Sample Itineraries
Whether you are in Historic Nauvoo for a day or a week, there’s always more to learn. These itineraries build a visit day-by-day, but feel free to switch things around to create the best experience for you.
Groups with Youth and Children
These sample itineraries offer a balance of guided tours, demonstrations, hands-on activities, and outdoor exploration to help you create the best experience for your group.
One-day Visit
Historic Nauvoo Visitors’ Center
(1hr)
Museum exhibits offer a fun and informative introduction to Nauvoo for all ages. Be sure to ask for an activity booklet at the welcome desk.
Wagon Ride
(30 min)
Explore Nauvoo with our family favorite horse-drawn wagon rides. With multiple route options, there’s always more to explore.
Temple City
(1hr)
Enjoy guided home tours and hands-on activities while learning about the design and construction of the Nauvoo temple.
Nauvoo Illinois Temple
(1hr)
Visit the reconstructed Nauvoo Illinois Temple where Church members with current temple recommends can perform proxy ordinances. Appointments are required.
Two-day Visit
Homes of the Apostles
(1hr 30 min)
Take a guided tour of the homes of these early apostles and learn more about their missionary service.
Family Living Center
(1hr 30 min)
Discover pioneer arts, crafts, cooking, barrel making and more.
Pastimes Pavilion
(1hr 30 min)
Children of all ages can enjoy outdoor toys and games from the 1840s.
Carthage Jail
(45 min)
Contemplate the legacy of Joseph and Hyrum Smith in the place they spent their final days.
(30 min East of Nauvoo)
Three-day Visit
Pioneer Trail
(2hrs)
Learn about the preparation required to evacuate Nauvoo on a guided tour, then take a walk along the Trail of Hope down Parley Street to the Mississippi River.
Main Street Trades
(2hrs)
Visit the homes and shops at the heart of Nauvoo’s Main Street.
Carriage Ride
(45min)
Explore Nauvoo with our family favorite horse-draw wagon or carriage rides. With multiple route options, there’s always more to explore.
Joseph Smith Historic Site
(1hr 30min)
Tour Joseph Smith’s historic homes and store, the visit the Smith family cemetery.
Week-long Visit
Relief Society Foundations
(1hr)
Tour the Hiram and Sarah Granger Kimball Home and the Lucy Mack Smith Home to learn about the early days of the Relief Society.
Oxen Experience
(30 min)
Meet live oxen and understand the role these gentle giants played in the trek west.
Pioneer Life
(45 min)
Take a guided tour and get a glimpse into everyday pioneer life.
Pioneer Saints Cemetery
(30min)
Take a quiet stroll in the Pioneer Cemetery. Looking for a relative? The FamilySearch Center in Nauvoo can help.
One-day Visit
(1hr)
Museum exhibits offer a fun and informative introduction to Nauvoo for all ages. Be sure to ask for an activity booklet at the welcome desk.
(30 min)
Explore Nauvoo with our family favorite horse-drawn wagon rides. With multiple route options, there’s always more to explore.
(1hr)
Enjoy guided home tours and hands-on activities while learning about the design and construction of the Nauvoo temple.
(1hr)
Visit the reconstructed Nauvoo Illinois Temple where Church members with current temple recommends can perform proxy ordinances. Appointments are required.
Two-day Visit
(1hr 30 min)
Take a guided tour of the homes of these early apostles and learn more about their missionary service.
(1hr 30 min)
Discover pioneer arts, crafts, cooking, barrel making and more.
(1hr 30 min)
Children of all ages can enjoy outdoor toys and games from the 1840s.
(45 min)
Contemplate the legacy of Joseph and Hyrum Smith in the place they spent their final days.
(30 min East of Nauvoo)
Three-day Visit
(2hrs)
Learn about the preparation required to evacuate Nauvoo on a guided tour, then take a walk along the Trail of Hope down Parley Street to the Mississippi River.
(2hrs)
Visit the homes and shops at the heart of Nauvoo’s Main Street.
(45min)
Explore Nauvoo with our family favorite horse-draw wagon or carriage rides. With multiple route options, there’s always more to explore.
(1hr 30min)
Tour Joseph Smith’s historic homes and store, the visit the Smith family cemetery.
Week-long Visit
(1hr)
Tour the Hiram and Sarah Granger Kimball Home and the Lucy Mack Smith Home to learn about the early days of the Relief Society.
(30 min)
Meet live oxen and understand the role these gentle giants played in the trek west.
(45 min)
Take a guided tour and get a glimpse into everyday pioneer life.
(30min)
Take a quiet stroll in the Pioneer Cemetery. Looking for a relative? The FamilySearch Center in Nauvoo can help.
