Temple Square

On the last day in Utah we took the girls to see Temple Square. It was a beautiful day and the grounds were blooming with spring flowers. Our first stop was the Conference Center. We were able to walk right in and with a guide, tour the inside. It is truly an amazing building. We started off by seeing the conference center auditorium which can seat 21,200 people. The shear size of this room is spectacular and to see the different sizes of the 7,667 organ pipes up close is incredible. The choir seating can be lowered into the floor and that space can be turned into a stage for performances. From the top seating area of the auditorium to the podium it measures the length of a football field. Our guide then took us through the halls and different levels of the building. On every floor their were paintings or sculptures depicting a variety of scenes and people that are familiar to LDS members. Some of our favorites were: the original Book of Mormon paintings (these are the pictures that you see in the front of the Book of Mormon). The glass water fountain with glass designs hanging high above. The Halls of Prophets which has pictures hanging up of every Prophets and Apostle that has ever been since the restoration of the church. The Gallery of Presidents has bronze busts of each LDS Church president resting on individual pillars on the Conference Center's balcony level.





The etched windows and granite stones are really beautiful. The roof of the conference building is landscaped with 3 acres of grass, hundreds of trees and fountains . Twenty-one native grasses are growing to conserve water and showcase local foliage. The landscaping is meant to echo the mountains and meadows of Utah.
We had a wonderful time walking the temple grounds and seeing the recently remodeled visitors centers. We saw the tabernacle and heard the lovely music playing in this building. We explained to the girls that this building was where they used to hold general conference. They noticed how small this was in comparison to the conference center. The we really enjoyed are day of being on Temple Square.