One of the ways The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints tells its story is through several dozen historic sites and visitors’ centers around the world, all of which are free and open to the public.
“Our historic sites help us tell the unique story of the Latter-day Saints,” Church historian and recorder Elder Marlin K. Jensen said recently. “Each site is filled with historically accurate details and engaging exhibits to help people better understand who we are and what is important to us.”
Some of the Church’s historic sites are large and encompass multiple locations, such as Nauvoo, Illinois. Other sites are small, including just a statue or small building, such as the Gadfield Elm Chapel in England. But regardless of their size, each site teaches important lessons about history, faith and commitment.
As the summer travel season approaches, high gas prices and other economic factors may make it difficult to plan a memorable and affordable vacation the entire family can enjoy. However, these historic sites offer fun and engaging activities for visitors of all ages and all faiths.
For the next three months, the Newsroom website will run a summer travel series highlighting some of the major Mormon historic sites. This week we start with what is undoubtedly the best known Latter-day Saint attraction: Temple Square in Salt Lake City, Utah. There is much more on tap in the coming weeks, including features on Palmyra, New York; Kirtland, Ohio; and the Mormon Battalion Historic Site in San Diego, California. We will also take a look at the Church-sponsored pageants. Each article will provide background information on the site, a brief history and helpful information about visiting.
We hope these articles will help journalists, bloggers and the public learn about places of importance in Mormon history and perhaps inspire them to visit and write about some of them.