Salt Lake City's Mormon Temple
You must see Temple Square's Mormon Temple in Salt Lake City, Utah
The Mormon Temple in Salt Lake City's beautiful Temple Square is the Utah city's main visitor attraction. Alongside is the home of the famous Mormon Tabernacle Choir.
You don't have to be a Mormon to appreciate a visit to the Mormon Temple in Salt Lake City, just as you don't need to be a Christian to admire a cathedral. Temple Square gets about 5 million visitors a year, making it Utah's biggest tourist attraction.
TEMPLE SQUARE
The huge flower-filled Temple Square covers 10 acres and is at its best in spring and summer when the flowers are in full bloom and the fountains are flowing. There are free guided tours daily, which last 30 minutes and leave from the flagpole about every ten minutes, so no need to book.
THE MORMON TEMPLE
The interior of the Mormon Temple is only open to those of the Mormon faith, so non-Mormons can only admire it from outside. It has six spires, one of them topped by a golden statue. The temple took forty years to build and was completed in 1893. It cost a staggering $4 million, a fortune at the time, which gives some indication of the scale of the building.
THE MORMON TABERNACLE CHOIR
The Mormon Tabernacle, also in Temple Square, seats up to 8000 people and is always packed for performances of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. You might want to time your visit so that you can sit in on a rehearsal (Thursdays 8pm) or a broadcast Sunday Morning service (doors close 9.15am). Both are free and open to the public. It is one way to see inside the Tabernacle, which has one of the largest unsupported domed roofs in the world. The organ is one of the world's finest and the Tabernacle's acoustics are said to be astonishing.
THE MUSEUM OF CHURCH HISTORY AND ART
Although much of this collection will only be of interest to those of the Mormon faith, or visitors with a special interest in religions, it does also tell the fascinating story of Brigham Young's flight from persecution, and his settling in Utah and founding the Mormon faith.
THE HARD SELL?
If your only experience of Mormons is the knock on your front door and an invitation to discuss their faith, you might be wary of a visit to Temple Square. Don't be. There is no hard sell of the Mormon faith. The people on duty in Temple Square act more as helpful guides and seem to have been chosen for their gentle disposition.
