We love spending time on Temple Square. The grounds are beautiful and it is filled with tons of places to visit. We have visited Temple Square so often that we have found all the FREE fun adventures for your family.
Temple Square is currently being renovated, so some of these spots are inaccessible or gone completely. We will update this post when the construction is finished.
Here are 12 amazing places to take your kids and spend the day on Temple Square! You might have to make a few trips–we couldn’t visit all these places in one trip. For full reviews, details, directions, and more pictures of each location, click on the link.
At the end of 2019, Temple Square will be undergoing renovations. Some of the places listed here might be affected as they change and update the area. For more information, visit TempleSquare.com.
1. Church History Museum
The Church History Museum is AMAZING! It is definitely the highlight for the children at Temple Square. There are so many hands-on learning activities about the history of the church, as well as a fun art/play room.
2. The Conference Center
The Conference Center surprised us at how much our children enjoyed the tour. We learned a ton and saw some neat things in the Conference Center. During the warmer months, you can walk on the top of the Conference Center and enjoy the gardens.
3. North Visitor’s Center
There are two visitor’s centers on Temple Square, and both have fun for your little kiddos. In the North Visitor’s Center you will find large Bible paintings, as well as the famous Christus statue. The basement displays information about the Book of Mormon, and shows movies (right now it’s Joseph Smith: Prophet of the Restoration, and it shows every 90 minutes starting at 9 am).
4. South Visitor’s Center
The South Visitor’s Center focuses on Family and Temples. The highlight here is the history of building the Salt Lake Temple, and the model of the Salt Lake Temple which shows what the inside looks like.
5. Joseph Smith Memorial Building
The Joseph Smith Memorial Building is beautiful on the outside and inside. You can walk through the lobby and admire the old building. Upstairs you can walk through a few rooms: 1) Hall of the Presidents with pictures of all the prophets and 2) The chapel, which is beautiful and makes you wish you could attend church in the Joseph Smith Memorial Building. You can also watch a movie in the Legacy Theater (currently showing Meet the Mormons).
6. Church Office Building
The Church Office Building is no longer offering tours of the observation deck on the 26th floor. We are sad to see this adventure go!
7. Tabernacle
You can walk into The Tabernacle almost anytime and take a peek at the beautiful old benches, pillars, and the magnificent organ. If you are there at the right time, you can catch special recitals or concerts. Everything here is FREE!
8. Family Search Discovery Center
The Family Search Discovery Center is filled with hands-on, interactive ways to connect with your family history. We had a lot of fun, and so did our kids, seeing our heritage. There is also a whole area for the kids to play in while you do some personal research.
9. The Beehive House
The Beehive House is Brigham Young’s old house. There are tours here every 15 minutes or so. As the tour guide leads you through the house, you can view pioneer artifacts and learn more about Brigham Young’s life as the governor of Utah. We love all the Beehives carved throughout the house….hence the name “The Beehive House.’
10. Relief Society Building
The Relief Society building is often overlooked because it is small and open M-F, but we had fun learning about how this building came about and searching for family members who donated to help make it happen.
11. Deuel Cabin
The Deuel Cabin is located between the Church History Museum and the Family History Library. It is a small cabin that you can walk around, and look inside at what a typical pioneer cabin would have looked like. There is also an information sign giving details of the family and where the cabin came from.
12. Social Hall
This is a building that is a little bit off of Temple Square and we have only ever driven past it, but we are trying to visit it soon. It is an old social hall encased in glass in order to preserve it, so you look through the glass at the old building where dances were once held. Sounds neat right? It’s located at 51 S State Street, just a half block from the Beehive House.
Other sites to see:
- The Assembly Hall: This beautiful building is fun to walk through and admire the beauty. There isn’t a ton to do here, but you can wander for a few minutes, and often on weekend evenings, and especially at Christmas time, you might catch a concert.
- Base & Meridian: This is the marker that all the SLC streets are based off of, and you will find it on the SouthWest corner of Temple Square by Main Street. It’s a quick stop, but you can explain the brilliant street numbering system that Brigham Young used to your children.
- Brigham Young’s Grave: Just a short walk from Temple Square, is a small pioneer memorial park containing Brigham Young’s Grave, as well as some other pioneers.
- Lion House: This is the one place that isn’t entirely free that we are going to list. This house was one of Brigham Young’s homes and is now used for wedding receptions, or other catered events. There is a restaurant housed in the basement of the Lion House called the Lion House Pantry. It’s a great stop for a meal or treats after you visit Temple Square. But you can also admire the lion statue outside of the Lion House as part of your visit for free!
There is so much to see and do at Temple Square. Make sure to keep your eyes out for the Seagull Monument, the Brigham Young Statue, the Nauvoo Bell Tower, and lots of fountains! All fun things to see on Temple Square with your family!
You left out the Church History Library.
Thanks for the tip! We’ll check it out soon!
~UAF