Stand on the southeast corner of Temple Square and the whole valley organizes itself around you: this is the point from which every address in Salt Lake City is measured. Look north and you see the temple; look south down State Street and the grid runs straight toward the mountains.
Salt Lake City suits travellers who want a compact downtown of historic architecture and religious sites, with mountains and a major university a short ride away. Winter visitors come for the skiing and outdoor recreation in the surrounding Wasatch Front; others come for the religious tourism centred on Temple Square, or for the museums and stadiums of the University of Utah.
1. Temple Square
Temple Square is the most visited tourist site in Utah and sits at the north end of downtown. Its grounds are open daily from 7AM to 10PM, and the assembly buildings and visitor centers are generally open daily from 9AM to 9PM. Entry to the temple itself requires church membership and a temple recommend, but most other areas are open to anyone.
Missionaries staff the square and offer free tours; each wears a second tag below their name tag showing the flag of a language they speak, so you can find one who speaks yours. The busiest times are the first weekend of April and the first weekend of October, when General Conference meetings bring visitors from around the world, and December, when the square is covered in Christmas lights. As of August 2026, most locations on Temple Square are open, but only the areas immediately surrounding the Salt Lake Temple are closed, and the Conference Center is closed for upgrades and renovations.
2. Tabernacle
Just west of the temple, the Tabernacle is a domed, oval-shaped building and the home of the Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square, still often called by its former name, the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. It is open to the public for guided tours, organ recitals, Thursday rehearsals, and Sunday "Music and the Spoken Word" choir performances.
If you want to hear the choir rather than just see the building, plan your visit around a Sunday morning performance or a Thursday rehearsal. It pairs naturally with the rest of Temple Square, since it sits within the same grounds.
3. Assembly Hall
On the southwest corner of Temple Square is a Gothic Revival building simply called the Assembly Hall. It is open to tourists for self-guided visits and hosts concerts on Friday and Saturday nights at 7:30PM.
An evening concert is an easy way to end a day downtown. Check the schedule if your visit falls on a Friday or Saturday and arrive before 7:30PM to look around the building first.
4. LDS Conference Center
The LDS Conference Center stands across the street on the northern side of Temple Square. It is an architectural point of interest with carefully groomed roof gardens and a series of waterfalls on the exterior of the building, and tours are available.
Note that the Conference Center is closed for upgrades and renovations as of August 2026, so check before planning a visit around it. The exterior waterfalls and roof gardens are the reason to walk past even if the interior is unavailable.
5. Beehive House
The Beehive House, on the southeast corner of Temple Square among a handful of historic buildings, is a former residence of city founder Brigham Young. It is open for free guided tours daily from 9AM to 9PM.
Because the tours are free and run all day, this is an easy stop to slot in between other Temple Square sites. It sits beside the Lion House and the Joseph Smith Memorial Building, so you can see all three in one pass.
6. Church History Museum
Across the street to the west of Temple Square, the Church History Museum holds a permanent display outlining the history of the Mormon church from its East Coast origins up to the arrival of the pioneers in the Salt Lake Valley. It is open Monday to Friday 9AM to 9PM and Saturday 10AM to 6PM, and closed Sundays. Admission is free.
The permanent display takes about half an hour to walk through if you read the descriptions as you go, and there is also a rotating display of religious artwork. It is a good companion to a Temple Square visit, since it explains the history behind the buildings you have just seen.
7. FamilySearch Library
Also across the street to the west of Temple Square, the FamilySearch Library is the genealogical research wing of the Mormon church and the largest library of its kind in the world. It is open to the general public and free to use, with research assistants on duty to help patrons.
Hours are Monday 9AM to 6PM, Tuesday to Thursday 9AM to 8PM, and Friday and Saturday 9AM to 6PM, closed Sundays. Visitors come here to trace their family history, so allow more time than you expect if you plan to start any research.
8. Utah State Capitol
The Utah State Capitol sits at 350 N State St, just north of downtown, prominently displayed on the mountainside in a lovely park overlooking Downtown. The grounds include a reflecting pond and several memorials, and inside are large open areas and monumental architecture. All publicly accessible areas are free.
The building is open Monday to Friday 7AM to 8PM and Saturday and Sunday 8AM to 6PM. On weekdays, guided tours are available at no charge on the hour. UTA Bus 200 stops at four places around the Capitol grounds if you are using public transit.
9. Salt Lake City and County Building
At 451 S State St, at the corner of University Blvd and State St, this building has been the seat of the city government since the 1890s and in times past was also the seat of county government and even the state capitol building for 20 years. The halls are lined with onyx on each of four lavishly decorated floors, and a clock tower rises 256 feet above ground level in the middle of the building, topped by a statue of Columbia.
Portraits of former mayors line the third floor corridor between the mayor's office in the south wing and the city council chamber in the north wing, and on the fourth floor is an exhibit dedicated to the 2002 Winter Olympics. Guided tours run on Mondays from June to August and are free, but an online reservation is needed. It is next to the Salt Lake City Main Library, so combine the two.
