?

Plan on about two hours for the exhibits. Add roughly another hour if you want to catch an IMAX or Dome Theatre show. It’s a half-morning stop, not a full-day outing.

How much are Clark Planetarium show tickets?

Show tickets run roughly $8 to $10 plus tax, generally tiered by age, with kids 2 and under and members free. Prices change, so confirm on the official site before you go.

Is the Clark Planetarium good for toddlers?

It’s fine for toddlers — there’s a dedicated little-kids play area — but it really shines for elementary-age kids who can work the interactive exhibits. Toddlers will be happiest in the play area and in front of the giant ball sculpture.

What’s the best time to visit the Clark Planetarium?

A weekday morning, right at opening. You’ll dodge both the weekend rush and the midday school field trips, and you’ll have the popular interactive games to yourself for a little while.

Final Thoughts – Is the Clark Planetarium Worth Visiting?

Is the Clark Planetarium worth visiting? The price is right — free is hard to argue with, and the 2023–2024 refresh gave repeat visitors a reason to come back. If you’re already downtown, I wouldn’t hesitate to stop in for a couple of hours. But given the modest size and the inconvenient, parking-garage-and-traffic location, I still don’t think it’s worth a special trip into the city just for this. Treat it as a great free add-on to a Salt Lake day, not the headliner — and if you want a bigger, all-day science destination in the region, save that energy for somewhere like the Loveland Living Planet Aquarium instead.

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