Utah State Capitol Building

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It’s no secret that the Utah State Capitol has an amazing walkway that blossoms in the Spring. We’ve written about the Cherry Blossoms at the Capitol before. The real secret is the free tour that you can take at the Utah State Capitol Building. We took this hour-long tour recently and really enjoyed seeing and learning about this amazing building.

The seal of Utah is in the center of the first floor of the Capitol.

Tours

Tours of the Capitol start on the hour between 11 am-3 pm at the east entrance. These free tours are offered Monday-Friday, except on holidays. There is some parking on the east and north side, but it does fill up fast. Once you do get parked, enter the Capitol between the lions on the east side. There is a security desk where the docents meet five minutes before the hour to start tours.

One tip is to arrive early for the tour. Just to the right of the security desk is a small museum that is interactive for the kids. It isn’t large, and will only take 15-20 minutes to enjoy, but it’s a great place to wait for tours to start. Find more info about the Visitor Center later in this post.

The grounds are paved and easy to walk around. There are steps in some places.

The actual tour takes you to three levels of the building. You’ll see the Gold Room, which is where the governor greets guests and addresses the state in press conferences. The tour also visits both the House and Senate Chambers, and if Congress is in session, you can very quietly spend a few minutes watching them work. You’ll also visit the retired Supreme Court room, the Court having been moved to larger quarters outside the Capitol Building in 1998.

The Gold Room is very ornate.
This is the original Utah State Supreme Court.
The House & Senate Chambers have large murals in them.
The tour guides point out all of the little ornate decorations like this U for Utah.

The kids will enjoy standing under the Capitol Dome and seeing the many paintings and statues that depict Utah History. This is especially meaningful for kids about ten years old, whose school curriculum covers these topics.

The inside of the Capitol building is very lovely.
We love talking about the history of these murals with our kids.
This Martha Hughes Cannon statue will be heading to the United State Capitol Building soon to represent Utah.

The tour actually goes beneath the building as well. Down below, you can see the stabilizers that were added to the Capitol, which will keep the granite from splitting up during an earthquake.

The tour guide loved showing off these new stabilizers.

First Floor Displays

There are a few things that are “off-tour” that you can stop to see as well. The bottom floor of the Utah Capitol has a replica of the Liberty Bell. Just east of it, there are displays of Utah industries, including film-making and films made in Utah. There are also portraits of all the governors of Utah on this floor.

The basement displays showcase things that Utah is well known for like dinosaurs and skiing.
This display is always a popular one where you can watch clips from movies filmed in Utah.

Visitor Center

If you miss the free tour, you can still wander around the capitol building if it is open. Make sure to spend some time inside the visitor center, like we mentioned above. There is a replica of the lions that are on display outside. There are also lots of interactive and hands-on displays for the kids to enjoy. Our boys liked pretending to give a speech, and making drawings of the different symbols used in the Capitol. There is also a short film that you can watch about the building.

Maybe a future governor of Utah.
You can see the real lions of the capitol on the outside, but you can only sit on this one.
Our boys liked this station where you draw some of the symbols in the building designl.
How well do you know your state symbols? You can test your knowledge in the Visitor Center.

Grounds of the Utah State Capitol Building

Outside the Capitol there are some amazing spots that are worth a visit. Directly west of the Capitol down the steps, there are large monuments to the military and first responders. The statues in these gardens were some of our boys’ favorites because they are really beautiful. Remember to practice reverence as you visit. To the north of the building there are a few more statues featuring influential Utahns. We also loved the large reflecting pool to the north of the Utah Capitol. It’s a great spot for photos. To the south are large ornate beehive statues. Finally, on the southwest corner is a massive memorial to the Pioneers, which showcases the Mormon Battalion.

The Pioneer Memorial is large.
The war memorial is very touching.
This is one of my favorite statues at the Capitol building. This police officer looking at a picture of his family as he heads out to protect our state.
The reflecting pool north of the Capitol is a great spot for some pretty pictures.
Make sure to watch for the lions on the outside of the Capitol building, They each have their own name.

All these stops taken together, along with the cherry blossoms, can take up to a half day. There are also lots of beautiful green grassy areas where you can have a picnic right next to the Utah State Capitol Building. But the great thing is, you don’t have to visit all these sites at one time. They are all free, and can be done on separate visits. For current hours and tour times, visit the Utah State Capitol website. There are many other great tours in Salt Lake City, too. Check out Temple Square to see where else you can visit.

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