Family History Expert
These itineraries will help you discover more about your ancestors and their lives in Nauvoo during the 1840s. We also recommend looking up which of your ancestors might have lived in Nauvoo using
this page from FamilySearch .
One-day Visit
Historic Nauvoo Visitors’ Center
(1hr)
Learn why the Latter-day Saints gathered to Nauvoo. If you weren’t able to check to see if any of your relatives lived in Nauvoo, the visitors’ center also offers a Land and Records information kiosk.
FamilySearch Center
(1hr)
If you ancestors lived in Nauvoo in the 1840s, missionaries can help you discover where they lived, worked, or owned property.
Pioneer Saints Cemetery
(1hr)
The Pioneer Cemetery (also known as the Old Nauvoo Burial Grounds) is maintained as a historic cemetery with headstones dating from the 1840s.
Two-day Visit
Temple City
(1hr)
Enjoy guided home tours and hands-on activities while learning about the design and construction of the Nauvoo temple.
Pioneer Life
(45 min)
Take a guided tour and get a glimpse into what daily life might have been like for your ancestors.
Nauvoo Illinois Temple
(1hr)
Baptisms for the deceased and family sealings were performed first in Nauvoo. Visit the reconstructed Nauvoo Illinois Temple where Church members with current temple recommends can perform proxy ordinances. Appointments are required.
Three-day Visit
Main Street Trades
(2hrs)
If your ancestor was a skilled tradesperson, the homes and shops along Main Street will be of interest.
Homes of the Apostles
(1hr 30 min)
If your ancestor lived in Nauvoo, they would have been friends and neighbors with the Quorum of the Twelve and their families. Take a tour of their homes and learn more about their missionary service.
Wagon Ride
(30 min)
Travel through Nauvoo by horse–just like your relative would have almost 200 years ago.
Week-long Visit
Relief Society Foundations
(1hr)
The worldwide sisterhood of the Church known as the Relief Society began here in Nauvoo. Tour the Sarah Granger Kimball Home and the Lucy Mack Smith Home to learn about the early days of the Relief Society.
Carthage Jail
(45 min)
Contemplate the legacy of Joseph and Hyrum Smith in the place they spent their final days.
(30 min east of Nauvoo)
Joseph Smith Historic Site
(1hr 30 min)
After the Prophet Joseph Smith and his brother Hyrum were killed in Carthage Jail, their bodies were taken to the Mansion House for public viewing where thousands of Saints came to mourn their deaths.
Pioneer Trail
(2hrs)
Learn about the preparation required to evacuate Nauvoo on a guided tour, then take a walk along the Trail of Hope down Parley Street, the same street where thousands began their exodus west.
One-day Visit
(1hr)
Learn why the Latter-day Saints gathered to Nauvoo. If you weren’t able to check to see if any of your relatives lived in Nauvoo, the visitors’ center also offers a Land and Records information kiosk.
(1hr)
If you ancestors lived in Nauvoo in the 1840s, missionaries can help you discover where they lived, worked, or owned property.
(1hr)
The Pioneer Cemetery (also known as the Old Nauvoo Burial Grounds) is maintained as a historic cemetery with headstones dating from the 1840s.
Two-day Visit
(1hr)
Enjoy guided home tours and hands-on activities while learning about the design and construction of the Nauvoo temple.
(45 min)
Take a guided tour and get a glimpse into what daily life might have been like for your ancestors.
(1hr)
Baptisms for the deceased and family sealings were performed first in Nauvoo. Visit the reconstructed Nauvoo Illinois Temple where Church members with current temple recommends can perform proxy ordinances. Appointments are required.
Three-day Visit
(2hrs)
If your ancestor was a skilled tradesperson, the homes and shops along Main Street will be of interest.
(1hr 30 min)
If your ancestor lived in Nauvoo, they would have been friends and neighbors with the Quorum of the Twelve and their families. Take a tour of their homes and learn more about their missionary service.
(30 min)
Travel through Nauvoo by horse–just like your relative would have almost 200 years ago.
Week-long Visit
(1hr)
The worldwide sisterhood of the Church known as the Relief Society began here in Nauvoo. Tour the Sarah Granger Kimball Home and the Lucy Mack Smith Home to learn about the early days of the Relief Society.
(45 min)
Contemplate the legacy of Joseph and Hyrum Smith in the place they spent their final days.
(30 min east of Nauvoo)
(1hr 30 min)
After the Prophet Joseph Smith and his brother Hyrum were killed in Carthage Jail, their bodies were taken to the Mansion House for public viewing where thousands of Saints came to mourn their deaths.
(2hrs)
Learn about the preparation required to evacuate Nauvoo on a guided tour, then take a walk along the Trail of Hope down Parley Street, the same street where thousands began their exodus west.
