18 Things to See and Do Around Temple Square

Deseret News archives

Temple Square is undoubtedly one of, if not the most visited site in Utah. In 2009, Forbes ranked Temple Square the 16th most visited site in the United States, with 5 million annual visitors.

So while you are there, what else can you do/see? Well, Deseret News has a list of 18 must-see attractions.

18. Christus statue

The 11-foot statue of Jesus Christ is located at the top of the rotunda in the North Visitors' Center. 

17. View from the Church Office Building
Visitors can take in a view of the Salt Lake Valley and the Wasatch Mountains from the 26th floor of the LDS Church Office Building. 

16. The roof of the Conference Center is home to a garden, which was featured in the October 2006 issue of Landscape Architecture magazine. 

Native flowers, grasses and trees can be found throughout the grounds. 

Tours of the roof are free.

15. Family Discovery Center
The newly opened Family Discovery Center, located on the main floor of the Joseph Smith Memorial Building, offers visitors an immersive experience into their own family history.

14. Salt Lake Temple
The granite structure took more than 40 years to build. The cornerstones were laid on April 6, 1853, and President Wilford Woodruff dedicated the building on April 6, 1893. 

13. Joseph Smith Memorial Building observation deck
To view the Salt Lake Temple from another angle, visit the 10th floor of the Joseph Smith Memorial Building.

12. President Brigham Young's burial site
The burial site of Brigham Young, a former LDS prophet, and Eliza R. Snow, a former Relief Society president, is located just one block from Temple Square at 140 E. First Ave. 

11. Mormon Tabernacle Choir
Catch a performance by the world-renowned Mormon Tabernacle Choir.

The choir can be seen Sunday mornings during the live broadcast of "Music and the Spoken Word" at 9:30 a.m. in the Tabernacle or during the choir's weekly Thursday night rehearsals at 7:30 p.m., which are open to the public.

10. Tabernacle tour and daily organ performances
The Tabernacle, built in 1875, is home to an 11,623-pipe organ and features an auditorium that is "so acoustically sensitive that a pin dropped at the pulpit can be clearly heard at the back of the hall, 170 feet away."

9. Model of Salt Lake Temple
An 88-inch, near-identical replica of the Salt Lake Temple can be seen in the South Visitors' Center on Temple Square. 

8. Base and Meridian
On the southeast corner of Temple Square is a small statuette called the Base and Meridian, which was installed in 1855 and is the point from which all Salt Lake City streets were named and numbered. 

The grid system for the Salt Lake Valley originates from this location, where the coordinates are 0 East, 0 West, 0 North, and 0 South.

7. President Brigham Young's 1850s home
Brigham Young's former home, built in 1854, is now known as the Beehive House. It is located just south of the Church Office Building on 67 E. South Temple. 

6. First-edition Book of Mormon, page of original manuscript
At the Church History Library, visitors can view the "Foundations of Faith" exhibit, which includes a first-edition copy of the Book of Mormon, a page from the original manuscript of the Book of Mormon, Joseph Smith's journal, a letter from Liberty Jail and many other documents.

5. Arnold Friberg's Book of Mormon paintings
The Conference Center not only houses a 21,000-seat auditorium, a 7,667-pipe organ and a 900-seat theater, but it is also home to 12 of Arnold Friberg's large-scale Book of Mormon paintings. 

4. Original Minerva Teichert paintings
The Relief Society Building opened in 1956 and is the headquarters for the General Relief Society Presidency, General Young Women Presidency and the General Primary Presidency.

The building houses six original paintings by Minerva Teichert, including "Christ in a Red Robe," "Pioneer Arriving," "Look to Your Children," "Betty and the Seagulls," "Return of Captive Israel" and "Handcart Pioneers." 

3. Christ's life through paintings
The North Visitors' Center houses 12 paintings that depict Jesus Christ's life. 

The paintings include pieces by Carl Heinrich Bloch, reproductions of Harry Anderson's work by Grant Romney Clawson and an original piece by Clawson. 

2. Legacy Theater showing "Meet the Mormons"
The Legacy Theater, located in the Joseph Smith Memorial Building, seats 500 and is showing "Meet the Mormons," the LDS Church's feature-length documentary. 

