World City Guide

Key Attractions

Temple Square
Surrounded by high white walls, the 14-hectare (35-acre) site where the Mormon settlers established their first Utah community is the heart and soul of Salt Lake City. It contains the Tabernacle and Temple (see below), the Assembly Hall, where there are free weekend concerts and two visitor centres, both of which contain displays and presentations on the Mormon faith. The square contains several memorials and statues, such as the Handcart Monument and the Seagull Monument. The latter commemorates a flock of California gulls, which saved the early pioneers from a plague of crickets that threatened to destroy their crops. Mormon guides offer visitors free 45-minute tours of the sites, starting every few minutes at the flagpole.

Directly opposite Temple Square is the restored Joseph Smith Memorial Building, where a free film, Legacy, telling the story of the early pioneers, is screened. Beside it stands the Brigham Young Monument, which honours the pioneer LDS Church leader.

The square is bordered by North Temple, 300 North, South Temple, West Temple and State Street
Tel: (801) 240 1670.
Transport: TRAX to Temple Square; bus 449.

Mormon Tabernacle
Salt Lake City’s most famous building is one of the most fascinating structures in the United States. The oval Tabernacle, begun in 1863, took 12 years to complete. Built as a gathering place for the community, it is capped by a massive domed roof rising 20m (65ft) high. Brigham Young is said to have hit on the idea for its unusual design while contemplating a hollowed-out eggshell sliced lengthwise. He wanted the roof to be self-supporting, with no pillars to block the congregation’s views, so bridge-building techniques were used to construct arched lattice trusses as the main supports. The huge beams of the dome were bent into shape with steam and weighted at both ends. It still ranks among the largest timber-roof frames in the world. Equally impressive is the Tabernacle’s simple, unadorned interior. Because hardwood was not available, the pioneer craftsmen painted the wood grain on the walls and benches to resemble oak.

The building is home to the world famous Mormon Tabernacle Choir, which was formed in 1847. Its acoustics are so remarkable that a pin drop rings clearly throughout the hall. The 11,000-pipe organ features golden pipes made of hand-carved round wood staves. The choir gives free performances inside the Tabernacle twice a week, one of which is a broadcast of its weekly radio programme, ‘Music and the Spoken Word’. There are also daily organ recitals.

Temple Square
Tel: (801) 240 2534 (Temple Square Visitor Center) or (800) 537 9703 (concert schedule).
Transport: TRAX to Temple Square; bus 449.
Opening hours: Daily 0900-2100 (winter); daily 0800-2200 (summer); choir rehearsals Thurs 2000; broadcast performances Sun 0930 (the congregation must be seated by 0915).

Admission: Free.

Mormon Temple
Towering above Temple Square, the Mormon Temple is one of the most striking sights of Salt Lake City. The tallest of its six spires reaches 64m (210ft) and is topped by a statue of the Angel Moroni, which is made of hammered copper and covered with a thick overlay of gold leaf. Construction began in 1853, and the temple took 40 years to complete. Enormous blocks of granite were hauled by oxen for 24km (15 miles) from a quarry in Big Cottonwood Canyon. The foundation walls are 4.8m (16ft) thick and 4.8m (16ft) deep. The temple is closed to the public and is only accessible to practising Mormons during religious ceremonies.

Temple Square
Tel: (801) 240 2534.
Transport: TRAX to Temple Square; bus 449.
Opening hours: Closed to non-Mormons.
Admission: Free (Mormons only).

Beehive House
The first Mormons called their land ‘Deseret’, which means ‘honeybee’, a symbol of industriousness – the beehive is Utah’s state symbol today. The Beehive House, built in 1854, was the home of LDS leader and territorial governor, Brigham Young, until he died in 1877. This simple, white house, with its smart green shutters and long verandahs, was then the finest in the city. Meticulously restored with period furnishings, artefacts and antiques, it houses a small museum concerning Young’s life. The ornate reception room is the highlight of the free guided tours that run every ten minutes, including a tour of the kitchen, bedrooms and children’s playroom. Eagle Gate, the original entrance to Young’s property, stands just to the east of the Beehive House. The 23m (76ft) arch is topped by the statue of an eagle weighing 1814kg (4000lbs). Young had several wives and many children and the Lion House next door was built in 1855, to provide additional space for his growing family.

67 East South Temple
Tel: (801) 240 2671.
Transport: TRAX to Temple Square; bus 449.
Opening hours: Mon-Sat 0930-1830, Sun 1000-1300 (Jun-Aug); Mon-Sat 0930-1630, Sun 1000-1300 (Sep-May).
Admission: Free.

