LDS Church Opens Interactive Family Discovery Center

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints opened its first Family Discovery Center on Temple Square on February 11, 2015.

The center, located in the Joseph Smith Memorial Building, provides families a fun and highly interactive experience with the latest computer technology and mobile devices featuring FamilySearch.

Visitors to the center get to use a customized iPad to use at the center’s seven stations to learn about themselves and their family heritage.

“It is supposed to be fun! We even have them take a selfie to begin with because it’s about them and then connecting with their heritage,” said Merrill White, manager of the Family Discovery Center. “We want the whole family to come experience it.”

“The whole entire experience has been outstanding,” 16-year-old Andrew Armstrong told Mormon Newsroom. “A lot of the time when people think of family history you think of sitting at a computer and a more dull experience. The iPads with the new screens they have in there and the way they have it set up is a lot more interactive and catches your attention.”

Visits to the Family Discovery Center last about an hour and are free to the public. The center is open Monday through Saturday. Walk-ins are welcome, but online registration is recommended, especially for family or youth groups.