How pony rides sparked the start of a Thanksgiving Point culinary quest
A Chicken Cordon Bleu sandwich at the Exploration Café in the Museum of Ancient Life at Thanksgiving Point in Lehi.
A Grilled Chicken sandwich and a BBQ Chicken sandwich at the Exploration Café in the Museum of Ancient Life at Thanksgiving Point in Lehi.
The Exploration Café is a themed dining experience in the Museum of Ancient Life at Thanksgiving Point in Lehi.
A Brownie Sundae and a Cookie Sundae at the Ice Cream Shop in Water Tower Plaza at Thanksgiving Point in Lehi.
The Ice Cream Shop is located in Water Tower Plaza at Thanksgiving Point in Lehi.
An Ice Cream Sundae is pictured at the Ice Cream Shop in Water Tower Plaza at Thanksgiving Point in Lehi.
A Cookie Sundae at the Ice Cream Shop in Water Tower Plaza at Thanksgiving Point in Lehi.
A Brownie Sundae at the Ice Cream Shop in Water Tower Plaza at Thanksgiving Point in Lehi.
Unique artifacts help with the themed atmosphere at the Exploration Café in the Museum of Ancient Life at Thanksgiving Point in Lehi.
A kids meal with a grilled cheese sandwich, chips and a drink are pictured at the Exploration Café in the Museum of Ancient Life at Thanksgiving Point in Lehi.
A BBQ Chicken sandwich on wheat bread at the Exploration Café in the Museum of Ancient Life at Thanksgiving Point in Lehi.
A Grilled Chicken sandwich at the Exploration Café in the Museum of Ancient Life at Thanksgiving Point in Lehi.
A giant cookie and water are pictured at the Exploration Cafe in the Museum of Ancient Life at Thanksgiving Point in Lehi.
Pony rides. That was the clincher for us. Unlimited pony rides turned years of hemming and hawing over the idea of a Thanksgiving Point membership into a brilliant reality.
With a 1- and 3-year old, unlimited pony rides and unlimited access to a pretty awesome farm are literal currency, and though I wasn’t sure a membership would be worth the drive to Lehi just for some family-centric fun, I’ve since changed my tune in more ways than one.
In the past few months since we bit the bullet, we literally made five or so trips to Ashton Gardens just during the annual Tulip Festival, have spent a couple days exploring the many halls at the Museum of Natural Curiosity, and, of course, enjoyed digging into the realm of dinos and investing way too much time on an impossible hunt for miniature gnomes at the Museum of Ancient Life.
But a grossly underutilized benefit? The 10-percent discount on food at any of the tasty eateries across Thanksgiving Point’s campus. That was really my bad, and I’m grateful for this dining review to inspire me to try out some of these fantastic dining experiences.
It all started on a day we tackled Thanksgiving Point with our memberships and two friends with Explorer Passes (granting one-day access to all the venues). Wanting to make the most of our time, we traversed Ashton Gardens in a golf cart (it’s a fantastic experience, and one I highly suggest, especially since members get a discount on that, too), before heading to the Museum of Natural Curiosity to satiate the desires of our younger guests.
It’s no fun adventuring on an empty stomach, and Rice Krispies can only go so far, so we stopped in at the Curiosity Café located in the museum to share some grub before diving in.
The menu isn’t large, but it’s diverse, and it wasn’t hard to find several things that sounded divine to our starved senses. Divided into a few main groups, Curiosity Café serves sandwiches, salads, kids combos, treats, and soups and sides.
We quickly settled on a Turkey Avocado Bacon sandwich combo (includes drink and choice of chips, fries or soup), as well as a Monte Cristo combo and a Lil’ Critter Burger with Goldfish Crackers and soda for the kiddos to share.
