Leave the daily stress behind as you wander through Temple Square, a 10-acre refuge with magnificently landscaped grounds surrounding the Salt Lake Temple. Experienced representatives will take you on a complimentary tour of Temple Square (available in 40 languages), including the Tabernacle, the Assembly Hall, two visitors' centers, and the beautiful flower gardens and statuary–or you may wander around on your own.
Four days after entering the Salt Lake Valley on 24 July 1847, Brigham Young designated where the temple would be built, and on 6 April 1853, he laid the cornerstone of the temple foundation. That event marked the beginning of a long construction process.
Many difficulties slowed the building of the temple. Granite was quarried in Little Cottonwood Canyon, 20 miles southeast of Temple Square, and transported to the site by teams of oxen. A single wagonload required four days of travel to reach the temple site.
Work on the temple stretched from years to decades until finally, 40 years after it was begun, the temple was completed and dedicated on 6 April 1893 by Wilford Woodruff, the fourth President of the Church. Today, Latter-day Saints continue to gather in temples throughout the world to worship and participate in sacred ordinances such as eternal marriage.
As you relax amid the delightful flower gardens and gaze at the angel Moroni atop the temple, perhaps you might contemplate the incredible dedication of those remarkable pioneers whose faith in the Lord inspired them to build this impressive and sacred edifice.
There are no tours inside the temple.
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