Draper Temple Public Open House Visit

I visited the Open House for the Draper Utah Temple this evening. It was a beautiful, magnificent building for the House of the Lord.The commentary below was online for a website as a reference. It is a must see kind of event.



[© 2008, David C. Moore. All rights reserved.]

Location: 14065 Canyon Vista Lane, Draper, Utah, United States.
Phone Number: 801-576-4240.

Site: 12 acres (including adjoining meetinghouse).
Exterior Finish: Temple white granite from China.
Temple Design: Classic modern, single-spire design.

Number of Rooms: 4 ordinance rooms and 5 sealing.
Total Floor Area: 58,300 square feet.

Announcement: 2 October 2004

Groundbreaking and Site Dedication: 5 August 2006 by Gordon B. Hinckley

Public Open House: 15 January–14 March 2009
Dedication: 20–22 March 2009

Public Open House

The new Draper Utah Temple will be open for public tours from Thursday, January 15, through Saturday, March 14, 2009. All are welcome to attend including children. Tours are FREE, but a reservation is requested. Please review the information below:
Reservations: You may reserve online (10-ticket limit), call 801-240-7932 in the Salt Lake area, or call toll free 1-800-537-6181.
Dates: Thursday, January 15–Saturday, March 14, 2009 (closed Sundays)
Hours: Sunday, Closed; Monday, 8:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.; Tuesday–Saturday, 8:00 a.m.–9:00 p.m.; additional times may be made available depending on demand.
Cost: The open house is FREE, but a reservation is requested.
Parking: Parking attendants will direct you to an available parking space when you arrive. If you have handicapped plates or placards, please park at the temple, and you will be accommodated.
Dress: Church dress is encouraged.
What to Expect: Tours begin at nearby meetinghouses where you are organized into tour groups and view a short video presentation on the purpose of temples, followed by a shuttle to the temple for a self-guided tour of the interior. At the conclusion of the tour, you may mingle in the adjacent meetinghouse where Church representatives can answer your questions. When you are ready to leave, a shuttle bus returns you to your parking area.

Note: If you have your family with children, plan to not schedule to go any later than 6:00 p. m. We had the 8:00 p.m slot and we didn't leave until almost 10:45 p.m. Try to not go on a school night unless it is before dinner time. Eat first though!

I was invited to go with Aaron, Candice and the children along with Candice's neice and her husband who is a new convert of almost a year. Aislyn, Ella and Parker were very well behaved and able to last the three hours it took altogether for the wait and tour. I recommend if anyone goes to plan on it taking that much time, and NOT plan to do anything after because it will take away from the spirit of the occasion if you expect to get in there and out in an hour...it isn't going to happen that way.

So, a word to the wise; be prepared for it to be a reverent experience and enjoy the moment as it all unfolds. There ARE refreshments afterward at the Stake Center that is connected to the temple exit that goes directly to the Stake Center as part of the tour. It was a rewarding experience is all I can tell you, so be prepared to be open to the spirit of peace, joy and blessing to take your children into the House of the Lord before they are old enough to go by themselves. Parker was intrigued with the pictures of Jesus and recognized who he was!

It was truly a unique experience and my heart was touched to see the children so behaved, reverent and enjoy it without complaint or ask when we were going to go home. You never heard that once!! Imagine that.