Since the writing of this 1970’s travel promotion piece, the community of Nauvoo, IL, continues to swell each summer with tourists from all over the globe. Nauvoo can be a place of great refuge and inspiration or a crowded tourist trap. It is what you make of it. This article of tips gleaned over decades of travel to the City of Joseph will help you get the most out of your visit whether it is for a day, a week, or more.

Must See:

You could spend several days at both the Nauvoo Historic Site and Joseph Smith Historic Site and not even begin to scratch the surface of the fun and history available. Skim through our ‘Must See’ list based on the time you set aside for one of America’s most

Only Have One Day?

Some families say they enjoyed hitting up to a max of 10 sites in a full day at the Historic Nauvoo Site. Nauvoo has a list of 30+ plus sites, interactive activities, and demonstrations of pioneer craftsmanship for free. But by all means, hit both if you can.

Favorite Sites at Historic Nauvoo

• Go to the Historic Nauvoo Visitor’s Center to watch a brief video, learn a bit about the history of Nauvoo, and sign up for a free 30-minute tour ride on the horse buggies and wagons past most of the Historic Nauvoo Sites.
• Without fail, people say they love going to the Family Living Center. Learn different Pioneer crafts for free and take trinkets home! There will be demonstrations of how pioneers made barrels, candles, spinning toys and so much more. (plan to spend at least one hour)
  LOCATION: Behind Cultural Hall
• At the Webb Brothers’ Blacksmith Shop, demonstrations are offered you can leave with a rough-looking hand-forged iron ring hammered from a horseshoe nail. I still have mine.
  LOCATION: Parley and Granger Streets
• Children and Families love visiting Pioneer Past Times. This is a hands-on display. Kids like playing in the log cabin and with other toys. Learn several pioneer-era games and have a blast.
  LOCATION: Main Street
• The Brickyard is a pretty popular stop–if not for the interesting history, then for the souvenir brick families get to take home for free ( the brick is engraved with a fancy stamp of ‘Nauvoo’.
  LOCATION: Kimball near Hyde Street
• End the day with dinner at the Historic Hotel Nauvoo in the modern business district on Mulholland Street.

Must See if you Have Two Days

• Commit an hour to the sometimes bumpy wagon tour ride through the entire Nauvoo site.
• In addition to the horse-wagon-tours get an ox-ride in a covered wagon. Also good for a mini photo-op with your family. You’ll find the ox depot northwest of the Visitors’ Center. Ox-rides are first come first serve.
• See a demonstration about making rifle barrels and learn about the Browning family legacy at the Browning Home & Gun Shop.
  LOCATION: Main Street
• The Trail of Hope commemorates the line that formed as members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints ventured with their carts, wagons, and belongings to cross the Mississippi river as they left persecution in Nauvoo and traveled west. Along the trail to the river, there are signs that share excerpts of many journal entries or letters from pioneers that fled.
  LOCATION: Parley Street west of Main.

What to do if you Have a Week

• If you think you might have relatives that lived in Nauvoo between 1839 and 1846, check out the Land and Records Office. If available, this office provides people with more detailed information on their relatives’ community involvement, birth records, biographies, etc. For more information follow this link. 
• If you haven’t taken the time to see the Joseph Historic Site yet, I recommend doing so.
• Make the 30min drive or so to see the memorial and tour at Carthage Jail.
• Visit Abraham Lincoln Sites in Springfield, and/or Mark Twain Sites in Hannibal (see the end of this page)
• Make a point to see the many performances at Nauvoo (more information directly below). 