Though there was a bit of a wait for the Monte Cristo to be prepared, the fact it was even on the menu blew me away. If you’ve never had one, a Monte Cristo is a sort of hybrid between sweet breakfast goodness and a classic grilled ham and cheese. It includes French toast packed with delicious cheeses and thinly sliced meats with a tasty jam for dipping. It had been years since my last, and the sweet and savory combo offered at Thanksgiving Point did not disappoint. It was served warm with flavorful, moist meat, thick, gooey cheese and the most delicious, crisp French toast that was just begging for a trip into the berry jam. Accompanied by a large side of Curiosity Fries (cut as thick as steak fries, but in spirals like curly fries), and it was the perfect lunch combo to introduce to my mom (she was there, too, obviously).
The Turkey Avocado Bacon was a similar divine combo, with an even avocado spread, a thick helping of flavorful turkey and a crisp crunch of bacon. We even took a moment to sample our kiddos’ Critter Burger and found ourselves equally surprised at the quality. Though we’d decided to share our meals, we still didn’t leave hungry, and have an impressive desire to head back and try the Chicken Cordon Bleu and Rainforest Wrap.
Our next visit to Thanksgiving Point’s dining realm came roughly two weeks later during an attempt to squish a visit to the Museum of Ancient Life into a very busy afternoon and evening.
We were hoping to check out the venue’s new dino, Ruth, and her proximity to the Expedition Café was primo.
Walking in and taking a look around, I honestly felt a little like I was walking into a themed dining experience somewhere like Disneyland, and it didn’t take long for me to wonder why we hadn’t stopped in before. Lanterns and vintage-looking light fixtures hung from the ceilings of the café, while shelves packed with trinkets and other themed items lined shelves along the walls. Even the dining tables made me feel like I was in an Indiana Jones movie, waiting for my own adventure, and it started when I ordered the daily special: a Chicken Cordon Bleu sandwich featuring a Kaiser bun, breaded chicken, ham and Swiss cheese with the option of lettuce, tomatoes, ranch and honey mustard.
It was excellent and flavorful, though the chicken seemed a little dry around the edges, and I also enjoyed stealing from my mother’s BBQ Chicken Sandwich and my husband’s Grilled Chicken on ciabatta.
I was beyond impressed with the options displayed on a chalkboard behind the counter, which included a variety of sandwiches, soups, salads and even a Mini T-Rex Meal for the kids with a choice of hot dog, corn dog, mac and cheese and grilled cheese (we got the latter, and it was actually surprisingly delicious).
A fun bonus was the Hot Foods section of the menu which included some great snack options, from a chili cheese dog and nachos to popcorn and even an adult grilled cheese.
Though I wish it didn’t take the total up to $10 to make a sandwich a combo, the flavors were fantastic, and our membership discount especially made it worth our while, and I’m sure I’ll be back to check out the Chicken Enchilada Soup.
We wrapped up our visit with a quick jaunt over to Watertower Plaza for a visit to the Ice Cream Shop, and delighted our taste buds with gigantic portions of ice cream, including just $3.50 each for a Classic Sundae, Brownie Sundae and Cookie Sundae (the last of which was the ultimate winner with a giant soft-baked chocolate chip cookie and our choice (with help from the friendly server) of cookie dough ice cream and caramel sauce. It’s hard to beat the cookie on cookie flavor, and adults and children alike battled for the last bite.
We’re three eateries down in our exploration of Thanksgiving Point’s dining scene, and so far, we’re pleasantly surprised at the goodness we’ve found. It’s safe to say in the near future we’ll be continuing our quest with trips to the Harvest Restaurant, Tower Deli and Trellis Café, because is it really fun if there’s no food involved?
DINING AT THANKSGIVING POINT
Info: thanksgivingpoint.com/dine
Curiosity Café
Where: Museum of Natural Curiosity lobby
Hours: 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on school days, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. on non-school days
Cost: $6.75 for sandwiches (plus $2.99 to make a combo), $5.25 for kids combos, $6.75 for salads. Treats, drinks, soups and sides starting at just under a dollar.
Expedition Café
Where: Museum of Ancient Life Lobby
Hours: 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday
Cost: $2.30 to $9.90
Ice Cream Shop
Where: Water Tower Plaza
Hours: 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday
Cost: $0.25 to $5.25