It was my birthday this past week, so my boyfriend and I went to The Leonardo. I had never been before and it seemed to be a perfect fit for the two of us. We really enjoyed our time exploring the museum and the hands on activities available. Something we found interesting was that on a Saturday morning it was pretty empty, it definitely started to pick up around early afternoon. Also a bit of a warning, there is no free or validated parking on site. We ended up parking in a public lot nearby and paying a fee. read more

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If you're wondering where the main character energy was on New Year's Eve in Salt Lake City, it was at the Leonardo Museum. This gala? Absolutely delivered. I'm talking dressed-up crowd, glitter everywhere, real champagne, and the kind of DJ who knew exactly when to drop Beyoncé, ABBA, and a surprise 2000s throwback that had all of us losing our minds. I came in thinking I might just sip something bubbly and leave before midnight. Instead, I danced for four hours straight, made new friends, and now have a very blurry selfie that might become a family heirloom. The setting was gorgeous, by the way. Big open spaces, cool lighting, and just enough art and architecture to make you feel elevated while also clutching your clutch and screaming the lyrics to "Mr. Brightside." The vibe was party, but in a classy way. Like you could go full glam and not feel out of place, but also not feel judged if you kicked your heels off before midnight and went rogue on the dance floor. Which I did. No regrets. Would I go again? Already planning my outfit. 10 out of 10, would ring in the new year under a disco ball surrounded by Salt Lake's most unhinged and best-dressed again. read more

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The tickets were discounted because of the broken elevator which was nice. The flight exhibits were interesting but many of the other interactive ones were out of order. There was a mosaic exhibit that was neat but it was just images projected onto walls with a soundtrack playing in the background. There was no clear signage and the layout was at times confusing as you could just wander about into dark unused parts of the museum. While I still had fun, my experience was overall underwhelming. read more

I have gone to The Leonardo a few times now. The first time was years ago when they hosted the Dead Sea Scrolls. My husband and I both went and were in awe of the exhibit. Since then I have gotten to attend some after hours parties including Frightmare on 5th with Yelp and the Gold & Glitter Gala on NYE, just the other day. It was such a fancy party filled with sparkling cider, catered hors d'ouevres and activities for those in attendance. They also had a dj for us to jam out to on the dance floor and access to some of their exhibits. No doubt there were plenty of photo ops too! My girlfriends and I had a blast, and felt so gorgeous on the red carpet. I love that The Leonardo hosts not only amazing exhibits, but fabulous parties as well! read more

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Today's visit to The Leo was courtesy of the Connect Pass I purchased during my short vacation to SLC. While I agree with other reviews that the museum can seem a bit underwhelming - particularly given DaVinci's genius in multiple disciplines - I was blown away by how much I enjoyed the AI show. It takes place in the Idea Room and I just could not sit idly during it. You have to get up, move around, look about and take pictures. Given the prevalence of AI in our world now, it also gave me quite a bit of food for thought. Very friendly staff and a pleasant enough way to spend a couple of hours during vacation. read more

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It was an interesting combination of an art and a science museum. It had some very interesting and fun things so that all ages could find something they enjoy. There were quite a few hands-on activities which were fun for both adults and kids. The flight simulators were also fun. Overall not a bad place - unfortunately there was a lot of 'empty' space - not sure if exhibits were being turned over or if that's the case all of the time. Most of the tv screens which I believe probably had videos or such, were not working or were turned off and couldn't be turned on. Overall it was an interesting place - but probably not one we'd go back to a second time. read more

The $15 nude figure classes are great opportunities for artists in the area :) . Bring it back!!