Watch the Performances

There are many cultural events and performances during the summer months in Nauvoo.  We suggest you stop at Visitor Center and lick up a current schedule of performances.  Here are a few we suggest:

• The Nauvoo Bagpipers play at Noon most days in Historic Nauvoo
• “The Love of the Savior” Sunday Concerts. The Young Performing Missionaries will either sing or play an instrument. No tickets required.
  • LOCATION: The Visitor Center
• The ‘Young Performing Missionaries‘ perform the following shows:
  • Just Plain Anna Amanda
    • Funny puppet musical show that is about 30 minutes long.
      • LOCATION: Cultural Hall
  • Sunset By the Mississippi
    • Old-fashioned, toe-tapping, and more in a one-hour variety show. (No ticket required).  Performance is about 50 minutes.
      • LOCATION: Outdoor Theater by the Visitor Center
  • The Promise
    • Humor, dance, and song are used to describe what life was like in a growing Nauvoo. This performance is approximately 70 minutes.
      • LOCATION: The Visitor Center

Free tickets are required for all of these live performances
(picked up (first-come-first-serve) at the Nauvoo Vistors’ Center beginning at 9 am on the day of the performance)

Nauvoo & British Pageant

During July the Nauvoo Pageant will be performed every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday, and the British Pageant will show every Wednesday and Friday, at 8:30 pm. The Pageants are essentially outdoor plays that are very well done with large casts. The Nauvoo Pageant surrounds the history of the founding of Nauvoo and its significance to its people and the British Pageants is about the early mission to the United Kingdom that inspired thousands of converts to emigrate to Nauvoo.

Tickets?: Tickets are FREE. The only requirement is that in order to reserve a seat you must go to one of the five ticket booths shortly after 2 pm the day of the performance you would like to see (First come, first serve basis) and claim a spot.

Tip: Come early at 7:00 for the County Fair, where guests young and young-at-heart enjoy 20 different 1840’s styled games. It’s a blast. The hosts are dressed up in period costumes making the experience even more memorable. The County Fair is also completely free.

Follow the official  Nauvoo Pageant link to learn even more.

Sites Within Historic Nauvoo

Click on the name of each site for more details, history, and logistics. 

Nauvoo Homes

Nauvoo Stores

Other Nauvoo Sites

Where to Eat

Unfortunately, Nauvoo isn’t well known for their food; they don’t have much to offer! You’ll find most of the eating places in Nauvoo available on Mulholland St. Some of the most popular are listed below in no particular order:

• Grandpa John’s has decent food and good prices
  • 1255 Mulholland St, Nauvoo, IL 62354
• The Nauvoo Mill and Bakery has  sandwiches
  • 1530 Mulholland St, Nauvoo, IL 62354
• The Red Front has a limited variety of food featuring Hot dogs and Hamburgers.
  • 1305 Mullholland St, Nauvoo, IL 62354-1013
• Pricier, but one of the favorites tends to be the Hotel Nauvoo Restaurant. It has a very famous buffet option or large entrees with prices seeming to range from $12-27.   Most summer nights the place is packed so our suggestion is to get an early seating around 5:30 pm and avoid the crowds.
  

For a treat find Annie’s Custard or the Fudge Factory

Nauvoo History

Native American Beginnings

The history of early Nauvoo often rests with the memory that begins with the Latter-day Saint movement in the early 1840s. The first record of civilization near Nauvoo is actually of the Sauk tribe that was established in the late 18th century. Their village had as many as 1000 lodges and by the early 1820s, Captain James White purchased the village from Quashquame, a Sauk leader.

Little is documented about the Tribe’s history in this area or the interactions with Captain White, but it is known that White’s payment was in the form of two thousand bushels of corn a little bit of liquor.   After the exchange, Quashquame’s village moved to the west side of the river, merging with an existing Sauk village near what is now Montrose, Iowa. The town, named Venus then later ‘Commerce’ failed to attract settlers, and hope of commercial success was lost. 

Latter-day Saints Purchase Commerce

Members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints who fled the extermination order in Missouri, in placed by governor Boggs, came across the primary investors of the town of Commerce and the church ultimately bought the town and some surrounding land by 1839.

Settling what Smith named “Nauvoo” meaning “to be beautiful” in Hebrew was difficult and dangerous to settle given the undeveloped swamp. After the swamp was successfully drained, health conditions and development quickly bettered. Church members quickly flocked to Nauvoo –including members from Great Britain as missionaries traveled there to spread news and teachings about their faith in Christ and knowledge of The Book of Mormon. In the early 1840s, Nauvoo became one of the most populated cities in Illinois with a population of 10,000 people.  

