One year before the Salt Lake Temple reopens, Temple Square unveiled a bright, reimagined welcome for visitors — and set the date when open-house tickets will be released.

Beginning May 18, 2026, the newly renovated Temple Square Visitors’ Center will open daily from 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m., offering a fresh, immersive way to learn about Latter-day Saint beliefs and how temple teachings connect to everyday life. Church leaders called Monday’s preview a milestone: “This is not that visitors center experience you may remember,” said President Emily Belle Freeman of the Young Women General Presidency. “Now you may think you have been to a visitors center experience with us before, and I am going to tell you this is not that.”

The 40,000-square-foot center sits in the shadow of the Salt Lake Temple and features both familiar and new works of art. A replica of Bertel Thorvaldsen’s beloved Christus occupies the west wing, while a new marble sculpture by Swiss artist Christian Bolt — titled “Come Unto Me” — anchors the lower level, inviting visitors to contemplate the Savior’s compassion. “They didn’t want to have another standing Christ, but a sitting one…towards human mankind,” Bolt said of his work. Bronze statues of Christ in Gethsemane and carrying the cross now grace the landscaped gardens outside the east and west wings.

Inside, guests can move through a narrative journey that begins with Brigham Young’s 1847 declaration, “Here we will build a temple to our God.” A standout moment: a video wall that opens to reveal a replica of a temple lobby, followed by full-scale representative rooms — including a baptistry, instruction rooms, a celestial room, and sealing rooms — designed to help visitors of any background understand temple purpose and practice (these are representative rooms, not replicas of the Salt Lake Temple’s interior). Other features include a scale model of the Salt Lake Temple, a display of 11 built-to-scale miniature temples and a nearby temple globe.

“Here, guests can discover how temple teachings connect to everyday life and uncover the greater context of Latter-day Saint beliefs and commitment to family and Christ,” said Dieter F. Uchtdorf, Acting President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. Elder Matthew S. Holland of the General Authority Seventy called the reopening “one of the most exciting points in this period in the history of the church,” echoing the sense of a season to remember.

Practical details: entry to the visitors’ center is free. While no ticket is required for general entry, a reservation is required for the 30-minute “Inside a Temple” tour; reservations can be made through the Temple Square app or online. Free parking is available at the Conference Center with validation; City Creek parking is also available south of Temple Square (first two hours free). The Temple Square TRAX station provides direct access.

Looking ahead to the temple celebration itself, the Salt Lake Temple open house is scheduled from April 5, 2027, through October 1, 2027, and reservations for the open house will be available starting September 1, 2026. “We’re very proud that it’s on time, on budget, and that it looks good,” Uchtdorf said, expressing gratitude to those who brought the project to life.