Mormon churches dot the landscape of metro Phoenix, and you can walk in and attend services whenever the doors are open. Temples are a bit different: There are only three in the Valley (Mesa, Gilbert, and Phoenix), and you can only enter if you're a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints with a temple recommend. The exception occurs when a temple has yet to be dedicated, or in the case of the Mesa Arizona Temple, rededicated, which is why thousands of non-Mormons were afforded the rare opportunity to tour the building late last year. The temple, which was finished in 1927, had been closed for renovations since 2018, and before it was rededicated in December 2021, we got to take a look inside the house of worship. Modest dress was encouraged for the free tour, and all attendees were required to put disposable booties on their shoes so as not to sully the pristine carpets. We were walked past the baptismal font, through dressing areas, and into rooms devoted to worship and wedding ceremonies. The smiling volunteers greeted us, but didn't try to convert us, and after the tour, we took a few minutes to wander the temple's beautiful public gardens. Seeing as how the last time the temple was open to the public was 1975, we feel fortunate we were around last year to sneak a peek inside one of metro Phoenix's longtime landmarks.