South Towne Center

We had sort of a small adventure this past weekend. We took our kids to the South Towne Mall in South Salt Lake City. There were a couple of fun things to do at the mall, and we may return there on a cold day when we need to get out of the house.

One thing to do at this mall is play at the Dinosaur Den. This is a large room with a dinosaur theme. Entry is free, and parents take their small children (I'd say age 1-7) here to play and take a break from shopping. There is a large hollow tree with several slides, a huge globe children can spin, and a bigger slide that children can play on. There are also some tunnels and dinosaur footprints to hop on. Though this attraction is a little run down, and bigger kids might find it boring, we like it because it is an inside playground on those cold, wet days.

The other thing to do at the mall is ride the train. Just outside the Dinosaur Den is a large train that takes you around the entire mall. It is a fun ride and the conductor takes you in a few tight circles. We thoroughly enjoyed the ride, and non-riders are really nice about waving to the kids. The one major drawback is the cost. They charge a whopping $3 per rider. Since we only pay $1.50 per ride at the zoo, this seemed exorbitant. For all my complaining, we will probably do this again, but not often. We believe this to be a $2 train ride on a good day, $1 when we're feeling like paupers.

Still, it is nice to have a place to go on days when the weather keeps you away from the park.