The Lights at Temple Square!

With Christmas right around the corner, there is so much to see and do! Visiting Santa, making gingerbread houses, and seeing Christmas lights are all common family traditions. Various cities all over Utah have lights to visit from your car or walking around. But, I guarantee you that the lights at temple square are one of the best, if not the best, lights display in Utah.

The lights at temple square is in Salt Lake City, Utah. It is open from Thanksgiving day until the end of December and is completely free. Parking can be tricky though. I recommend going on a Sunday, that is when City Creek parking is usually free, or you can try to park underground.

When you first walk into temple square, the huge Salt Lake temple will be all lit up. You are in the right place! Hundreds of trees are also lit up with various colors. Sometimes the trees in certain sections are color coordinated, but it depends on the year. As you walk around the temple towards the East side, several displays will be visible. There are lots of mini nativities celebrating the different cultures of the world.

My favorite is the Polynesian nativity. It has a nice depiction of a Polynesian manger and the animals that were present when Jesus was born. There are several others including an African nativity, an Indian nativity, and an Asian pacific nativity amongst others. Each nativity is decorated to celebrate the culture and style of various cultures around the world. Another unique aspect of these nativities are the Christmas songs that are played at each nativity. Each song is in the native tongue of the culture being looked at.

If you happen to visit the lights at temple square any day except for Sunday, stop by at the Lion House for some fresh homemade meals. The Lion House is only at temple square and is often very crowded so beware. But, they have amazing homemade rolls with soup that are super delicious. This is definitely fun to do dinner and the lights with family and friends.

After taking some photos with the nativities and in front of the temple, walk around to the south side and there is a fun visitors center where you can watch some videos about the construction of the temple. There are also some other visitors centers around towards the north part of the temple. In the North visitors center, there are often choirs singing Christmas songs and carols for people to watch and listen to.

One of my favorite parts of the lights at temple square is the huge nativity that is partly in the reflection pond in front of the temple. The pond is filled with hundreds of candles and the wisemen and sheep surround the pond on the land and Jesus is in the center. This is super cool to see and looks even better at night with the spotlights. There is also a narrator telling the story of the nativity at the other huge nativity by the north visitors center.

Lastly, inside the North visitors center, there are some amazing activities to do such as see the giant Christus statue and learn about the history of the Old Testament, New Testament, and Book of Mormon. This is an amazing event and is completely free!