Tour the Mormon Temple Square
Written: Nov 05 '04
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Interesting, historical, beautiful, great tour and exhibits.
Cons: I would love to go into the Temple; children may be bored.
The Bottom Line: If you are in the area I would suggest a visit and tour of Temple Square. We learned a lot; the buildings and grounds are beautiful.
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| jo.com's Full Review: Temple Square |
During our 2004 cross country summer trip we thought it would be interesting to spend some time in Salt Lake City, Utah. We have friends who are of the Mormon faith and were interested in learning about it. We had no idea we would find Temple Square.
What is Temple Square?
We were surprised to learn that Temple Square is the most popular attraction in Utah with several million annual visitors. It occupies a full city block in the heart of Salt Lake City. The Square itself is 10 acres but in and around Temple Square are 35 acres of buildings, statues and greenery.
Temple Square is open daily from 9:00AM-9:00PM. Although you might be greeted by young Mormon women we were not. We found out in one of the two visitor centers that there were free guided tours given every 10-15 minutes. Meet at the flagpole. We were the only ones at this particular mid morning on a Tuesday in July 2004 when our 2 tour guides showed up. My husband and I had a private tour of this beautiful square. Just a note: These young women (and men as well) are missionaries. They do various amounts of time around the country and world. We were not surprised that at the end of our tour there was a bit of proselytizing and a bit of pressure to have someone come to our house was put on us. However these women couldn’t have been nicer to us. They did realize we had no interest in converting but I wasn’t prepared for this.
The first introduction we had to this Square were high walls that surround the square. You can get in from all four sides. The Square itself is surrounded by South Temple Street, West Temple Street, North Temple Street and State Street. Two building, the Museum of Church History and Art and the Family History Building are across from West Temple Street. We didn't visit these buildings as well as the Conference Center, across from North Temple Street.
You can’t miss this area. This whole city block is right downtown. We parked at a meter. Finding parking wasn’t a problem but Temple Square has no parking lot.
The address of Temple Square is 15 East South Temple in Salt Lake City, Utah. The Temple Square Visitor Center can be reached at (801) 240-2534 or (800) 537-9703.
What we saw and thoughts:
The Salt Lake Temple is really a masterpiece. Mormon pioneers began building it in 1853 and dedicated it in 1893. Mormons, also known as Latter-day Saints, recognize this building as the Temple of the Mormon religion. It has six towers and is surrounded by beautiful greenery. It is a 253, 015 square foot building made of quartz monzonite (like granite). Tours of the Temple are not given. In fact only church members in good standing may enter the Temple.
There are two Visitor Centers and they both are museums as well as places to get information, see exhibits and films. We started at the North Visitor Center and ended our tour there as well. We went to the South Visitor Center on our own. Along with the Salt Lake Temple we saw the Tabernacle. We went into this famous building – home of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir . You will see the organ. We were asked to guess how many pipes there are and did but weren’t even close to the 12,000 there are! It is gorgeous inside with amazing acoustics. A pin dropped on stage even with the room full can be heard in the back which is 170 feet away. There are regularly scheduled choir rehearsals that are open to the public. These are on most Thursdays from 8:00PM-9:30PM- you can come and go from the rehearsals you don’t have to stay for 1 1/2 hours. There are broadcasts each Sunday at 9:30AM (be seated by 9:15). There are also daily 30-minute organ recitals Monday-Saturday at noon. Memorial Day –Labor Day you can also hear these short recitals at 2:00PM and on Sundays at 2:00PM. Try not to miss some part of the choir. It is worth the price of admission (free!).
I would highly recommend a visit to the Joseph Smith Memorial Building. According to the accounts of Mormon history, Joseph Smith translated a document from golden plates given to him by an angel. This document, The Book of Mormon, became the cornerstone of the new religion, and the name Mormon was applied to those who subscribed to these beliefs. Joseph Smith's 1827 vision led to the organization of the Mormon Church. He was killed in 1844.
