Making the Most Out of Your Trip to Nauvoo Illinois

Last week I wrote about our amazing RV road trip that we just took. It was mostly an LDS church history trip to Nauvoo, Illinois and all the church history sites coming toward Utah. We had the most amazing time! A lot of people asked me if a trip to Nauvoo was a good idea for young children. My answer is yes, for the most part. My older kids loved it, my younger ones were troopers. If you don’t know what Nauvoo was, it attracts people for it’s historical importance and religious significance to members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. We had an amazing time there and can’t wait to go back!

They did get bored at times so we did have to break up our day. Nauvoo was a great place to do that. If they were done walking through houses they could go run on the gorgeous grass or go to the nearby city park. They do, after Memorial Day open up the Free Pioneer Kids Games & Activities. We were there early May so sadly this wasn’t open, but we did park the RV near it one day and noticed they were open for a school tour and they let our kids play for a little bit,which was really nice. I would for sure recommend spending at least two days in Nauvoo, and if you go in the summer I would recommend 3 for sure. It took us about 2 1/2 days and we didn’t rush, but we also didn’t get to go to the shows at night because they all start after Memorial day. Our trip was the first week of May and because of that the town wasn’t very busy, there weren’t a lot of bugs yet and we didn’t have a difficult time parking our RV. After Memorial day and the more you get into the summer the more busy & buggy it gets. (But don’t let that detour you, just take bug spray) Today I thought I would share with you how to make the most out of your trip to Nauvoo. I hope it helps anyone planning for a trip like this. It was an amazing, spiritual, wonderful place to be and I can’t wait to go back!

Making the Most Out of Your Trip to Nauvoo Illinois

Visitors Center – The first place to stop to get all the info you need is the LDS Nauvoo Visitors Center. Just go straight there when you get to Nauvoo. They have great missionaries that will tell you all you need to know, get you tickets for the shows and give you a great map to help you navigate around. They also have a great movie to watch there. It was about 20 mins and my toddlers fell asleep, which was exactly what needed to happen to help them be happy the rest of the day.

Behind the visitors center there is a garden full of bronze statues that is called the Monument to Women as it honors women past, present and future. I went in with just my daughter and loved it!

Nauvoo Tours & Sites- Everything owned by the LDS church is free, but you might need a ticket. There are a few different ways to get around Nauvoo. At the visitors center you can get tickets for the Wagon ride and the Carriage Ride, but go early because they shut down at 2:25.

The Wagon Ride takes you around Nauvoo and gives you an overview of the city. They share some stories, but mainly just talk about each of the buildings. It takes about an hour and is a nice ride.

The Carriage Ride takes you on a more scenic ride where you go out into the countryside and they tell spiritual stories about the people of Nauvoo. I actually liked this one the best, but it was a little more bumpy. The kids had to be a little more quiet on this ride, but my kids did great!
Oxen Ride – This is a short 15 minute ride on a wagon pulled around in a circle by some Oxen. They talk about why they used Oxen instead of horses to cross the plains.
Self Guided Walking Tour – The best way to see Nauvoo is to just park your car or RV and walk it. Get a map from the visitors center and just go. There are a lot of homes to visit and it would be a lot for one day especially with kids, but it could probably be done. We broke it up and did about 10 places a day. We missed two houses, but one wasn’t open and one was accidentally missed. The Family Living Center, the Bakery, the Brickyard (to get our Red Brick), the Gunsmith, and the Blacksmith Shop were my kids favorite!

Shows – One of the best things about visiting Nauvoo are the shows. My kids loved the one we were about to go to and we can’t wait to go back and see the summer shows one day. My daughter wants to perform in them one day which would be so fun!

Rendezvous in Old Nauvoo – We absolutely loved this show. It is put on by the Senior missionaries and was adorable! The music, and the sweet older missionaries acting skills are priceless. My kids wanted to go again the second night! The show is free and is Monday – Saturday at 7:00 pm and sometimes if it is busy they will do a second show at 8:15 pm. It is a story about the Saints who built Nauvoo in the 1840’s and then had to leave the city they loved. It is a musical comedy really and people of any age will love it! It’s only an hour and well worth your time.

These other shows are only from May 23rd – August 13 (I would recommend calling Guest Services and getting info ahead of time to ensure you will be able to see the show. Some you need tickets to and other you don’t. Click HERE to find more info on the shows and their times and the stages they are performed on. They also have brass band concerts and other show though out the summer.