 Without a Prophet

Following the martyrdom of Joseph Smith at Carthage Jail in 1844, the remaining members of the church were divided as to who the next leader ought to be. There were several factions created from this disagreement, but the majority sided with the apostle Brigham Young. Persecution persisted between members of the Latter-day movement and those outside of the movement until all-out fighting on both sides became known as the “Mormon War in Illinois”. There were with both house and Senate asking for members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to leave.

After Being Driven Out

By 1846 most of the church members had left Nauvoo.   Only a few stayed behind including the prophet’s mother, widow, and their children. Within a couple of years the Nauvoo temple was destroyed by arsonists, and two years after that in 1850, a tornado leveled the imposing stone walls. Residents scavenged the remains for their own use and demolished what was leftover. A few accounts have been written by church members who briefly visited Nauvoo around this time.

The Appearance of Nauvoo Post-Exodus
Written Accounts

British artist Fredrick H. Piercy visiting in 1853: 

“On the banks of the river lie broken blocks of stone and shattered bricks, and the visitor’s first steps are over evidences of ruin and desolation. Foundations of what must once have been substantial buildings are broken up and exposed to the light and houses, once noted for neatness, cleanliness, and order, and surrounded by flower gardens, evincing taste, care, and a love of the beautiful, after being pillaged of all that was valuable and portable, have been abandoned by their ruthless destroyers, and are now monuments of their selfish, jealous and contemptible hate.”

Shocked Church Member Returning to Visit in 1863:

Other accounts mention how once important community buildings looked old and uncared for. Particular laments emphasized that stones from their sacred Nauvoo temple were now scattered through the town by its current residents for menial use. Stones from the temple were noticed in wine cellars, drinking saloons, basements, and so on.

Visiting the Graveyard

One particular area in great disarray was the ‘Old Mormon Graveyard’. One somber church member who returned for a short time in 1863 wrote “I visited the Old Mormon graveyard–now a complete forest of oak and hickory. There is probably fifty tombstones standing, among the number I found one to the memory of my sister. The fence around the graveyard is down and exposed.” This person went on to guess it would totally be forgotten as a graveyard and someone would come along to take advantage of the available timber. This writer also went on to make an interesting comment about how he perceived the general feelings and attitudes for Mormons at that time and place. He said:

“The settlers in this Co. are generally of the opinion that land once occupied by the Mormons, no matter as to the richness of the soil, has never seemed profitable to the owners since the Saints were driven away.  They say the curse of God is visibly manifested in the earth’s production. I have told some of them that I wished to God it would refuse to produce even white beans, but I realize it would not do for me to judge these matters. The old mob spirit has about died out and a general feeling of regret at the manner of treating the Mormons is very prevalent.” 

While feelings of treatment towards Mormons may have generally been held with some shame, it wasn’t for an additional 150+ more years on April 1, 2004, that the Illinois House of Representatives unanimously passed a resolution of regret for the forced expulsion of church members from Nauvoo. 

Community of Christ in the 1860-70s

In1860 Joseph Smith III, (the eldest son of Joseph and Emma Smith) decided to take on the mantle as leader of the church for what was known as the Reformed Latter Day Saints (today it is the Community of Christ). He returned to Nauvoo and reclaimed the old homestead of his parents. Around this time his mother resided at what was known as the mansion house with her new husband.  Other members of the Community of Christ soon returned to Nauvoo. As meeting sizes began to outgrow their homes, the upper room of Joseph Smith Jr.’s Red Brick Store (constructed in 1841) became the congregation’s meeting spot.

However, this growth in congregation size was short-lived. By 1867 Joseph Smith III moved his family to Plano, Illinois, and meetings in Nauvoo’s congregation eventually dwindled until it fully disbanded in 1875. 15 years later the Red Brick Store was sold and razed, and the bricks were used for the Hudson Meat Market, and are now a part of Hotel Nauvoo. The Community of Christ began to grow in Missouri while the largest bran.ch from the Latter-day movement –the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints–thrived in Utah. 

A Race Between Sects

The Community of Christ and Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints both showed interest in the history of their roots and looked towards Nauvoo and other sites of which they had settled and lived. 

