# The Natural History Museum of Utah - Link: https://mywalkabout.net/the-natural-history-museum-of-utah/ - Published: 2015-06-21T21:15:00-07:00 - Author: My Walkabout In the foothills overlooking the Salt Lake Valley is a copper tinted building that blends perfectly into the natural environment.  The [Rio Tinto Natural History Museum](https://nhmu.utah.edu/#_=_) was my destination for a Saturday afternoon with my niece, and I’m not sure who was more excited.[](https://i0.wp.com/mywalkabout.net/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/ba501-img_9575.jpg?ssl=1) _“The Eyes of the Future are looking back at us and they are praying for us to see beyond our own time.”_ -Terry Tempest Williams A child’s curiosity and unspoiled wonder makes everything better in a place like this. We start by gazing at the world’s largest known land mammal, a massive beast that frightens her for a moment, then she laughs. We explore the tiniest of creatures under a microscope, to being in awe at the size of the horned dinosaurs.[](https://i0.wp.com/mywalkabout.net/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/f446d-img_9602.jpg?ssl=1) We re-create the Bonneville lake that covered the whole Salt Lake Valley under water millions of years ago, to learning about the Native American Indians that called this place home.[](https://i0.wp.com/mywalkabout.net/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/fd970-img_9623.jpg?ssl=1) _“I’ve read that a naked eye can see six thousand stars in the hundred billion galaxies, but I couldn’t believe it, what with the white sky and starlight. I saw one million stars with one eye and two million with both.”_ -William Least Heat Moon The origins of man confuse her in the most delightful way…_.”are neanderthals Jesus’s ancestors?”_ _[the\_ad id=”11876″]_I smile and let her know that they came way before him, and this seems to satisfy.[](https://i0.wp.com/mywalkabout.net/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/37be0-img_9638.jpg?ssl=1) We avoid the snakes and spiders where we can, and play instead with cell mitochondria and science labs, drawing horses and learning about different landscapes.[](https://i0.wp.com/mywalkabout.net/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/d583c-img_9634.png?ssl=1) The Natural History Museum is a great place to escape the summer heat for a few hours for kids of all ages. ### Share this: * [ Email ](https://mywalkabout.net/the-natural-history-museum-of-utah/?subject=%5BShared%20Post%5D%20The%20Natural%20History%20Museum%20of%20Utah&body=https%3A%2F%2Fmywalkabout.net%2Fthe-natural-history-museum-of-utah%2F&share=email) * [Post](https://x.com/share) * [Share on Tumblr](https://www.tumblr.com/share) * [ WhatsApp ](https://mywalkabout.net/the-natural-history-museum-of-utah/?share=jetpack-whatsapp) * [ Nextdoor ](https://mywalkabout.net/the-natural-history-museum-of-utah/?share=nextdoor) * [ Threads ](https://mywalkabout.net/the-natural-history-museum-of-utah/?share=threads) * [[ * [Tweet](https://twitter.com/share) * [ Reddit ](https://mywalkabout.net/the-natural-history-museum-of-utah/?share=reddit) ### Like this: Like Loading…