Free & Affordable Salt Lake City

Utah Olympic Park is a massive winter sports park located approximately 28 miles east of Salt Lake City in Park City. The park, which was constructed in phases beginning in 1991, served as the site for the ski jumping, bobsled, luge, skeleton, and Nordic combined events of the 2002 Winter Olympic Games and has been maintained as a training center for Olympic-level athletes. Visitors can explore two museums at the park's Joe Quinney Winter Sports Center for free, including the Alf Engen Ski Museum, which showcases more than 300 trophies and 70 years of artifacts related to the prestigious skiing family of the same name, along with exhibits related to the state's storied skiing history. The George Eccles Salt Lake 2002 Olympic Winter Games Museum also showcases a variety of exhibits related to the city's Games, including Olympic medals and opening and closing ceremony props.

3419 Olympic Pkwy, Park City, UT 84098, Phone: 435-658-4200

Historic Temple Square is a prominent 10-acre urban complex owned and operated by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints within Salt Lake City's downtown district. The square was originally constructed in 1847 following the arrival of Mormon pioneers in the city and is surrounded by a 15-foot wall, serving as the headquarters of the LDS Church. As Utah's most popular tourist attraction, the square attracts five million annual visitors. Two visitor centers at the temple offer free admission daily, showcasing exhibits related to the church's history, operations, and culture. The temple's gardens and grounds also host a wide variety of annual public special events, including a Christmas lighting ceremony that showcases over 100,000 lights throughout the square.

50 W. North Temple, Salt Lake City, UT 84150, Phone: 801-240-4872

The Natural History Museum of Utah is a University of Utah campus museum, housed within the university's Rio Tinto Center since 2011. The museum originally stemmed out of natural history collections begun in 1959 and opened to the public in its first location in 1969. Today, it houses a collection of more than 1.6 million natural specimens and research objects, with a focus on the natural and biological history of Utah and the Intermountain West. Significant holdings of anthropology, paleontology, entomology, mineralogy, and botany items are showcased in permanent and temporary rotating exhibits, which may be viewed for free on four select free-admission days throughout the year.

301 Wakara Way, Salt Lake City, UT 84108, Phone: 801-581-6927

The Joseph Smith Memorial Building preserves Salt Lake City's former Hotel Utah building, which was constructed in 1909 and operated for more than 75 years as a world-class hotel hosting United States presidents, celebrities, and acclaimed international guests. Following the hotel's closure in 1987, the structure was remodeled into a social center venue named in honor of Latter-Day Saints leader Joseph Smith, opened in 1993. The free-admission center is open to the public Mondays through Saturdays and is home to the Garden Restaurant, the Roof Restaurant, and the Nauvoo Cafe, along with 13 banquet rooms and administrative offices for the LDS Church. Visitors can explore the building's ornate architecture and design elements and use its FamilySearch center to research genealogical records. The center's Legacy Theater presents showings of LDS Church films, while its chapel hosts weekly Sunday religious services.

15 E S Temple, Salt Lake City, UT 84150, Phone: 801-531-1000

The LDS Church Conference Center is the newest addition to Historic Temple Square, added to the complex in October of 2000. Today, the stunning conference center is the world's largest religious theater, seating 21,000 in its main auditorium and an additional 900 in its proscenium theater. The theater hosts religious services and conferences regularly, including the weekly Music and the Spoken Word presentation by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, which is open to the public for free Sunday mornings at 9:30am and broadcast around the world. Free daily organ recitals showcase the venue's 7,667-pipe organ, while free guided tours are offered twice daily in the morning and evening. Visitors can also explore the facility's landscaped four-acre roof garden, which features an alpine meadow, wildflowers, and a waterfall.

60 N Temple, Salt Lake City, UT 84150, Phone: 801-240-0075

Eagle Gate Monument is an historic arch monument located adjacent to Salt Lake City's Historic Temple Square, originally erected in 1859 at the entrance to LDS Church leader Brigham Young's estate at City Creek Canyon. The 76-foot-wide monument was created by Young's son, architect Don Carlos Young, with a beautiful wooden eagle adornment created by Ralph Ramsay. In the 1960s, Ramsay's eagle was removed from the monument to accommodate the widening of State Street and was replaced by a new eagle designed by George Cannon Young. Visitors can view Ramsay's original eagle on display at Salt Lake City's Daughters of Utah Pioneers Museum.

State St & S Temple, Salt Lake City, UT 84111, Phone: 801-582-1847

The Church History Library and Archives house an extensive collection of materials related to the history and development of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, opened to the public in 2009. The library and archives replace the former LDS Church library building, which was housed within the Church Office Building's east wing. Today, the library's collections preserve significant materials related to the church's founding and the westward expansion of the United States, including more than 270,000 volumes, 500,000 historic photographs and maps, and 23,000 audiovisual items. Local LDS Church histories are also collected, along with church member patriarchal blessings. Visitors can explore the 230,000-square-foot building daily for free and utilize public research services such as the Mormon Pioneer Overland Trail Database, the world's most complete listing of LDS pioneers in the 19th century.

15 East North Temple St, Salt Lake City, UT 84150, Phone: 801-240-2272

Deuel Pioneer Log Home preserves the former pioneer home of Osmyn and Willian Deuel, early converts to the LDS Church. The family lived in the house during 1847 and 1848, during which time it was located within the grounds that now comprise the city's Pioneer Park. In the early 20th century, the home was acquired by the LDS Church and displayed at the Deseret Museum and Temple Square until 1976. In 1984, it was relocated to its current location near the Museum of Church History and Art, reopened to the public as a living history museum two years later. Today, visitors can explore one of Salt Lake City's oldest intact structures for free daily, furnished with pioneer antiques and artifacts, including a period-appropriate cast-iron stove.

45 N West Temple, Salt Lake City, UT 84150, 801-240-3310

The Mormon Pioneer Memorial Monument is a major Salt Lake City monument dedicated in honor of over 6,000 LDS pioneers who died between 1847 and 1869 as part of the church's westward expansion and settling in Utah. The monument also serves as a final resting place for church leader Brigham Young, who died in Salt Lake City in 1877 after serving as the region's territorial governor between 1850 and 1856. Other significant burials at the site include Eliza R. Snow, who served as the president of the LDS Church Relief Society women's organization for more than two decades and is credited with crafting many of the church's modern hymns. Visitors can explore the monument daily during daylight hours.

140 East 1st Avenue, Salt Lake City, UT 84102, Phone: 801-240-2640

The Utah State Capitol Building is the official seat of government for the State of Utah, holding offices and chambers for the state's legislative and executive branches. The Corinthian-style building, which was crafted by architect Richard K.A. Kletting, was constructed in 1916 and fully renovated in 2004. Since 1978, it has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Visitors can explore the building's five floors and 40-acre grounds as part of guided tours, which are available for free with advance registration. Tours are offered hourly Mondays through Fridays, with the exception of government holidays, and last approximately one hour. While at the building, visitors can also view the capitol's beautiful Utah heritage artwork and memorials, including its Vietnam War Memorial and Mormon Battalion monument.

350 State St, Salt Lake City, UT 84111, Phone: 801-538-1800