As the headquarters for the Community of Christ began bouncing around, Alexander Hale Smith–brother to church leader Joseph Smith III, and the second member of their family to follow the then Reformed Latter-day Saint Movement–wanted to maintain Nauvoo as a historic site after he heard that the Nauvoo House was up for auction. Writing to the RLDS Bishop E. L. Kelley: “I haven’t for years felt a particle of interest in the old place until late. I feel we ought to take advantage of every opportunity to get a foothold there again.”

By 1905 word reached the Community of Christ that those who had followed Brigham Young had erected a monument to the Prophet Joseph Smith at his birthplace in Vermont and held a mission conference in Nauvoo.   Upon hearing rumors that the “Brighamites” were looking to buy the Nauvoo House, the Reorganized Church felt a sudden rush to acquire it themselves and establish a greater footing in Nauvoo. 

In the early 1900s members of the Community of Christ organized a Sunday School in the old C. W. Reimbold building and restored the Joseph Smith homes. Members John and Ida Laytonn, were sent to Nauvoo by the church to act as caretakers and guides for these properties in 1918. A few other families joined.

Camping

Nauvoo State Park

This State Park is a great day spot or camping location. It spans a large 148-acres on the south edge of Nauvoo along Illinois Route 96 and includes a 13-acre lake with a mile-long shoreline. Outside of offering opportunities to go boating, fishing, camping, and hiking, this park’s location is conveniently close to many historical spots.  The park’s annual grape festival is notably a favorite time for people to visit.  If you’re planning to visit in the summer we recommend that you get a reservation – however, in spring and fall, we usually forgo a reservation due to its size and lack of tourists in the area.  Our favorite time of year to stay is actually in the Winter!

Amenities:

Contact Information

Information Phone Number: 217-453-2512

Website: https://www.reserveamerica.com/explore/nauvoo-state-park/IL/453881/overview

GPS Info. (Latitude, Longitude):
40.5425, -91.38444
40°32’33″N, 91°23’4″W

Directions

Carthage to Nauvoo

Carthage Jail is located at 310 Buchanan St, Carthage IL 62321, and is 22.6 miles from Nauvoo.

1. Head East on Buchanan St toward N Marion St – pass by Dairy Queen (on the left).
2. Turn left after Hardee’s (on the right) –Continue to follow State Hwy 94N
3. Turn left onto E Co Rd 1800
4. After about 9 miles Turn right onto N Co Rd 1000
5. After 6 miles turn left onto IL-96 S
6. Turn right onto N Wells St

Nauvoo to Springfield
(Abraham Lincoln Sites)

A not too distant popular site is located about 130 miles away (2.5-hour trip) in Springfield, Illinois. Here you can see museums, visit Lincoln’s grave, and tour his home among other things. 

1. Head South on N Wells St toward Mulholland St
2. Then take IL-96 N to N Co Rd 1000 in Appanoose Township
3. Take Ec=Co Rd 1800 to State Hwy 94 S
4. Next, take IL-336 N to E 650th St/County Rd 650 E in Colchester Township
5. Take E 775th St/Berlin Rd, Bellingham Rd and N 300th Rd/County Rd 300 N to US-67 S in Industry Township
6. Continue on US-67 S. Take IL-125 E to N 5th St in Springfield
7. Follow N 5th St to E Myrtle St

Nauvoo to Hannibal, Missouri
(Mark Twain Sites)

While this site is in a different state, Nauvoo and Hannibal are only 1.5 hours apart. Follow the ‘Mark Twain Sites’ link to get more of an idea about what is available, but the 2-hour dinner on a steamboat on the river sounds neat to me. 

1. Head South on N Wells St toward Mulholland SSt
2. Take IL-96 N to N Co Rd 1000 in Appanoose Township
3. Continue on N Co Rd 1000 to Wythe Township
4. After 14 miles, Continue on IL-96 S. Take I-172 S to Broadway in Hannibal
5. After about an hour (55 miles), Turn right onto Broadway. 

Note:

Quotes are drawn from http://mormonhistoricsites.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/The-Mormons-Are-Coming-The-LDS-Church%E2%80%99s-Twentieth-Century-Return-to-Nauvoo1.pdf