Tourists swarm to taste the carefully preserved history at Beehive House on East South Temple Street in Salt Lake City. The beehive, the Utah state insignia and symbol of industriousness, is an appropriate title for this painstakingly-restored National Historic Landmark, once the home of the city's founder and Utah's first governor, Brigham Young. Built in 1854, Young's large family lived in the house for close to 25 years. Peruse period furnishings on a free guided tour of the family's living quarters and learn about the lifestyle of a wealthy 19th-century family.
Also on the grounds is the 1856 Lion House, so named for its imposing lion statue. Leer back at this ferocious beast and then walk around to the southeast corner of Beehive House to peer up at the massive 6,000-pound eagle with its 20-foot wingspan posed to symbolically embrace those who once passed through Eagle Gate, Beehive's former entrance. Visitors can then walk one block east of Beehive House to Young's gravesite, if they so choose, at Mormon Pioneer Memorial Cemetery on First Avenue.