Self-Guided Tours of Nauvoo
Only have a short time to see Nauvoo?
Here are two self-guided day trips of Nauvoo filled with sites that you won't want to miss!
One Day Tour of Nauvoo
9:30 a.m.
Begin your tour at the LDS Visitor’s Center (Restrooms) where you can enjoy “Remembering Nauvoo,” a 20 minute movie. View the displays in the center and tour the Monument to Women Garden. Don’t forget to ask for complimentary tickets to the show Rendezvous in Old Nauvoo which is performed most evenings.
10:30 a.m.
Take an Historic Nauvoo Wagon Ride or a Carriage Ride to Inspiration Point (leaving from the Visitor’s Center parking lot). Your guide, dressed in period clothing, will point out important sites and restored buildings in the city. Tickets are free and available in advance at the Visitor's Center.
12:00 p.m.
Have lunch and go shopping on Historic Mulholland Street. Don’t miss the Latter-day Harvest bookstore and the Allyn House Gift Shop. A great place to eat is at Magelby's inside Zion's Mercantile.
1:30 p.m.
Go to Main Street in Old Nauvoo where you can take a walking tour of the Blacksmith Shop, Scovil Bakery (free gingerbread cookies!), the Brick Yard (pick up a commemorative Nauvoo brick), the Browning Home and Gun Shop, and the Family Living Center where you can see traditional crafts made. If time allows, don’t miss the Print Shop.
3:30 p.m
Take a guided walking tour of the Joseph Smith Historic Sites, operated by the Community of Christ Church. These sites include the Mansion House (where Joseph and Emma lived for a short time), the Smith Family Homestead and Cemetery and Joseph Smith's Red Brick Store (where the Relief Society was organized). Fees apply.
7:00 p.m. See the Rendezvous in Old Nauvoo Play - complimentary tickets can be obtained at the Visitor’s Center. Be sure to check for the tickets and show times early in the day.
Two Day Tour of Nauvoo
If you have a little more time in Nauvoo, use the first day to do the tour as outlined above. On the second day, see the following:
9:30 a.m.
Return to Old Nauvoo for a tour of John Taylor’s Home or Brigham Young's Home (where plans were made to move west), the Stoddard Tin Shop, and the Cultural Hall. Don’t miss the Blacksmith’s Shop, where you’ll see how wagon wheels were made, and the Seventies Hall--the first missionary training center.
11:00 a.m.
See “Just Plain Anna Amanda” at the Cultural Hall on Main Street in Old Nauvoo.
12:00 p.m.
Have lunch and go shopping on Historic Mulholland Street. Don’t miss the Latter-day Harvest bookstore and the Allyn House Gift Shop.
1:30 p.m.
Walk down Parley Street on the Trail of Hope and read the plaques that tell the thoughts of pioneers as they left their beautiful Nauvoo for good. At the edge of the river you’ll see the crossing where early Saints crossed over the frozen Mississippi. There is a memorial called Exodus to Greatness near the river's edge, commemorating the pioneers who lost their lives moving west. A statue of Brigham and Joseph is there as well. If you have time, free ox cart rides are available along the Trail of Hope.
2:30 p.m.
Choose from among the many restored homes in the area: Brigham Young’s Home, Lucy Mack Smith’s Home, John Taylor’s Home, or Heber C. Kimball's home. Maps and information on homes in the area are available at the LDS Visitor's Center.
