The First and Last Thing To Do in Moab, Utah

Let’s chat about Moab, Utah. It’s one of those places we’ve said we would visit for years and years, but only recently made it happen. Here’s the first and last thing to do in Moab, Utah.

If you’re like me, heading out on a trip means finding the good places to visit and eat at before you even start thinking about what to pack. I hate going on a trip and wasting time and money. At the same time, we love finding places that the locals love, so the first and last thing to do in Moab, Utah will ensure that you start and end your trip with the best of memories.

When you are pulling into Moab, there’s a place called Moab Giants, which we’d heard about from a few readers, but weren’t totally sure what to expect. Lately we’ve really begun to rely quite heavily on our readers and TripAdvisor for all of our trips as any other source isn’t as reliable. We booked both of our tours through TripAdvisor just like every other trip. It’s just easier and you get better experiences that way.

Moab giants was listed on TripAdvisor, so after our readers suggested it we decided to pull up some reviews and photos. It looked like a pretty fun experience for the kids, but we honestly thought it would be a quick trip through and on our way.

We were so wrong!! Lesson learned, when TripAdvisor says go, you go. We could have spent hours there!

Make sure you let the kids get dirty and dig for the dinosaur bones. Yes, it’s sand everywhere but it is an experience your kids won’t forget.

Go on the aquarium tour and stay for the “scary part” or switch places with your spouse so each of you can see it in case you have a child too nervous. Our 2 year old did fine in our arms while our 7 year old covered her eyes. It was fun and all the adults were laughing.

Skip the movie as it was a little too over our kids’ heads and the 3D was odd and kind of bothered my eyes.

Take lots of pictures with dinosaurs and grab one of the wagons if you can as it really is a bit of a walk and when it’s hot you may have a tired toddler.

The restaurant is way better than any other museum restaurant I’ve been to and even the french fries (and you know how I feel about hot french fries) are so, so good!  We split a caprese and we are definitely making a copycat recipe asap!

Moab Giants is the best way to start your trip to Moab. It’s fun for the kids to get a feel for what’s all over that area.

To end your trip we recommend something that has mixed reviews on Trip Advisor but with the right information we thought it was the perfect end to a busy, fun, physical trip.

End your trip to Moab, Utah with a Moab Dinner Cruise with Sound and Light Show.

Here’s what you need to know, this is not a Las Vegas light show. This is not a Disney Light Show. This is a riverboat tour, so it’s literally a truck that follows on the road by the boat and shines a big light on those beautiful rocks and landscape.

If you really like to travel you know that hearing about the place you’re visiting changes everything. I mean everything. Remember our Italy trip and our 3 Secrets to Planning a European Vacation? Getting to know some of those important stories give you a better feel for where you are and why it’s so cool. You literally leave your trip changed.

The river tour starts off with a buffet dinner, which some complained was just regular BBQ food, but that’s all they promised anyway. This is not NYC and the hottest foodie trend, so go in expecting good home cooking like if you went to your mom and dad’s for dinner and you’ll be happy.

There was a variety of tender cooked meats like BBQ Beef, Pulled Pork, BBQ Chicken etc, cheesy potatoes, bbq beans, build your own salad and apple crisp for dessert. It was family friendly and so nice to sit down without worrying about waiting for a restaurant to be ready.

The cruise tells you about the history of the area and some of the stories from people who lived there. We saw beavers, wild life, learned cool things about the rocks and landscape that made exploring Moab before we pulled out of town the next day even better.

Our guide pointed out that the rocks often create faces and sure enough, we saw them everywhere! Can you find the lady’s face on this rock?

The tour is on the water so a light jacket is important to stay warm though they also provide blankets. It also lasts a few hours so don’t plan anything else for the evening. Our kids were a bit antsy by the very end but they loved seeing everything by night on a boat.

Overall, it was the perfect, quiet, peaceful way to say goodbye to the place we had been exploring. We cannot wait to go back!