Temple Square is home to the headquarters of The Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter Day Saints (Mormons). During the summer of 2018, I had the opportunity to visit both Temple Square and Vatican City. This post will be focused on what to do at Temple Square.
As you can see in the featured image, the entire Temple is lit up at night. While the Temple Square is closed at night, I would highly recommend visiting after dark.
The Temple Square
Non-Mormons are not allowed access inside the Temple. There are many more activities inside the Square open to everyone. You will see many Mormon choirs singing around the grounds. Many weddings take place on the church grounds to. There are multiple office buildings, banks and restaurants all owned by Mormons.
Sadly, while I was in Salt Lake I did not know about this. The tallest building in the city is the Church Office Building. Visitors can go up to an observation deck and see the entire city. I did not realize it was open to the public!
The beautiful fountain is located behind the Temple!
Next to the tall office building is a beautiful park. When I was there there was a wedding photo shoot going on. The couple seemed to be enjoying themselves.
Two visitor centers are located on the Square. One can learn a lot about the religion of the Mormons and their church history. The Temple itself took about 40 years to be completed. Unfortunately, I could not get pictures because there were Mormons standing outside offering to take pictures with guests. I rather not put myself into that uncomfortable position so I just walked straight inside.
Do keep in mind the Mormons take their religion seriously. They will offer you religious papers and attempt to talk to you about their religion. Be polite and do not mention that you observe another religion. Also, do not attempt to debate their religion. They are very smart! Respect that you are in their territory and be polite. It is easy to spot a Mormon because of the clothing that they wear. You could learn a lot from a missionary! All Mormons have to be a missionary for two years.
Conclusion
I enjoyed visiting the Temple Square. It was an interesting experience and I enjoyed learning about the Mormon religion. Religion is not dying at the Temple Square. However, I wish the Temple was open to everyone. The architecture inside is beautiful, but no one not part of the church will ever see!
In case this is your first time visiting, or you would like to see more content from Utah. Here are several posts that are a part of the Utah Trip Report. This will be the last entry in the Utah Trip Report!
- Salt Lake Experience at Antelope Island
- Waldorf Astoria Park City Review
- SilverCar- The Best Car Rental Experience
- In-N-Out: Is it Good?
- Introduction: Weekend in Utah