Church History Museum
About
Museum detailing the history of the Church of Latter Day Saints.
Suggest edits to improve what we show.
Improve this listingFull view
Top ways to experience nearby attractions
The area
Address
Best nearby
Restaurants
659 within 3 miles
Attractions
128 within 6 miles
Contribute
Detailed Reviews: Reviews order informed by descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as cleanliness, atmosphere, general tips and location information.
Popular mentions
4.5
360 reviews
Excellent
244
Very good
93
Average
19
Poor
4
Terrible
0
Robyn P
Sun City, AZ387 contributions
Apr 2022 • Couples
will preface this review with saying I am not Mormon. The great news is that this museum is very informative and fun to visit regardless of religious affiliation. We love history, and there is plenty of history at this museum. The museum has collections of art, artifacts, documents, photographs, tools, clothing and furniture from the Mormon Church. The museum is FREE, and well staffed by volunteers who are happy to answer any questions about exhibits. The Mormon Church has a fascinating story, and I learned a lot. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the fourth largest Christian church in America, with 6.7 million adherents in this country. More than half of its members, approximately 9.6 million people, live outside the United States. There are beautiful pieces of art, and the museum allows visitors to select two favorites. We very much enjoyed our visit!
Written April 5, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
DPaulsenD
Salt Lake City, UT15 contributions
Feb 2020 • Couples
The Family History Museum in Salt Lake City is an excellent collection of paintings, historical videos, and artifacts on the early history of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Newly opened is an exhibit called Suffragettes that focuses on Mormon women being the first to get the vote in the US but then how The Edmunds Tucker Act revoked their right and how they got it back. Another exhibit just opening is entitled Temples Dot the Earth. This is a very interactive exhibit designed for children, but informative for all ages.
Docents are scattered throughout the exhibit to answer questions, But you can choose how much time you want to spend exploring. Most people spend about 1.5 hours.
Free, open Mon - Fri 9:00am to 9:00 pm and Sat 10:00 am to 6:00 pm. Closed Sunday.
Friendly atmosphere, lovely gift shop.
Docents are scattered throughout the exhibit to answer questions, But you can choose how much time you want to spend exploring. Most people spend about 1.5 hours.
Free, open Mon - Fri 9:00am to 9:00 pm and Sat 10:00 am to 6:00 pm. Closed Sunday.
Friendly atmosphere, lovely gift shop.
Written February 11, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
missfifi2111
Brooklyn, NY106 contributions
Dec 2019
Wishing to have a clearer insight into the church of LDS, I spent a winter afternoon on the manicured grounds of the beautiful buildings within the walled Mormon area. Missionary Sisters offered a complimentary tour, and graciously spoke about the different areas and their significance. The North Visitor Center housed intricate artwork and furniture, plus a miniature recreation of the new earthquake proof building that will be built during the next 4 years. The Tabernacle contained the magnificent organ with the outrageous acoustics that are famous worldwide. I especially enjoyed the Church History Museum, a two story building filled with numerous artifacts and remnants of the beginnings of the LDS Church. The journey begins with a wide open theatre film, and continues with the historical development of the Mormon movement. There are interactive displays and educational discussions. My favorite areas involved the Suffrage Women Rights and their path to voting in Utah. There is an elevator, and a lovely gift shop.
Written January 29, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Craig Crandall
Bancroft, ID21 contributions
Mar 2020 • Couples
Oh my. Always something to see and do here. Great activities for the whole family. Wonderful church history exhibits. Be sure to view the First Vision video and the exhibition of the Smith Family.
Written March 8, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Cruiser21822
Draper, Utah2 contributions
We've lived in Utah for 4+ years now and a couple times a year we take TRAX (train) downtown and one of our favorite things to do is go to the Church History and Art Museum. For one thing it's absolutely FREE! The people working there are very knowledgable and helpful, and the different exhibits are wonderful and compelling. Our favorite thing is the death masks of the LDS Prophet Joseph and his brother Hyrum. You can actually see for your own eyes what they really looked like. The exhibit it is in takes you back in time. Upstairs there are 3 rooms full of different works of art that vary throughout the year. At the end of those is a special exhibit just for children. This is where you will spend most of your time if you have young children, as I do. It tells about different generations and there's a room with toys and kitchen/living area for several different generations and you can make your own pedigree chart a.k.a. Family Tree. At the other end of the 3 rooms is a special area where you see artifacts from past prophets of the church as well as huge paintings of the current apostles. If you come to Salt Lake City put this in the top of your "To-See List." I am really looking forward to going this week and seeing the new exhibit celebrating the 200th birthday of the prophet Joseph Smith. Look it up online to see all the different artifacts they have pooled together for this special exhibit that will run thru January 2006. I can't wait!