1. The Lion House Pantry
The Lion House Pantry is known for its homemade rolls. It is best to visit the pantry before 1 p.m., as the rolls sell out quickly. 

Via The Deseret News

All About Fry Sauce - Best Fry Sauce in Utah

Those outside of the state of Utah may be unfamiliar with the Utah staple, "fry sauce." Fry sauce is made many different ways, but usually consists of some combination of ketchup and mayonnaise. It is obviously used for dipping french fries, but is also used on burgers and sandwiches, as well as for dipping other fried foods.

From Wikipedia: Fry sauce is a regional condiment served with French fries. It is usually a simple combination of one part ketchup and two parts mayonnaise. When spices and other flavorings are added, it is similar to—but thicker and smoother than—traditional Russian dressing and Thousand Island dressing. In the United States, fry sauce is commonly found in restaurants in Utah and Idaho.

Some places add BBQ sauce instead of ketchup. Some add buttermilk dressing instead of mayonnaise. Some stick with ketchup and mayonnaise, but add secret ingredients like pickle relish, salsa, honey or secret spice

For those of you outside of Utah that would like to make their own fry sauce, here is a recipe I like.

1/4 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons ketchup
1 teaspoon vinegar
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon season salt

For those of you in Utah, looking for the best fry sauce, here are my recommendations for best fry sauce in Utah:

5. Hire's Big H
Classic Utah institution, classic Utah fry sauce. You can buy some sauce by following the above link.

4. Greek Souvlaki
They use some secret spices to add a spicy kick to their sauce. Sooo good.

3. Training Table
They use hickory sauce rather than ketchup. Nice and smokey.

2. Crown Burger 
They add relish to their sauce, top notch stuff.

1. Arctic Circle
Their sauce is nice and tangy, I think it's the addition of lemon juice. I could drink this stuff by the bucket. They also claim to be the inventor of the stuff. You can buy some sauce by following the above link.








Honorable Mentions:

The Philadelphian

Ab's Drive In

Lucky 13

Moochie's Meatballs and More

Best Cheesesteaks in Salt Lake

Men love sandwiches. I am a man. I love sandwiches. 

One of my favorites is the Philly Cheesesteak. Can you get a decent cheesesteak in the intermountain west? Yes sir, yes you can.

Here are my top three cheesesteak choices in the Salt Lake Valley.

3. DP Cheesesteaks

These guys are really authentic. A little pricey I feel, but worth it. The one knock I have on these guys is, no fries. For some reason, it just isn't as enjoyable without some greasy potato slivers.

A DP (stands for “Downtown Philly”) cheesesteak is on par—and I’m not blowing steak smoke here—with the best The City of Brotherly Love has to offer. In fact, I think a DP Cheesesteak is actually better than Geno’s, and more meaty than Pat’s, where they seem to be skimping on the steak lately. If you’ve ever had a Jim’s cheesesteak from Philly’s South Street and loved it, then you’re also gonna love DP’s. - By Ted Scheffler , For Salt Lake City Weekly

2. Moochies Meatballs and More

This place is great, I have been here a few times. Nice, clean, hip atmosphere. Young staff, but friendly. Great, piping hot cheesesteaks. They don't skimp on the amount or quality of the food. Their fry sauce is pretty great as well.

MOOCHIE’s Meatballs and More was born in September 2003, serving fresh homemade Italian food and the best Philly Cheesesteaks and meatball sandwiches in Utah. Where did the name “Moochie’s” come from? It’s a nickname Joanna got from her dad that comes from an Italian word we can’t figure out how to spell.

1. The Philadelphian

So you have heard of a dive, or a hole in the wall. Well, The Philapelphian takes that to the next level. This place is likely to give you tetanus, or lime disease, but the food is worth it! There is a reason there is always a line out the door. The Philadelphian Steak is only $5.50. It has steak with sauteed mushrooms and onions, smothered with Provolone cheese. Their fries are awesome, as is their fry sauce.

This reviewer puts it well:

I love their Cheese Steak sandwiches and fried mushrooms. These portions are huge and you get your money's worth. The place looks dirty, but it's my kind of hole in the wall. Service is a bit slow, but that's to be expected when they are busy as they usually are.