Just wish there was more. My kids enjoyed the flight simulator and the art area on the second floor. I wish that the beautiful white lifelike things would have actually been functioning properly. I think the concept was cool just would have been nice to see it in action. Also the video in the large room was having issues. Overall I would go again if in the area. read more

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This was such a disappointment. They charge $16 per adult and $10 per child/student. At one time, this may have been a cool place, but it is old, tired and much is now broken and unusable. Whoever is running his place ran it into the ground. The cost is very high for a few old and terrible displays with many broken monitors and projectors. The water discovery room was literally a huge empty room with about 10 photos on the walls of people playing in water. Our family of 6 was bored to death here. Save your money and find a better spot like Thanksgiving point museums, Dream Walk in Orem, or even Clarke Planetarium or the zoo. Whoever is running the Leonardo should be ashamed of themselves for taking money for that broken old run down place. read more

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If you want a watered down museum, this is it. It's a Science museum, a few historical tid bits and various work stations. I was hoping for a traditional museum and a proper walk-thru. As an adult I was entertained for a brief moment. I'm sure as a kid, this place would be great. My nephews were working that piano though. I liked the huge Lego station though. Overall, I wouldn't return, unless the nephews wanted to come back. read more

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I love the Leonardo! It is one of my favorite museums that I've been to. Salt Lake has some really really good museums and this one changes exhibits and is super modern, really fun, and a joy for anyone interested in learning and currently they have a flight exhibits and are all about that which is really neat. They always have interactive exhibits that make it fun and engaging for anyone of any age. read more

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This museum was a 5 minute walk from my hotel. Decided to head there first since the other museums I wanted to see were driving distance. As I went in, it was not busy at all. I came in on a Friday early afternoon. First thing the front desk said was "don't mind the construction, there's still sections you can go and view ." I wasn't bothered by the construction. Just bothered by the lack of things to see. The exhibit was on the theme of flight. I saw photos of pilots during the first and Second World War. Read some aviation history during that time period. Particularly America's first black pilots. There were loads of hands on activities, but they were primarily for the kiddos. Honestly this place was just very underwhelming. Their gift shop was connected to a book store. You'll see more books than anything else. Spent about 45 min here, probably the shortest museum visit ever for me. Hopefully after the construction is completed, it can give this place a boost. read more

I was very excited to see this place because I've heard nothing but good things about it. Feeling underwhelmed might be an understatement. After the $32 entrence price, we purchased watered down coffee from their coffee shop. The place smelled like socks and seemed more like a kids paradise rather than what I was expecting I saw maybe 3-4 exhibits of legos, cardboard gingerbread houses and paper plate snow flakes. I honestly feel like me coming to this place was just a donation of my money. They did have a really cool retro NASA helmet that I liked. read more

The event we wanted had closed, however, my teen granddaughter and I went through the exhibitions anyway. Amazing amazing you can fly a helicopter. Recommend read more

This place is just not what it used to be. Unfriendly staff (at front door as well as the art station). Run down and broken exhibits. The grounds outside are trashy and overgrown. It's a shame bc years ago we liked to visit here. I'd go here if it was free otherwise save your money. read more

Great museum for kids! They have a lot of different stations for kids to see and participate in. Upstairs art area was a favorite. read more

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Nice flight exhibit that was opened at the museum. The admission right now because of COVID is $5 per person which isn't bad just wish they had all the other floors opened but due to the pandemic only the first floor is open at the moment. Staff is friendly and many interactive activities for kids and adults. read more

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Awesomely fun museum and the mental Health exhibit was such a unique and helpful experience that I can't describe it. All of the staff was helpful and we really enjoyed this museum. The o my reason I didn't give it 5 stars was because several Exhibits were broken. Otherwise, it's a 5 star kids museum that adults get to enjoy and learn from as well. Side note: I have body dysmorphia, and that particular interactive exhibit really helped both my kid and I have a better understanding of how my brain and eyes work differently than others when it comes to how I see my own self. Really cool! read more

Where do you go with an energetic twelve year old with an engineering mind? I'd highly advise you check out the Leonardo-it won't disappoint! There are so many wonderful hands-on exhibits that will entertain youngsters as well as adults. (Check out my wife playing along as if she were twelve herself!) There are staff members throughout the museum to help answer questions or encourage creativity. There were a few things that required some explanation, but overall it was easy to enjoy everything. I am strongly considering getting a family pass for Christmas so we can go back often-especially when there are special exhibits or events going on. read more