Family History Library
This library, owned by the Mormon Church, contains the largest collection of genealogical information in the world. It includes two million rolls of microfilmed records holding two billion names from all around the world and hundreds of thousands of microfiche and books, with more historical documents added each year. Most records date from the mid-16th century to 1910. Visitors are instructed on how to research their own family roots.

35 North West Temple
Tel: (801) 240 2331.
E-mail: fhl@ldschurch.org
Website: www.familysearch.org
Transport: TRAX to Temple Square; bus 449.
Opening hours: Mon 0730-1700, Tues-Sat 0730-2200.
Admission: Free.

Pioneer Memorial Museum
Run by the Daughters of Utah Pioneers and dedicated to historical memorabilia, the Pioneer Memorial Museum is one of the best in the state. Its 38 rooms contain furniture, textiles, a doll collection, toys, photographs and household items from the days of the pioneers. It also contains the original eagle that once perched on top of Eagle Gate. Among the historic vehicles in the carriage house is a 1902 fire engine.

300 North Main Street
Tel: (801) 538 1050.
Transport: TRAX to City Centre, then bus 23.
Opening hours: Mon-Sat 0900-1700.
Admission: Donations welcome.

Utah State Capitol
Built in 1915, the State Capitol building is one of the finest examples of the Renaissance Revival style in the country. This Salt Lake City landmark sits on top of a hill overlooking the city. Its stately walls of Utah granite are framed with 24 Corinthian columns and topped by a gleaming copper dome. The interior rotunda is lined with Georgian marble and paintings illustrating Utah history.

Capitol Hill, northern end of State Street
Tel: (801) 538 3000 or 1563 (tour information).
Website: www.utah.gov/capitolbuilding/
Transport: TRAX to City Center, then bus 23.
Opening hours: Daily 0800-2000; tours Mon-Fri 0900-1600 on the hour and half-hour.
Admission: Free.

Cathedral of the Madeleine
This beautiful and recently restored Rhenish Gothic cathedral was begun in 1900, by Bishop Lawrence Scanlon, the first bishop of Salt Lake. It features Venetian mosaics and other ornate artwork, Tennessee and Utah marble and outstanding stained-glass windows.

331 East South Temple
Tel: (801) 328 8941.
Website: www.saltlakecathedral.org
Transport: Bus 3, 4 or 11.
Opening hours: Mon-Fri 0800-1730.
Admission: Free.

Utah Museum of Fine Arts
Set in a handsome new building on the University of Utah campus, which opened in June 2001, the Utah Museum of Fine Arts contains some 17,000 pieces of art. Exhibits from Europe, Africa, Asia and Latin America are on display along with American works, including a collection of antiquities dating back to 3000BC. There is also a contemporary art gallery and sculpture garden. The museum stages world-class temporary exhibitions.

Marcia and John Price Museum Building, 410 Campus Center Drive, University of Utah
Tel: (801) 581 7332.
Website: www.utah.edu/umfa
Transport: TRAX to University of Utah; bus 13 or 14 from Downtown (Dallivan Center).
Opening hours: Mon-Fri 1000-1700, Sat-Sun 1200-1700.
Admission: Free.

Hansen Planetarium
The Hansen Planetarium has a space science museum, with interactive exhibits, an Exhibit Hall with models of a lunar hemisphere, a relief globe and a Foucault pendulum. The planetarium puts on daily star shows that simulate trips to the planets, as well as laser/music concerts on the subject of space.

15 South State Street
Tel: (801) 538 2104.
Website: www.hansenplanetarium.net
Transport: TRAX to City Center.
Opening hours: Mon-Thurs 0930-2130, Fri-Sat 0930-2430, Sun 1330-1630.
Admission: Free (museum and exhibits); US$5-US$8 (star/laser shows).

This is The Place Heritage Park
This park commemorates the place where the first Mormon pioneers ended their 2080km (1300-mile) trek across America. It is named after This Is the Place Monument, erected in 1947, to commemorate the centennial of Brigham Young’s decision to settle there. The park contains Old Deseret Village, a recreation of a pioneer village from the mid-19th century, with reconstructed general store, bank and other buildings and actors in period costume demonstrating ways of life from the pioneer era. Brigham Young’s original farmhouse, renovated with period furnishings, is also situated here.

2601 East Sunnyside Avenue at 800 South
Tel: (801) 582 1847.
Website: www.thisistheplace.org
Transport: Bus 5, 13 or 29.
Opening hours: Daily sunrise-sunset (park); Mon-Sat 0900-1700 (visitor centre); Memorial Day/last Mon in May to Labor Day/first Mon in Sep (Old Deseret Village).
Admission: Free (park); US$6 (Old Deseret Village).