Things to Do at Salt Lake Temple
Complete Guide to Salt Lake Temple in Salt Lake City
About Salt Lake Temple
What to See & Do
The Temple Exterior and Grounds
Granite feels rougher up close—more variegated than photos suggest, mineral veins racing through the stone. The six spires aren't identical; the east-facing trio stands taller, a detail that clicks as deliberate symbolism once you see it. Walk the perimeter. Don't just plant yourself for a photo. The south gate gives the classic postcard angle, but the northeast corner—where the temple meets the Convention Center's glass—delivers something stranger, more interesting.
North and South Visitors' Centers
Free entry. Both centers sit beside the temple—no ticket, no sermon. The North Visitors' Center holds an eleven-foot Christus, marble-white copy of Bertel Thorvaldsen's sculpture, under a domed ceiling that maps the night sky. The effect arrests you—belief optional. Step to the South Visitors' Center and church history develops through gear: original surveying equipment, pioneer tools, displays sharper than any Sunday school ever managed.
The Tabernacle
Skip the spires. Walk west for five minutes. You'll hit the 1867 Tabernacle—the most underrated building on Temple Square. Inside the dome, 6,500 seats curve beneath a 150-foot wooden lattice roof held together by nothing but pegs and nerve. In 1867 that was engineering sorcery. Drop a pin at the pulpit; you'll hear it tick in the back row. Acoustics built by accident, perfected by Mormon sweat. Stick around if the organist warms up. 11,623 pipes can shake the pews. The sound won't leave your head. Free tours leave every half hour—no tickets, no fuss.
The Conference Center
21,000 seats—the LDS Conference Center, opened in 2000, is the planet’s biggest religious auditorium. Cross North Temple Street, ride the elevator, and you’re on a rooftop garden open to the public. No ticket. One of the better views of the temple and downtown Salt Lake that you can access without paying anything. Mature trees. A stream cuts through planted beds. Total quiet. Worth it.
Family History Library
Half a block west on North Temple, the Family History Library might be the most unexpectedly interesting building on the square for non-members. The LDS church keeps the world's largest genealogical database here—billions of records—and it is free and open to anyone who wants to research their family history. Staff volunteers will walk you through the systems. Travelers fly in from overseas just to use the archives. If you interest in genealogy is even mild, give it an hour.
Practical Information
Opening Hours
Temple Square opens at 9am. It closes at 9pm—unless the season changes the rules. The grounds stay open daily. The visitors' centers match those hours. The temple? Off-limits. Only LDS members with a valid temple recommend get through the doors. No tours for the rest of us.
Tickets & Pricing
Free. Zero. Zip. Everything on Temple Square—the grounds, visitors' centers, Tabernacle tours, Conference Center rooftop—costs nothing. No tickets. No booking. The Family History Library? Also free.
Best Time to Visit
Arrive before 10am and the granite glows gold in silence—no crowds. Come back after dark; the temple lights up like a struck match and you’ll want the view twice. December’s Christmas displays are beautiful. They’re also packed. Skip April and October’s General Conference weekends unless you’re one of the 100,000+ attendees—downtown can’t breathe those days.
Suggested Duration
Two hours. That is all you need to walk the grounds, hit both visitors' centers, and tour the Tabernacle—at a relaxed pace. Simple. Add another hour if you want to climb the Conference Center rooftop and duck into the Family History Library. Half a day if genealogy research is on the agenda.
Getting There
Things to Do Nearby
Brigham Young's official residence from 1854 sits one block east on South Temple Street, and free guided tours run throughout the day. The interior gives a surprisingly intimate look at mid-19th century life in territorial Utah—period furnishings, sharp guides. You'll walk away with context. Pair it with Temple Square; the history locks in.
The 1916 Capitol building squats on a bluff fifteen minutes uphill along State Street, handing you the best Salt Lake Valley panorama you’ll get without driving into the mountains. Inside is free, spotless, and wrapped in muscular neoclassical stone. Pick a clear day and the view rolls thirty miles south across the valley.
Five minutes' walk northeast of Temple Square, Salt Lake turns wild. A paved trail hugs the creek straight into a canyon so narrow you forget the city—cottonwoods, deer, the hush of water. The lower section swaps between pedestrians and cyclists on alternating days. Perfect antidote when temple-square sensory overload hits.
Three blocks south on State Street, the old Salt Lake City Library has been gutted and reborn as a science-and-culture museum. Rotating shows routinely outshine the permanent stuff—peek at the lineup before you hand over $18. Bring kids, or bring a design-and-tech obsession; either way, you'll get your money's worth.
Half-mile west on North Temple, the weekend line spills into the street. Locals swear by this place—and the proof is the crowd. Seven moles rule the menu: mulato near-black, pipián verde bright, five more in between. Get the enchiladas mole negro. Lunch waits beat dinner.