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I love the Leonardo. I first discovered it in 2013 when the dead sea scrolls were in Salt Lake City and I instantly fell in love. This museum allows me to explore my creativity and I love the range of exhibits they have brought in. My favorite of all time so far has been the mummy exhibit. I've always been intrigued by the process of mummification and the actual bodies themselves and seeing them up close and personal was surreal. Something you don't get to see just anywhere. I love keeping up with the different events they have going here and I can't wait to see what other exhibits they will come up with in the coming years! read more

This is a fabulous museum. But to be honest, I've never been there to look at the art. Although I have seen the big,obvious stuff in the walls and hanging from the ceilings. I've been there twice but both times were for special events that the Leonardo was hosting. One was a good tasting event (for Yelp Elite actually) and the other was for Ladies Spa Night benefiting The Underground Railroad. This is a great place to host these kinds of events because there is a lot of room! 3 floors! One of these days I will go back and actually look at the art on purpose. read more

The Leonardo - Museums Near Me - Salt Lake City, Utah

Came to the Leonardo to view the Body Exhibit, and was pleasantly surprised to learn that the general cost of admission was only $9 (half of the cost is covered by the church/charity in Salt Lake)! This museum is very interesting to run through, bringing back images of countless hours in bio, art, science, etc. - all rolled into one area! The Body Exhibit was definitely interesting, as you delve through the human biological makeup, and see the body dissected in such a way as to view the inner workings. A LOT of kids and families are present, and they end the exhibit with the process of 'preservation' that enables you to see the bodies in the exhibit. Oh, and the Tesla lighting was quite the treat as well! Half a million volts of alternating current run through an amplifier and humming the sound of its people to the diverse age mix in the audience. Last thing! If you come and buy a ticket, you also get 1 free admission ticket for another time!.. at least I did, so don't blame me if you don't. ;) read more

The Leonardo - AC (alternating current) running half a million volts through the tower. Audience ate it up! Thanks Tesla! - Museums Near Me - Salt Lake City, Utah

If you want hours of great entertainment this is the place. And if you want to entertain a child and maybe sneak in a little education, this is definitely the place. The first thing that will catch your eye as you walk in is a huge white web-like mass that looks like a sea creature. It's actually a network of fiber optic cables that act "alive" as they react to your touch with light and movement. There are dozens of exhibits about science, man's creativity, math, geometry, color and design, film making, animation, water, sugar and candy were in today's line-up. They were all pretty interesting, especially the animation and film making labs. They have a nice gift shop and a snack bar. There was a special exhibit today "Animals Inside Out". read more

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The Leonardo is a learning type center / hands on museum built in the old SLC library. The Leonardo has a lot of interactive things to learn a variety of things. The Leonardo is a good place to bring kids just to experience the awesomeness of science, math, etc. Every several months or so, The Leonardo will host traveling exhibits. Some are better than others, though a lot of times that can come down to how interested in the topic you are. I've been to a lot of these exhibits, the most recent being the Pompeii exhibit (which I thought was very well done). The exhibits will generally be about $25 per person, but that doesn't include if you want to use an audio accompaniment which gives more information about what you're seeing. That is extra. I don't mind paying the cost given that a lot of work does go into the exhibits and I get to see things that I might not have gotten to see otherwise. The Leonardo will often have their own events (none of which have I been to so I can't comment on them), and will host other events. I did go to a Yelp event a couple years ago that was held at the Leonardo, and I thought it was rather nice, though I don't know how much the Leonardo had to do with anything beyond the hosting of the event so I can't say if the Leonardo is a good place to host a private event or not, though there are other reviews to be had in that area. There is a gift shop which is kind of lackluster, in my opinion, though if you go see an exhibit then there will generally be plenty of merchandise for that. There is also some kind of food eatery attached to the gift shop, which I've never eaten at so I can't comment on the quality of the food. Perhaps in another review. Over the years I've felt like the customer service of the gift shop employees have been so-so--a nice way of saying that I haven't been impressed, but it's also not a big deal because it's not like it's been bad enough to give examples of. The bathrooms are generally clean and well kempt. There are mens and womens bathrooms on the first floor and then gender neutral restrooms on the second floor. This will matter more to some people than others. Overall, I do like the Leonardo in general. I would go more often if I felt like there was more change in their usual offerings. I think if I had children then having a membership would make sense but I can't say that I would buy a membership for just myself. read more

