First Vision Theater

Step into the Sacred Grove, and experience the marvelous events of Joseph Smith’s First Vision of God the Father and Jesus Christ, beautifully depicted in our immersive, cinematic theater on a 240-degree semicircular screen.

The First Vision Theater, located in The Heavens Are Opened exhibit, was specially constructed to create a truly immersive experience for visitors. Surrounded by a 240-degree screen, the audience is enveloped in the woodland setting while ambient sounds recorded in the actual Sacred Grove play over 204 channels of audio. In this environment, visitors experience firsthand the gathering darkness and delivering light described in Joseph Smith’s accounts of the First Vision.

The six-minute film itself draws from all nine existing accounts of the First Vision recorded during Joseph Smith’s lifetime, four written or dictated by the Prophet himself and five written by those who heard the story from him personally.

Visitors of all ages and religious backgrounds will find the experience in the First Vision Theater informative, entertaining, and inspiring.

The film plays every 10–15 minutes. No tickets or reservations are needed. Patrons are seated on a first-come-first-served basis. Headsets are available upon request to provide audio translation of the film in Mandarin Chinese, French, German, Japanese, Portuguese, or Spanish.