The Promise – This show is during the day either at 2:30 or 4:30 at the Visitors Center “The Promise” is a musical performed by the Young Performing Missionaries. The show is approximately 75 mins and runs everyday except Sunday from May 23rd to August 8th.
Sunset by the Mississippi – This shows nightly Monday-Saturday at 7:00. at the Sunset Stage. Sunset by the Mississippi” invites you to sit back for some old-fashioned, toe-tapping fun in this one-hour variety show, performed as the sun sets over the Mississippi River. The show runs everyday except Sunday from May 23rd to August 8th
Just Plain Amanda – Young Performing Missionaries perform this giggle-fest puppet show and musicial with a positive message for children and adults alike. The show runs everyday except Sunday from May 23rd to August 8th. No 10:30 a.m. showing on Wednesdays
Nauvoo Pageant – This pageant is only in July on T,Th,S at 8:30 on the Pageant Stage.
British Pageant – This show runs W,F at 8:30 on the Pageant Stage.
There are also several historic vignettes such as “Youth of Zion,” “Trail of Hope,” and “Be Still” (performed at Carthage Jail).

Joseph Smith Historic Sites – There is a section on the map the you get from the visitors center that says Joseph Smith Historic Sites. These sites are owned by the Community of Christ church and you have to go to their visitors center to get a tour of them. There is the Homestead, the Mansion House and the Nauvoo House. They will take you on a guided tour of these places, but unless you pay for the tour you can’t go in. The tour is a $4 preservation fee. We didn’t pay for the tour so we just took pictures in front of the houses. There is also the Red Brick Store where we know the Female Relief Society was organized and you can go in that for free and walk upstairs. They have a little gift shop, which is the only one in Historic Nauvoo. We also walked through the Smith Family cemetery. We did all that in about 30 mins.

Visit the Nauvoo Temple – When you go to Nauvoo, you have to at least go see the temple. Actually you will see it almost every where you walk in Historic Nauvoo. It is set up on a hill overlooking Old Nauvoo and is so gorgeous! It is closer to the town of Nauvoo. If you are planning on going in the temple check the schedule as the temple hours might vary.

We didn’t have time to do a session, but my husband did take my daughter to do baptism and they said it was their favorite part of the whole trip because it was so peaceful and beautiful! One day I will go back!

Trail of Hope & The Mississippi River – If you need a good walk with your kids visit the trial of hope that leads down to the Mississippi. Do this when all the homes and stores are closed. The trail of hope is a walking path where the saints left their city and lined up to cross the river, not knowing what was ahead of them. The spirit is strong as you walk along and read the plaques that have quotes from the early saints.Then when you get down to the river it is beautiful. They also have a Bronze statue of Joseph and Hyrum and also a memorial to all those that lost their lives along the trial. Our ancestors were part of the Willie Handcart company and although they were never in Nauvoo, my Great Great Aunt was on the memorial wall for being one of the last children to die before entering the valley. She is one of our family heroes.

Carthage Jail – The last place to visit is the restored Carthage Jail, where the Prophet Joseph Smith and his brother Hyrum were martyred. You can also tour the visitors’ center and walk through the beautiful gardens, where a life-size statue pays tribute to Joseph and Hyrum. The spirit was very very strong as we sat in the room where he last stood before he was shot. Tours end a 5:00 and it’s about 30 minutes away from Nauvoo. We did this the day we left Nauvoo and headed toward Missouri.

Places to Eat in Nauvoo Illinois – There is a small grocery store in Nauvoo that we bought food in to make dinner in the RV our first night. There are a few options, but everything closes really early. There are no fast food places in the city of Nauvoo, but there are some in Keokuk which across there river about 20 minutes. Here are a few places to pick from in Nauvoo.

Nauvoo Fudge Factory (Amazing and a must go to place!)
Grandpa John’s Cafe
Annie’s Frozen Custard
The Famous Hotel Nauvoo Buffett (We ate here and it was amazing, but a bit on the pricey side)
Nauvoo Mill and Bakery

Shopping in Nauvoo – Like I mentioned above there is only one little gift shop in the Red Brick store in Historic Nauvoo. There are a few cute places in town. We bought most of our souvenirs at the Zion Mercantile on the main street close to the temple.

Lodging in Nauvoo Illinois – We stayed in Nauvoo State Park and it was very nice. (My sister took this trip right before us and they stayed in Keokuk at an RV park there which they said was nice and was only about a 15-20 minute drive to Nauvoo.) They had big bathrooms with showers, a place to dump and fill up on water for our RV and a nice big park. It was also by a little lake that you could fish at (if you do that kinda thing!). There are about 5 camping places, a lot of Bed & Breakfasts, a few Hotels, Motels and Guest houses. Check this site for more info on that!

Here is a Directory of Businesses in town. Also here are a few of my favorite Nauvoo sites to get info HERE and HERE, and a great Event Schedule for 2016!

Let me know if you go on this trip and have any suggestions to add to this post. I would totally recommend going to Nauvoo. There is never a perfect time to go with your children, so maybe you might just have to go twice. If you want to avoid crowds go before Memorial Day, if you want to see the shows and don’t mind crowds, go in the summer! I can’t wait to go again, and this time in the summer to see all these shows!

Come back Friday where I will share with you some other great Church History sites we visited!