First of all, the staff are all very nice. That's the only good thing about this place though. There are homeless people doing drugs and scaring children all around the entire outside of the building. Everything inside is dirty and dusty, like they don't have anybody cleaning at all. Most of the exhibits don't work and aren't entertaining at all. For a hands on museum, it's very boring. You can do everything in under an hour and it's definitely not worth the price. It's more like a playground than a serious museum. Wouldn't come back unless I needed to entertain a toddler. read more

I'd love coming here esp when they have their special events. I came here for the mummy event and human body one as well. It never stop surprising me on how great it is. It isn't even that expensive to go. Some of the things here is very interesting and family fun. The LEGO portion is very fun. It lets your imagination go wild! Any kid would learn a lot from this place. Maintenance is a bit bad. Some of the lights just keep flickering and dim out. I'm sure it wasn't part of display. And you can definitely look at some of the screens and know they weren't wiped since it was installed. read more

It's a neat spot for tourists. As a local and mother of a young boy, going there once or twice is about it. There are cools things but it would be nice to have more exhibits rotate the building. The airplanes are a neat feature but it smells in the aircraft. They should be able to do a deep cleaning in there. Overall a fun spot to check out but lacks variety. read more

Went to see the Van Gogh exhibit. They have many interactive activities. Being familiar with his life trajectory and works, it was a bit emotional for me. It's a very unique creative approach as it teaches with senses. Projectors light up the floor towards the end of the room only. Parking is not free during weekdays. read more

I have seen the Pompeii exhibit twice now and it was fantastic! I love the special exhibits that the Leo hosts (I was a big fan of the Dead Sea Scrolls and Mummies of the World). The Pompeii exhibit was very well done! I was a Classics major in college, so I geek out over stuff like that! Obviously seeing the special exhibits are a little pricey, but it was well worth it to me. I did explore the rest of the museum during my last visit and it seems more geared towards children, which is really cool! What kid wouldn't love to play with Legos and other interactive activities? But maybe some of those areas could use a little TLC. Overall, great experiences are in store at this musuem! read more

Don't waste your money taking children here to learn about space. Interactive exhibits are broken and in disrepair. It was very disappointing. Just a few photos are posted read more

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Great museum when you have just a few hours. Excited to see the traveling exhibit "sorting out race". So well done for children and in a way that wonderfully raises important questions we should all be thinking about. read more

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We enjoyed the impressionist interactive exhibit and earth day hands on art. My kids (8 & 5) enjoyed the exhibits. I'm giving it 3 stars because we did not enjoy walking past the many homeless camped right outside the museum. It's a smaller museum but still pretty fun. read more

I've been to The Leonardo twice now, once for Body Worlds and more recently for the Da Vinci exhibit. The museum has done a great job of bringing unique and interesting exhibits to Salt Lake City. I really like what they've done in remodeling the old downtown library and they've succeed at making great use of the space. Although the cost of admission is a little high, I think the experience is worth it and there is certainly plenty to see and do at The Leonardo. It's money well spent in my opinion. read more

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The Leonardo might be exactly what Salt Lake City needed, and is a great museum that combines art, science, and history in a unique way. The place opened just this past weekend in the old library building and the new library just across the way. Entering the museum, the first piece one notices is a long, flowing installment of white lights with feather-like frills on the end, and, as you look closer, small beakers full of liquids. The main floor hosts some scientific exhibits. On is a set of interactive computers that display data about topics like heart attacks, number of single fathers, and more broken down by counties and cities in Utah on large screens. There are also some some exhibits on algae being used as a renewable resource, and fun interactive bit about sound. The second floor hosts two areas. The first is a walkthrough that focuses on civil rights, and in particular, a group of photographers in Alabama during the 1960s who captured the civil rights movement. The exhibit is rather extensive and includes some incredible photographs with the stories behind them. Also featured on this floor-my favorite part-is a number of different interactive multimedia displays. Included is a small motion capture studio a green-screen display, and stop-motion animation you can make yourself with everything from paper cut-outs to actions figures. Overall, The Leonardo is fun, and it exhibits a great blend of science, history, art, and media. At the moment, there isn't a whole lot of things to see, but hopefully as the museum expands there will be more. read more

