Thanksgiving Point is a 501(c)(3) non-profit indoor and outdoor farm, garden, and museum complex in Lehi, Utah, United States. Its five main attractions include Ashton Gardens, Butterfly Biosphere, Farm Country, Museum of Ancient Life, and Museum of Natural Curiosity. It also operates multiple dining options, event spaces, and gift shops. Each year, approximately 2.8 million guests visit Thanksgiving Point.
Other businesses under separate management but located on Thanksgiving Point's campuses include Brick Canvas Studios, Holdman Studios and Glass Art Institute, Larry H. Miller Megaplex Theatres, and Thanksgiving Point Golf Course.
History
Thanksgiving Point was founded in 1995 by Karen Jackman Ashton and Alan C. Ashton. Ashton co-founded the software company WordPerfect with Bruce Bastian in Provo, Utah in 1979. In 1994, WordPerfect was sold to Utah-based Novell for nearly a billion dollars. After the sale, Alan purchased farmland in Lehi, Utah and gifted it to his wife Karen as a Valentine's Day gift on February 14, 1995. They planned to build a community garden and farm experience. The name for the project, Thanksgiving Point, was chosen to express gratitude. Thanksgiving Point Institute registered as a 501(c)(3) organization in 1997.
The first venue to open to the public in 1996 was Farm Country. Farm Country's exhibits demonstrate the origins of the food supply in a working farm environment.
In 1997, Thanksgiving Gardens (renamed Ashton Gardens in 2016) partially opened to the public for its first season. In 2000, the gardens fully opened as a flagship 55-acre experience dedicated to offering the community a reflective and peaceful place.
In 2000, the Museum of Ancient Life opened with a travel-through-time dinosaur walk through a 30,000-square-foot venue.
The 45,000-square-foot Museum of Natural Curiosity opened in 2014. The family science museum offers four indoor galleries and a 3-acre garden gallery.
In 2019, Butterfly Biosphere opened as Utah's first insectarium. A 10,000 square foot USDA certified conservatory has a path through hundreds of exotic butterflies from around the world.
Ashton Gardens
The gardens opened to the public in 1997 as Thanksgiving Gardens. The master plan was developed with Salt Lake City landscape architect Leonard Grassli. The gardens cover approximately 55 acres and include 15 different themed gardens, including a replica of the garden described in Frances Hodgson Burnett's book The Secret Garden. Other themed garden rooms include a Monet pond, Rocky Mountain landscapes, and a rose garden growing 60 different varieties.
At the opening of the 2016 season, Thanksgiving Point renamed the gardens "Ashton Gardens" in honor of the contributions of Alan and Karen Ashton and the Ashton Family Foundation.
Community horticulture courses are offered by Utah State University master gardener volunteers. Commonly offered courses include square foot gardening and perennial plant landscape design. Some gardens demonstrate water-wise gardening techniques and the irrigation and water features work as a vast water reclamation system.
Light of the World Garden
Light of the World Garden is a garden located in Ashton Gardens created and donated by bronze sculpture artist Angela Johnson. It features 35 monument-size sculptures from the Biblical New Testament account of the life of Jesus.
±±±==Butterfly Biosphere==
The Butterfly Biosphere is home to hundreds of species of animals, including 20 species of tarantulas, fist-sized beetles, and hundreds of butterflies from around the world. Species on exhibit include species like Blue Morpho, Atlas Moth, Black Widow Spider, and Goliath Beetle.
In 2020, a Leafcutter Ant exhibit debuted as a new permanent exhibit.
Farm Country
Farm Country is a working farm open to visitors. During the summer, a Junior Master Gardener Club maintains the garden and grows tomatoes, basil, peppers, watermelon, and pumpkins. Other demonstration gardens include a USDA People's Garden. There are daily live cow-milking demonstrations, traditional farm animals, and wagon and pony rides.
Museum of Ancient Life
The Museum of Ancient Life at Thanksgiving Point first opened in 2000. A group of Utah paleontologists approached Thanksgiving Point with an idea to build a world-class dinosaur museum. Together, they planned and assembled the exhibits of the Museum of Ancient Life, one of the world's largest collections of mounted fossils. The museum's goal was to take collections out of cases and put them into an immersive environment.