What to expect if you’re visiting Temple Square during General Conference Weekend
Apr 5, 2024, 6:11 PM | Updated: Apr 6, 2024, 2:53 pm
SALT LAKE CITY – The 194th Annual General Conference for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints will feature several sessions on Saturday and Sunday, meaning thousands of Latter-day Saints members will gather in Salt Lake City to watch in person.
While for some, it’s not their first time experiencing the General Conference in person, for others, the whole experience might seem overwhelming, especially due to the ongoing Salt Lake Temple renovation project.
Here are a couple of areas and events that are still open to the public during the weekend.
The Church History Museum
The Church History Museum features multiple exhibitions, including a celebration of the life and works of Latter-day Saint artist Minerva Teichert, “With This Covenant in My Heart: The Art and Faith of Minerva Teichert,” according to the museum.
“The Church History Museum offers immersive, interactive, and engaging experiences for individuals and families to connect with the history of the Church of Jesus Christ and the growing spiritual, artistic and cultural legacies of the Latter-day Saints,” the museum website states.
KSL’s Carole Mikita and Laura Paulsen Howe, director of the Church Museum of History and Art, admire artwork of Jesus Christ in the conference center. (KSL TV)
The museum also features historical artifacts recently acquired from the Community of Christ with a “Sacred History: Treasures from the Restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ” exhibit.
The museum is located at 45 North, West Temple Street. It will be open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday but will be closed on Sunday. Admission is free.
FamilySearch Library
The FamilySearch Library offers interactive displays for families and adults on family history, according to the library.
The library staff helps visitors learn about their ancestors by accessing millions of records, talking to the library’s experts, and exploring the visitor’s family tree.
Vanessa Newton, left, Lee Newton and Brice Newton get help starting a FamilySearch account for Brice from Diane Gomm at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints’ Family History Library in Salt Lake City on Tuesday, July 6, 2021 (Kristin Murphy, Deseret News)
FamilySearch Library will be open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday and will be closed on Sunday. The library’s special collection hours will also be closed during the weekend.
The library is located at 35 N., W Temple Street. For more information on scheduling a visit, you can visit the library’s website.
Music and the Spoken Word
According to the Church, a special program of the weekly “Music & the Spoken Word” will be held in the Conference Center on Sunday at 9:30 a.m. Attendees are asked to be seated by 9:15 a.m.
“For more than nine decades, nearly the lifetime of radio, Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square has presented a weekly program — “Music & the Spoken Word” — without interruption, giving voice to peace, hope, inspiration, and the goodness of God. No other broadcast can claim such a heritage,” according to the website for Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square.
Members of the Tabernacle Choir and the Orchestra at Temple Square rehearse before the 4,000th broadcast of the “Music and the Spoken Word” Sunday, April 30, 2006. The program originated in 1929 and is the world’s longest continuous network broadcast. (Jason Olson)
The Conference Center is located at 60 N., West Temple Street. The website allows you to learn more about the program and listen to past broadcasts.
The Brigham Young Family Cemetery
Near the northeast corner of Temple Square is Brigham Young Family Cemetery, the burial site of Brigham Young and several of his family members, according to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
According to the cemetery’s website, “Members of the Young family and others used a family cemetery on the property rather than providing a burial place in the large city-owned cemetery.”
A bust of Brigham Young on display at the Brigham Young Family Cemetery in Salt Lake City on October 22, 2022. (Intellectual Reserve)
The Brigham Young Family Cemetery reopened in 2022 after the Church’s major renovation. It is located at 140 E., First Avenue, just east of State Street near Temple Square. The cemetery is open daily to the public.
What is closed for the weekend?
According to the Church, The Church History Library will be closed during General Conference weekend.
Other buildings, such as the Lion House, The Beehive House, the Joseph Smith Memorial Building, and the Assembly Hall are closed due to the renovation project, according to the Church.
The Joseph Smith Memorial Building. (Intellectual Reserve, Inc.)
The Church stated that tours will not be offered at the Conference Center or the Church Office Building.
Traffic, parking and public transportation
The Church said North Temple between Main Street and West Temple will be closed for pedestrian traffic.
For those interested in using public transportation via Utah Transit Authority, General Conference admissions tickets are valid as UTA fare all day for the date of the ticket.
According to the Church, on Saturday, trains will depart every 15 minutes on each TRAX line. On Sunday, trains will depart every 30 minutes on each TRAX line. There will also be extra Blue Line trains before and after each session.
Parking is available at four major parking facilities: The Triad Center, The Parking Place, Eagle Gate Terrace, City Creek and Regent Street. More parking lots will be available for the event three hours before the start time of the event.
A map of parking areas available to attendees of General Conference. (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints)
However, parking is not available at the Conference Center parking facility during the General Conference. The Church suggests carpooling with other attendees as parking lots fill quickly, and parking is not guaranteed.
General Conference sessions will be held on April 6 at 10 a.m., 2 p.m., and 6 p.m., and April 7 at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m.
The UTA schedule for General Conference. (UTA)
