Utah Heritage Foundation - Guided Tours for Students

Guided Tours for Students

Show your students the past on a guided tour of a Salt Lake City landmark.

Utah Heritage Foundation offers guided tours of the Kearns (Utah Governor's) Mansion and the Salt Lake City and County Building designed especially for students. Our friendly docents will help your students uncover the past on these interactive tours.

The Kearns (Utah Governor's) Mansion

Thomas and Jennie Kearns spared no expense in building their spectacular home on fashionable South Temple Street. The Kearns Mansion became the dazzling center of elite social life in early 20 th -century Utah . It boasted a ballroom, two parlors, a billiard room, and even a bowling alley. Walking into the mansion today, it's easy to imagine the rustle of ball gowns and music drifting down from the orchestra on the third floor.

During the Kearns Mansion tour, students learn to “read” the mansion and unlock the “mystery history” of the people who lived and worked there. This discovery-oriented tour also explores basic architectural concepts and the mansion's world-class restoration after a fire in 1993. Please note, the tour includes the mansion's first floor and exterior. Utah Heritage Foundation will send a free copy of the Kearns Mansion Mystery History Teacher's Guide to help you prepare your students for the tour.

Utah Heritage Foundation also offers a self-guided walking tour brochure of South Temple Street that can be used in conjunction with the Kearns Mansion tour. The Time Travel on South Temple brochure is helpful for large groups that require two tour slots. While half the group is in the mansion, the other half can be touring South Temple. The walking tour is also a great complement to the architecture lessons in the Kearns Mansion Mystery History Teacher's Guide. See the description of Time Travel on South Temple, download a copy, and get more information on requesting this resource.

Kearns Mansion Tour Details & Schedule

Dates Available: Tuesdays and Thursdays; March 1 through May 19 and September 13 through November 17.
Times Available: 10:00 a.m. and 11:00 a.m.
Length of Tour: one hour
Suggested Audience: 4th – 7th grades
Number of Students: 40 maximum per tour
Address: 603 E. South Temple, Salt Lake City

The Salt Lake City and County Building

The Salt Lake City and County Building is rich with Utah history. Its past includes the Utah State Constitutional Convention, state-of-the-art nineteenth-century technology, a secret prisoner transport system, and circus parades. Today the building is recognized internationally for the base isolation system that will protect it in an earthquake.

The City and County Building tour begins in the basement with the base isolators and ends in the clock tower high above. Students learn how the building's history and architecture have made it a symbol for Salt Lake City . Utah Heritage Foundation will send a copy of Symbol of the City: The City and County Building Teacher's Guide to help you prepare your students for the tour.

City and County Building Tour Details & Schedule