History Enthusiasts
For visitors who love learning about the past, we have put together itineraries that prioritize diving deep into Nauvoo’s history.
One-day Visit
Historic Nauvoo Visitors’ Center
(1hr)
The exhibition “Nauvoo: Cornerstone of Zion” draws on historical sources and original artifacts to tell the story of Latter-day Saints gathering in Illinois and building the original Nauvoo Temple.
Temple City
(1hr)
Explore four properties that belonged to an architect, a stone carver, a bishop, and a farmer. Discover the story of designing buildings and dedicating the temple.
Homes of the Apostles
(1hr 30 min)
Learn what it was like for members of the Quorum of the Twelve to serve missions abroad in the 1840s and how their families lived in Nauvoo during their absence.
Two-day Visit
Relief Society Foundations
(1hr)
The worldwide sisterhood of the Church known as the Relief Society began here in Nauvoo. Tour the Sarah Granger Kimball Home and the Lucy Mack Smith Home to learn about the early days of the Relief Society.
Pioneer Life
(45 min)
The guided tour of three historic buildings gives you a glimpse into the social, civic, and economic lives of Nauvoo residents.
Carthage Jail
(45 min)
Contemplate the legacy of Joseph and Hyrum Smith in the place they spent their final days.
(30 min east of Nauvoo)
Nauvoo Illinois Temple
(1hr)
Visit the reconstructed Nauvoo Illinois Temple where Church members with current temple recommends can perform proxy ordinances. Appointments are required.
Three-day Visit
Main Street Trades
(2hrs)
Visit the homes and shops along Nauvoo’s Main Street, and watch volunteers demonstrate skills of various trades.
Pioneer Trail
(2hrs)
Learn about the preparation required to evacuate Nauvoo on a guided tour. On the Trail of Hope, markers quote from pioneer journals and histories spanning several years from 1846 to 1869.
Joseph Smith Historic Site
(1hr 30 min)
The Joseph Smith Historic site tells of events connected to Joseph Smith not only as a prophet of God but as a husband, a father, and a prominent citizen in his community.
Week-long Visit
Pioneer Cemetery
(1hr)
The Pioneer Cemetery (also known as the Old Nauvoo Burial Grounds) is maintained as a historic cemetery with headstones dating from the 1840s.
Family Living Center
(1hr)
Multiple stations showcase eight different arts and crafts from the early days of Nauvoo. Gain an appreciation and understanding of how members of the community did everything from making rope to weaving rugs.
Oxen Experience
(30 min)
Meet a team of our live oxen and learn how these draft animals helped the Saints both build–and evacuate–Nauvoo.
One-day Visit
(1hr)
The exhibition “Nauvoo: Cornerstone of Zion” draws on historical sources and original artifacts to tell the story of Latter-day Saints gathering in Illinois and building the original Nauvoo Temple.
(1hr)
Explore four properties that belonged to an architect, a stone carver, a bishop, and a farmer. Discover the story of designing buildings and dedicating the temple.
(1hr 30 min)
Learn what it was like for members of the Quorum of the Twelve to serve missions abroad in the 1840s and how their families lived in Nauvoo during their absence.
Two-day Visit
(1hr)
The worldwide sisterhood of the Church known as the Relief Society began here in Nauvoo. Tour the Sarah Granger Kimball Home and the Lucy Mack Smith Home to learn about the early days of the Relief Society.
(45 min)
The guided tour of three historic buildings gives you a glimpse into the social, civic, and economic lives of Nauvoo residents.
(45 min)
Contemplate the legacy of Joseph and Hyrum Smith in the place they spent their final days.
(30 min east of Nauvoo)
(1hr)
Visit the reconstructed Nauvoo Illinois Temple where Church members with current temple recommends can perform proxy ordinances. Appointments are required.
Three-day Visit
(2hrs)
Visit the homes and shops along Nauvoo’s Main Street, and watch volunteers demonstrate skills of various trades.
(2hrs)
Learn about the preparation required to evacuate Nauvoo on a guided tour. On the Trail of Hope, markers quote from pioneer journals and histories spanning several years from 1846 to 1869.
(1hr 30 min)
The Joseph Smith Historic site tells of events connected to Joseph Smith not only as a prophet of God but as a husband, a father, and a prominent citizen in his community.
Week-long Visit
(1hr)
The Pioneer Cemetery (also known as the Old Nauvoo Burial Grounds) is maintained as a historic cemetery with headstones dating from the 1840s.
(1hr)
Multiple stations showcase eight different arts and crafts from the early days of Nauvoo. Gain an appreciation and understanding of how members of the community did everything from making rope to weaving rugs.
(30 min)
Meet a team of our live oxen and learn how these draft animals helped the Saints both build–and evacuate–Nauvoo.