Gilgal Sculpture Garden — Attraction in Salt Lake City

This place is freaky baby; a place I've never been until recently, after spending decades living in the valley. It's not well known and probably for good reason. It is very interesting in a weird way because from the casual observer, it doesn't make a lot of sense, but it is a shrine to Mormon scripture and culture to an extent. There are several statues, but the main ones are a very tall warrior with a normal rock for a head, the sphinx with what looks like Joseph Smith's head/face instead and Gilgal's statue as a centerpiece in the garden with brick pants. There are many types of rocks and carvings of rocks here. Some huge pieces of rose quartz, the biggest I've ever seen. 4 eagle statues along the side wall, intentionally broken statue of the giant from king Nebuchadnezzar's dream which was made of 4 metals, heads and other body parts in seemingly random places and scripture quotes literally everywhere, engraved in stones on the ground and elsewhere. It's very strange and eclectic visually and might have extra meaning for those with a lot of time and who are interested in reading them all. There is also a big covered work area in the back and envelopes in the front if you wish to make a tax-deductible contribution...

If you're looking for a quiet place to sit and ponder in downtown Salt Lake, this is the perfect spot. It has a very peaceful atmosphere with shady spots to sit in for every time of day (we were there at noon and still found plenty of shade to sit and eat lunch in). The sculptures are varied and thought-provoking and there's a free brochure available to tell you more about any of the sculptures that you want to learn more about. It's small for a public garden but that just adds to its charm. There's room to wander a bit and benches to sit and think on. It's a little oasis in the midst of the bustle of downtown Salt Lake City. (Fair warning: There are no picnic tables so it's more of a sack lunch spot if you're planning to eat there and there is no restroom or playground. It's meant to be a place for thinking and pondering, not a park. That said, my young kids still really enjoyed exploring the garden, so I'm not trying to discourage you from taking kids here, just wanting you to be aware of what it is and what it's not if you...

Five stars for sheer funkiness and unique local flavor.

I discovered the Gilgal Sculpture Garden on the Atlas Obscura app– if you travel, make sure you always check Atlas Obscura for your destinations, and you will uncover some truly fascinating, often hidden, gems in the cities where you go!

We were here at dusk on a Sunday. There were a few other people around. What a brilliant exploration of one man's intense love for Mormonism! Creative sculptures, lovely flowers, a giant birdhouse, VERY happy bees. Aren't beehives an LDS symbol? As you walk onto the property there are even trees with eyes.

Are you a Severance fan? Some of it reminded me a lot of memorials to Kier in the show!!

What an interesting place to explore. We were here about 45 minutes and this was plenty of time to see the features and check out the time line display of the gardens evolution...