10. Salt Lake City Main Library
At 210 E 400 S, next to the Salt Lake City and County Building, the Main Library is one of Salt Lake City's most unique pieces of architecture, making use of natural light and featuring a rooftop garden. It is free to enter.
Hours are Monday to Thursday 10AM to 8PM, Friday and Saturday 10AM to 6PM, and Sunday 11AM to 5PM. The Rooftop Terrace is closed for renovations as of December 2024, so check before planning your visit around it. UTA TRAX Red Line stops at Library Station.
11. Natural History Museum of Utah
At 301 Wakara Way, the Natural History Museum of Utah is best known for Jurassic-era dinosaur skeletons and also features several exhibits related to Utah's landforms and earliest human inhabitants. It is open Thursday to Tuesday 10AM to 5PM and Wednesday 10AM to 9PM.
Admission is $14.95, with reduced rates for ages 13 to 24 or 65 and over, and for ages 3 to 12; children 2 and under are free. Wednesday evenings are $5 after 5PM, which is the cheapest way in if your schedule is flexible.
12. Utah Museum of Fine Arts
At 410 Campus Center Dr in the Marcia and John Price Museum Building, the Utah Museum of Fine Arts displays 5,000 years of art history, with over 18,000 works ranging from antiquity to more modern installations, though with little to no emphasis on abstract art. The museum runs public programs such as artist talks, tours, films, and family art-making activities.
Hours are Tuesday, Thursday and Friday 10AM to 5PM, Wednesday 10AM to 8PM, and Saturday and Sunday 11AM to 5PM. Admission is $9 for adults, $7 for ages 6 to 18 or 65 and over, and free for ages 5 and under.
13. Rice–Eccles Stadium
At 451 South 1400 E, Rice–Eccles Stadium is the home stadium of the University of Utah football team and the site of the opening and closing ceremonies for the 2002 and 2034 Winter Olympics. The original location of the Olympic torch cauldron was covered over by a stadium expansion project; during that project the cauldron was removed in 2020, refurbished, and reinstalled in a new plaza outside the southwest corner of the stadium in 2021.
If you are interested in the Olympic legacy, the cauldron's new plaza position is the specific thing to look for. It is on the University of Utah campus, so pair it with the museums there.
14. Jon M. Huntsman Center
At 1825 S. Campus Dr., the Jon M. Huntsman Center is the university's main indoor venue, home to men's and women's basketball, women's volleyball, and women's gymnastics. Basketball history buffs may recognize it as the site of the 1979 NCAA men's basketball Final Four, whose championship game was the first meeting between all-time greats Larry Bird and Magic Johnson, with Magic on the winning side.
Check the university's schedule if you want to catch a game. It sits on the same campus as the Natural History Museum of Utah and the Utah Museum of Fine Arts, so it fits into a university-area day.
15. Hogle Zoo
At 2600 E Sunnyside Ave, at the mouth of Emigration Canyon on the east side of the city, Hogle Zoo is a 42-acre complex with the largest exhibits featuring primates and elephants. Hours are 9AM to 4PM daily from November through February and 9AM to 5PM daily from March through October.
Admission is $9 to $15 per person based on age group and time of year, and children 2 and under are always free. Note that there is also an independent aviary, Tracy Aviary, in Liberty Park, and an aquarium, Loveland Living Planet Aquarium, in the south end of the county, if you want to compare options.
If you only have one day
Morning: Start at Temple Square when the grounds open at 7AM, or arrive around 9AM when the buildings open. Join a free tour with a missionary, see the Tabernacle and the Assembly Hall, and walk through the Beehive House, which opens at 9AM. If you have time before lunch, step across the street to the Church History Museum, which opens at 9AM on weekdays.
Afternoon: Head north to the Utah State Capitol, where guided tours run on the hour on weekdays, and take in the reflecting pond and the view over Downtown. Then come back south to the Salt Lake City and County Building at 451 S State St and the Salt Lake City Main Library next door.
Evening: Return to Temple Square for an evening organ recital or a Thursday rehearsal at the Tabernacle, or catch a concert at the Assembly Hall on a Friday or Saturday night at 7:30PM. If your visit falls in December, stay for the Christmas lights on the square.
Can I go inside the Salt Lake Temple?
No. Entry to the temple requires church membership and a permit called a temple recommend, which is only available to LDS members who are in good standing and current on their tithing duties. Most other areas of Temple Square are open to anyone.
When is the quietest time to visit Temple Square?
Avoid the first weekend of April and the first weekend of October, when General Conference meetings bring thousands of visitors from around the world. December is also busy because of the Christmas light display that covers the square every year.
Is there anything closed at Temple Square right now?
As of August 2026, most locations on Temple Square are open, but only the areas immediately surrounding the Salt Lake Temple are closed. The Conference Center is also closed for upgrades and renovations.
How do I get around without a car?
Public transit serves several of the sights above. UTA Bus 200 stops at four places around the Utah State Capitol grounds, and the UTA TRAX Red Line stops at Library Station near the Salt Lake City and County Building and the Salt Lake City Main Library. The UTA TRAX Blue Line serves the Gateway Mall area.
Pick the days that match your interests, check the current opening times for the sites you want, and start mapping out your Salt Lake City itinerary.