The Leonardo - The Leonardo from out front - Museums Near Me - Salt Lake City, Utah

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Came here on a Sunday with a Groupon for the Mummies of the World exhibit. Waited in line for 10 minutes. There were two parties ahead of us, and both had purchased tickets online. Seems a bit of an excessive wait. During this time, the line grew by 20 people. Ugh. Went straight to the mummy exhibit, which was pretty good. The Groupon included an audio tour, which was okay. Not sure it's worth the extra $5 per person but as I said, it was part of the package. Most of what they said on the audio was written on the exhibits, but it was nice to not to have to get right there to read it. After the mummy exhibit we walked around the rest of the place. I wouldn't call it a "museum". Lots of kinda oddly put together stations for learning. Many concepts seemed way over the heads of children who were there (at least that day). I wouldn't want to have paid full price (22.50+5.00 audio = $27.50) for the mummy exhibit. Regular passes to just the Leo are $10. Add to that parking and it's not an inexpensive day, especially for a family. Overall the mummy exhibit was worth it but the rest of the place.. Meh. read more

The Leonardo - Museums Near Me - Salt Lake City, Utah

I love this place as an event venue probably even more than I love it as an educational center, which is saying a lot because I really like it! I've had the pleasure of attending several private events at the Leo and it never disappoints. The space is just gorgeous and interactive and the staff are on point. This is a fun place to go on a date or with the family. I love the interesting exhibits that come through, such as the recent Mummies of the World exhibit. It's a little pricey but worth a couple of trips a year. read more

Sure the exhibits are great. Most museums have great ones, so no real feat there. My absolute disappointment stems from the recent NYE event hosted at the museum. Last year, it was filled with exotic entertainment and was incredibly organized. This year? The budget cuts were apparent. It was evident the moment we arrived that the whole event was in disarray. Several frustrated customers were verbally expressing their frustration as they (as we did) were expecting expedited entrance since we paid for the tickets in advance. Not so, we entered and no staff made any attempt to correct the confusion. It was not until customers were escalating that they decided to make two distinct lines. Great, 30 minutes wasted and it was already 10:30 pm. The worst was yet to come. Who seriously organized this event? Did several staff members decide not to work their shifts? Lack of volunteers? Last year it was seamless! We decided to get some drinks and it was the most horrendous wait. A 10 minute wait? Acceptable. 20 minutes? Long, but bearable, 45 minutes? Ludicrous. I was almost okay until we were met by the most condescending bartender I've ever met in my whole life. Realizing that it was already 11 pm and after having to endure such a long wait, I decided to "cash" out my champagne ticket and just sip cautiously until midnight. I thought that was a reasonable reason, the bartender thought not. We asked to speak to someone who could help, her response? "Look for someone in black" as she smugly stood there, all in black. What was more frustrating was that several attendees were leaving in droves on our way to the event and warned us that the event was a joke. I refused to believe them, I'm utterly frustrated they were right and I will be demanding a refund as soon as regular business hours resume. read more

I went to see the Pompeii Exhibit which was stunningly spectacular. Having traveled to Italy, I doubt I could have had a better experience with the content if I'd been in the actual site. The attendants were very friendly and pleasant. My only draw back was the venue itself which is in great need of remodeling and a deep cleaning. The hall ways and escalators were filthy with grime, fingerprints and smudges the benches were worn and dirty. read more