Written February 15, 2005
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Lakegal41
Salt Lake City, Utah57 contributions
Feb 2017 • Family
I read a review by Maggi H on TripAdvisor, and it was really negative. Since I live just north of Salt Lake City, and my kids were out of school for the day, I decided to check it out for myself. I'm not quite sure what Maggi H was talking about. The museum was free to enter. Yes, it has a gift shop, but I've never been in a museum anywhere in the US or abroad that didn't have a gift shop. I didn't even see a donation box. Maggi H also
said there were homeless people outside the museum. I didn't see a single homeless individual, though I've definitely seen homeless throughout SLC (and NYC, and SF, and pretty much any city I've ever visited). I was really disappointed with that reviewer. It sounded more like someone with an ax to grind than someone critiquing the exhibits. Here's my review in response. I'm LDS, so I thought the section giving facts about each Prophet was interesting, and my kids liked looking at the little vignettes for each of them and all the items in the curio cabinets. Would non LDS people find it interesting? That depends on your interests. When I travel, I enjoy visiting places and getting other perspectives, either secular or spiritual. I've been to the Blue Mosque, visited Jewish Holocaust memorials, visited ancient Roman and Greek temples, and have been to innumerable cathedrals and churches. That's something I enjoy. Maybe it's not for everyone. So, if you likewise enjoy that, I'd recommend stopping by this free museum. My children really enjoyed the play area, which included some STEM appropriate activities such as origami and block building. I don't mind the fact that people such as Maggi H disagree with LDS doctrine. What I do mind is a useless critique that fails to even mention the merits of the exhibits, and which include misleading statements that make you think the venue is a means for taking your money. I rely on TripAdvisor reviews when I travel. They're usually spot on. I hope that, if you choose to visit this museum, you find this review helpful.
said there were homeless people outside the museum. I didn't see a single homeless individual, though I've definitely seen homeless throughout SLC (and NYC, and SF, and pretty much any city I've ever visited). I was really disappointed with that reviewer. It sounded more like someone with an ax to grind than someone critiquing the exhibits. Here's my review in response. I'm LDS, so I thought the section giving facts about each Prophet was interesting, and my kids liked looking at the little vignettes for each of them and all the items in the curio cabinets. Would non LDS people find it interesting? That depends on your interests. When I travel, I enjoy visiting places and getting other perspectives, either secular or spiritual. I've been to the Blue Mosque, visited Jewish Holocaust memorials, visited ancient Roman and Greek temples, and have been to innumerable cathedrals and churches. That's something I enjoy. Maybe it's not for everyone. So, if you likewise enjoy that, I'd recommend stopping by this free museum. My children really enjoyed the play area, which included some STEM appropriate activities such as origami and block building. I don't mind the fact that people such as Maggi H disagree with LDS doctrine. What I do mind is a useless critique that fails to even mention the merits of the exhibits, and which include misleading statements that make you think the venue is a means for taking your money. I rely on TripAdvisor reviews when I travel. They're usually spot on. I hope that, if you choose to visit this museum, you find this review helpful.
Written March 1, 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
cydney04106
Gloucester, Massachusetts310 contributions
Aug 2012 • Couples
this 'museum' is full of mormon revisionist history, 'cute' exhibits, and bad paintings. unless your are lds, skip it.
Written July 18, 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
amcnabb
Utah3 contributions
The Museum of Church History and Art is definitely intended for a Mormon audience, but anyone interested in the Church would enjoy it. A cynical reviewer described it as a "giant conversion tactic", but this is just childish. Don't go to a museum with "Church" in the title if you're not interested in the Church. Anyway, they always have some nice historical exhibits and a wide range of Mormon art, including some very famous paintings.
Written March 28, 2009
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
wireless_in_CA
United States4,696 contributions
Dec 2019 • Solo
This was a two story museum that was free to explore and learn about the founding of the church and its evolution over time.
On the first floor, a small theatre was playing an introductory movie and exhibits covered in detail the founders’ lives and visions, the persecutions and the eventual settlement in Utah. Docents greeted visitors in different areas and politely offered short insights on a topic and respected the decision to engage or wander on our own.
The second floor showcased short bios of past presidents of the church including artifacts. Another interesting section covered the Suffrage movement in Utah by a number of church women and highlighted their contributions to establishing rights.
Overall very good curating of materials and worth a visit to get more information about the church. A gift shop was located on the first floor. I spent about an hour here.
On the first floor, a small theatre was playing an introductory movie and exhibits covered in detail the founders’ lives and visions, the persecutions and the eventual settlement in Utah. Docents greeted visitors in different areas and politely offered short insights on a topic and respected the decision to engage or wander on our own.
The second floor showcased short bios of past presidents of the church including artifacts. Another interesting section covered the Suffrage movement in Utah by a number of church women and highlighted their contributions to establishing rights.
Overall very good curating of materials and worth a visit to get more information about the church. A gift shop was located on the first floor. I spent about an hour here.
Written January 12, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Dianne H
Port Isabel, TX40 contributions
May 2016 • Couples
I do not recommend this museum for those of other faiths. I was uncomfortable here and shortened my visit.
Written May 18, 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Church History Museum (Salt Lake City) - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go
Frequently Asked Questions about Church History Museum
- Hotels near Church History Museum:
- (0.09 mi) Salt Lake Plaza Hotel SureStay Collection By Best Western
- (0.36 mi) Inn on the Hill
- (0.23 mi) Salt Lake Marriott Downtown at City Creek
- (0.23 mi) Radisson Hotel Salt Lake City Downtown
- (0.19 mi) Comfortable Downtown Condo
- Restaurants near Church History Museum:
- (0.15 mi) Blue Lemon
- (0.17 mi) The Roof Restaurant
- (0.16 mi) The Garden Restaurant
- (0.19 mi) Nauvoo Cafe
- (0.26 mi) Caffé Molise