Or are you limited to certain floors/areas/rooms?
If you just start wandering around and checking rooms will that get you thrown out? What would they do?

It depends on the temple but, yes, for the most part you can wander around most temples unmolested as long as you're not going into rooms where an active endowment ceremony is taking place.

I've done it many times.

They have ushers almost everywhere. There are quite a few places you can go though - sealing office & celestial room (if dressed up), cafeteria, & chapel.

In some of the temples you can ask for a tour.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/13/2013 06:08PM by The Oncoming Storm - bc.

No.

And all those sitting areas, you can't sit there either.

They just shoo you on out.

After a session, I talked DW into taking the elevator up to check out the solemn assembly room. DW was reluctant, but went along. I stepped out, the door closed and DW left me there.

I looked around and was amused by the mountain of folding chairs stacked in the middle of the room.

I got some strange looks from other patrons on the way down, but didn't get caught by temple workers.

It's been a long time, but back 100 years ago, we were herded about like sheep. Free range livestock--no.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/13/2013 06:38PM by Dorothy.

Being the curious troublemaker that I am, I tried this a few times when I was still a recommend-holder, especially in some of the really old temples.

If it's obvious you are not headed somewhere specific to do a particular ordinance, the hall monitors will scurry over, put a hand on your arm, and ask if you're lost, what they can help you with, or if you need help finding something. They will then escort you to your stated destination and make sure you stay there.

That said, by asking nicely, I did get to see some of the historic artifacts, architectural features, and less-used areas in the St. George and Manti temples. That was over a decade ago, though, so I'm not sure if the workers are still so accomodating.

I'd guess they probably now have security cameras everywhere in addition to the hall monitors and if you try to go exploring, you'll get nabbed promptly. They'd be all over anything that looked like a security or safety risk.

Seems to be up to chance ( who catches you) what they do with you. You might get a tour, you might get herded back to celestial room or lockers. DH and I got a big tour of the Salt Lake Temple, but only got a "this is my favorite spot" tour in San Diego (it was a nice spot). Herded back to locker room in Ogden.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/13/2013 06:19PM by crom.

I think the morg is having a difficult time getting volunteers to staff some of the temples, so you might have a better chance at an understaffed one.

Once upon a time a was paid security guard at a temple. I worked nights and checked out every nook and cranny of the place, nothing to note of interests. However, I found the electrical room and mechanical rooms very interesting. Of course, nothing reglious about electrical systems and hvac...

Why was it interesting? Anything in particular? Or do you just like that sort of thing?

My husband, sister-in-law and I found our way to the baptismal font in the Salt Lake Temple. It was empty at the time. A temple worker came by and took us to see the celestial room, then took us back to the anex. We were there for a marriage, we were not in temple garb, just our street clothes. That was several years ago, I don't know if you could do that now. I think it depends on the temple and the attitude of whoever finds you out of place.

You should try to get into the "holy of holies".

I'm pretty sure that would be locked.

Back when I was in college I was an RM and my friend had just gotten her temple recommend. She was scared of doing her endowments even though she was scheduled to do them a week prior to her wedding. I wanted to calm her fears and show her around the Mesa Arizona Temple. We got stopped at the door and even though both of us had recommends she wasn't allowed to enter because 'you can only see the temple in the process of getting your endowments'. We felt SO ill treated and instead of calming her fears, that experience made her even more scared of the temple. I'm still pissed off at those temple workers that unnecessarily made two girls in their early 20s cry. Is there any reason they couldn't have shown her around the chapel, changing room, peeked into an unused endowment room and sealing room? There is no reason!

I wish I could say that was the final crack in my temple attendance, but it was a small crack. The big crack later came when I found out divorced women couldn't be veil workers at the Nashville Temple. I never did an endowment session after hearing that tidbit. I suddenly realized that because I was an unmarried woman the church did not want me.