We've been to The Leonardo three times now. Once to go through the general museum (non-exhibit), once to go through the Dead Sea Scrolls exhibit, and lastly to go through the Body Worlds exhibit. I'll give a description of each of the exhibits and my thoughts on them. The general cost is $9, the special exhibits cost more though (~$20). 1. I'm just going to come out and say it. The regular exhibits aren't that great. They might be great to take the kids out to learn and have fun, but for a pair of 25 year olds we just didn't have much fun going through the basic exhibits. $9 is what it will cost you, less for students and children, and there are various exhibits on different subjects. There are some interesting things, but I feel it's definitely more geared towards children though. 2. Dead Sea Scrolls was amazing. I traveled to Israel a couple of years ago and got to see many of the things that were in this exhibit. I thought that this exhibit did just as good of a job, and some times even better of a job, than the museums in Jerusalem. They did a great job of explaining what the culture was in the area and had plenty of artifacts that were found. The exhibit was pretty big and featured a lot of interesting things along with good text to go along with it. We really enjoyed seeing parts of the dead sea scrolls. 3. Body Worlds was amazing. We started walking through and looked at the various stages of pre-birth life. Then a guy came running in and told us that it was all real and that he had asked the guy working there about it. We were glad he came in and said it because we really weren't sure at first. Everything in this exhibit is real, it's hard to believe as you look at various bodies set in poses. There must have been around 30 bodies on display. It was very interesting and we learned a lot. Some parents had their 4 year old kid there...I can imagine he will be having nightmares about this for years. Overall The Leonardo is a great place. We really enjoyed the exhibits we saw and thought they were very well done. The staff is very friendly and informative. We will go back to future exhibits. read more

Unfortunately I feel bad to say that their New Years Eve event was incredibly displeasing and a bit of a disaster. I wish we could speak to their exhibits, but after we arrived at about 8:45pm, and we grabbed a drink at the only open bar, from a single bartender who was already out of a few liquors. (He only had whisky and gin.) We grabbed a drink that he could provide, and then we all chatted and walked around for a bit. It was early so we were ready for another drink within about 20 minutes. By this time the line was about 50 people deep. We imagined by that time they'd have upped the staffing for the bar and opened more bars... Not so much. While there were two more bars, there was only one bartender at each, and one only served beer and wine. The lines were crazy long. I've been a private event planner for 10 years and was honestly in complete disbelief at how disorganized the event was. Hors doeuvres were set out with no cocktail napkins, no plates, and NO serving utensils. People were grabbing shrimp, cheese and crackers, and bread and hummus (yes hummus) with their hands for almost 45 minutes. (My stomach was turning). Again, We arrived around 8:45, got in line for the second time around 9:30 and not until almost 10:30 did we get our second drink. When we finally got close to the bar the bartenders were oblivious. They broke two bottles of wine that spilled everywhere. They served the folks in front of us the wrong beers and didn't understand the difference between a red ale and an IPA, and it took them more than 2 FULL minutes to pour us two whisky/gingers. It was honestly completely excruciating to watch. After we finally received our second drinks we tried to walk around and enjoy, but it was clear if we wanted a third drink before midnight came we'd need to jump into line right away. We got into line again, 3rd time, and this time it took an entire hour to move about 50 feet. This time it was one bartender making 1 drink at a time who was also taking and processing payments on an iPad. It was obvious to anyone with experience in the industry and/or who has ever bartended, that their "bartenders" had ZERO experience and had no idea what they were doing. The entire experience was very unfortunate, and was a disappointing way to spend ringing in our New Year's Eve. The last band that we finallllly were able to listen to and enjoy for about 15 minutes before 12:00 was great!!!! The lead singer had an incredible voice and they were the only thing that made the event worthwhile. It might (though we don't know because we didn't have time to explore) be a beautiful museum, but a very dissatisfying celebration for New Years when you've paid for a ticket and could have received MUCH better service at a jam packed bar downtown. We would have loved to have spent more time experiencing the event but if you wanted to celebrate the New Years with anything to drink you were in the wrong place. Hopefully next year they hire a professional bar tending service to service the guests that pay to be there. Very unfortunate experience. read more