Things to Do in Layton

The surfer was getting dangerously close to the crest. It was a huge wave, spanning 34 feet, but the last thing he wanted was to bail in front of his friends. Leaning into the water and weaving side to side, he kept his balance for just a few moments longer before tumbling onto the soft mats and safe bail area of the Flowrider. He'd be ready for the real thing come summer. This is just one of the adventures that await thrill-seekers-in-training at the Salomon Center. Away from the Flowrider's manmade surf, top-rope belay systems cradle climbers as they scale iRock's craggy, gray peaks. Incorporating holds that change monthly, these indoor climbing walls shoot upwards to heights of 55 feet. Alternatively, bouldering areas stay closer to the ground and exchange ropes for padded surfaces. Meanwhile, iFLY exchanges footholds for a column of high-speed, shooting air, which elevates would-be fliers to simulate the feeling of skydiving or being kicked out of a moving UFO.

Youngsters challenge gravity as they bound across the brightly colored confines of Jump Around Utah. The literal centerpiece of Jump Around's facility is their inflated jumping pillow, a natural 40'x25' pocket of air that construction crews discovered when they broke ground in 2010. Several inflatable structures surround the pillow, including twin slides and obstacle courses. Foam-wrapped scaffolding supports a 20-foot-tall by 30-foot-long network of tunnels and slides that kids can crawl through. While their little ones burn off excess energy, parents keep watch from the sitting area, complete with free WiFi.

Open Memorial Day through Labor Day, North Shore Aquatic Center features a pool, waterslides, and other water-related diversions to stoke family-friendly fun all summer long. In the center of a shallow pool, a brightly colored jungle gym invites young hydrophiles to unleash their inner amphibians on its slides and spraying fountains. Elsewhere, a sinuous powder-blue standalone slide whisks giggling riders along its curves and bends before jettisoning them out into the pool, while both high and low diving boards test courage and cannonball splash trajectories. North Shore also holds classes for yoga and Zumba, in addition to lifeguard classes, and American Red Cross swimming lessons, which impart the basics of paddling and mermaid sign language.

The Utah Museum of Fine Arts lives in the Marcia & John Price Museum Building, a space that is itself a masterwork of blending volumes and light. Inside, the facility houses a permanent collection of more than 18,000 works of art, ranging from antiquity—such as a sarcophagus from the 26th Dynasty of Egypt—to modern day, including paintings by John Singer Sargent and photographs by Ansel Adams. The museum staff constantly rotates special exhibitions, covering diverse topics such as automobile design, Native American history, and modern art.

Bumper cars collide, mini roller coasters swerve along tracks, and tubes weave around slides at a soft play area inside The Hollywood Connection's 160,000-square-foot facility. Roller or inline skates glide to pop and rock tunes in a rink illumined with cyber lights and IntelliBeam, and the laser-tag arena glows in neon paint, black lights, and fireflies that carry demands across enemy lines. Elsewhere, golf balls tumble down greens toward 18 holes with themes such as the Old West, an underwater cove, and the prehistoric era. An arcade hosts more than 100 driving, racing, and combat-simulator video games, and a 15-screen Carmike Ritz movie theater treats up to 2,000 viewers to new releases on digital, 3-D-capacity screens. Visitors can reenergize between attractions with popcorn or snow cones from the snack stand (open Friday–Sunday), nab cones from the ice-cream parlor, and shape stacks of nachos into pompadours at the '50s-themed diner.

What started as a project to decorate her home in high-end style using budget pieces turned into a thriving business for Finde founder Bonnie, who now teaches others how to refinish found furniture and sells hand-painted, sanded, and distressed pieces of her own. Under Bonnie's tutelage, a bulky entertainment center might become a bench with cubbies, an outdated desk might be chopped down into a mod end table, or a regular couch might magically transform into a davenport.