The missionaries suggested we come back to Joseph Smith Memorial Building but were leaving the next day. In it is a 500-seat theater that shows an hour long free film about the mission of Jesus Christ. Visitors can use computers to find information about their ancestors. There are two public restaurants in the building and tours of this building are given Monday – Saturday from 9:00AM-9:00PM. We ran out of time and truly this was not of interest to us.
We spent hours here about 3 of which were with the missionaries. If you don’t go on a tour you will have more time to see everything, however I do recommend a tour- you will learn a lot. A couple of other buildings we did not get to are The Lion House which was once the residence of Brigham Young. Brigham Young succeeded Joseph Smith as the leader of the Mormon Church. You may want to go to a restaurant in the square called The Pantry. These buildings are on the outskirts of Temple Square but within the boundaries- we literally ran out of time.
The Beehive House was the official home of Brigham Young. There are tours of his house Mondays-Saturday 9:30AM-6:30PM; Sundays and holidays 10:00AM-3:30PM.
Assembly Hall is beautiful. It was built in 1882 as a meeting hall. Now concerts by both local and international artists are held here. Admission is free but you must be 8 years old or over.
As I said we ended with the missionaries at the North Visitor Center where we sat in front of windows overlooking the beautiful gardens enjoying the 11-foot marble Chritus statue. We had never heard of this statue but apparently it is well-known. The missionaries took us on a tour of the center where there are two very impressive art galleries, an interactive map of Jerusalem, interactive exhibits on scriptures and revelation and the “Love Thy Neighbor” exhibit. This is very well done so if you are running out of time just make sure to get to this exhibit. You can also see Legacy which is a 53-minute film about the westward trek of the Mormon pioneers. If you are on your own and want to tour this building you can do so between 9:00AM-9:00PM.
We ended the day without the missionaries in the South Visitor’s Center. There is a room for contemplation and a beautiful view of the Salt Lake Temple. We walked around here alone but tours are given daily from 9:00AM-900PM. We watched two videos in a lovely theater in this Visitor Center. One was called Strengthening Families and the other Building the Salt Lake Temple. They were interesting but your interest level I think will vary depending on what your religion is, if any, and your degree of observation.
There are several outdoor exhibits which the missionaries talked to us about. They are beautifully done. One, which I have a picture of, is called Handcart Pioneer Monument. It is a life-sized exhibit of a man and a woman carved in stone. The man is pulling a cart behind him.
You can also hear free one-hour nighttime concerts in the summer in Brigham Young Historic Park. These are held on Tuesdays and Fridays. There are garden talks in this Park as well on Wednesdays June-August. There is a creek that runs the water wheel in the center of this park which was part of Brigham Youngs’ farm. The gardens and landscaping throughout Temple Square are just magnificent. You can tour the gardens around the Joseph Smith Memorial Building and the Conference Center Roof garden between May-September. Two numbers to call for schedules are 1-801-240-3323 and 1-801-240-5916. If you intend to go to a concert or talk, call first to make sure it is happening since they are subject to change.
Jo’s Final Thoughts:
This was really an enlightening experience. First of all we had no idea that there were Mormon missionaries that go door to door. Second of all we had no idea that this religion had such a huge following or that this beautiful area in the middle of Salt Lake City, Utah even existed.
I would certainly recommend that you go and take a tour. Adults will be able to spend hours here, but children will not. If you bring your children, I would avoid a tour and just visit the buildings briefly. There were children around and in the theaters but I know my children would have been quite bored.
Again be warned that you will be talked to at the end of your tour. Pamphlets will be given to you and the missionaries will try to talk you into allowing someone to come to your house. If you are not interested say so. They are not sales people and will stop their discussion of how at peace and happy they are if you ask them to.
Please feel free to leave me a question or comment.
I am keeping track of the reviews I am writing chronicling our 3-month cross country trip:
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Recommended:
Yes
Best Time to Travel Here: Anytime
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