Travel to Church History Sites

[WendyF]

Hi Everyone, I am new to LDS.NET and have loved reading through the post. It is neat to have a forum to chat online with other LDS.

I was looking for a thread that had info on it for LDS travel and Historical sites and didn't see one. I was looking because this is what I do and love to talk to others about thier experiences at these places.

I have been to almost every site in north america and am so excited to share info with others.

With us getting to study Joseph Smith this year and the BOM, this brings up so much of our history that I am sure this will be something fun to talk about.

I would have to say, to date, my fav place I have been in to the Kirtland Temple. Talk about an amazing place and the spirit that is still there even with the Community of Christ running it.

Another fav is the baptistry in the Nauvoo temple. During the rebuild this area of the temple is the only area they were able to redue exactly like the oriig from the plans and footlings.

If anyone wants to talk or ask questions, I'd love to help. I work for Morris Murdock travel and operate most of our Church History tours.

[SundaeSarah]

Hi Wendy

In the last 2 years I've been to Palmyra and the Hill Cumorah Pagent, Kirtland and Nauvoo and Carthage Jail. They are all such wonderful places. I loved the feel of the Sacred Grove at dusk. No one but us and the birds and the soft rays of the setting sun filtering through the branches........

Nauvoo was a honeymoon stop for us this past Sept. and again, i truly loved the feel of the Spirit there. Maybe we'll be lucky enough to serve a mission there when the time comes.

I haven't been to any other places yet, but I"m looking forward to visiting them. I'm lucky that my husband likes to travel and has the time to do so.

[WendyF]

I have been to Nauvoo 3x now and it never stops being a trill to see the Temple as you come around the bend on Mulholland.

Did you get over to the Kansas City area and do Independance, Far West, Liberty Jail and Adam ondi Ahman?

The LDS visitor center in Independance is one of my Fav places to go too.

[Palerider]

I have been to Nauvoo several times....only about 4-5 hrs away....have also been to Independce and all the sites. We slept on the ground at Far West....sssshhhhhh....don't tell anyone....have been to Palmrya and kirtland 3 times. I have had awesome expierences at these sites....

[Dale]

I am a member of the Community of Christ. Even though i disagree with LDS much i still have much in common with the church also.

[WendyF]

Thanks for writing Dale. Your history is our history to a point. I have enjoyed visiting with members of your church at the historical sites in Nauvoo, Independance and Kirtland.

[WendyF]

Palerider.....wow, I think if I had the chance to sleep at Far West I would do it too. I wish there was some way to have more at Far West to really cover what was there and what happened; maybe a small visitors center or just info boards that tell tell the story of what once stood there.

[Palerider]

Palerider.....wow, I think if I had the chance to sleep at Far West I would do it too. I wish there was some way to have more at Far West to really cover what was there and what happened; maybe a small visitors center or just info boards that tell tell the story of what once stood there.

I agree.....at Far West in the summer you don't need an alarm clock....I promise you the sprinkler system will come on in the morning to water the lawn......I wonder how I know that....

[miztrniceguy]

our family has had a couple of picnics to Adam-ondi-Ahman...married in Nauvoo...been to all the area sites.

[LdsNana]

Palerider.....wow, I think if I had the chance to sleep at Far West I would do it too. I wish there was some way to have more at Far West to really cover what was there and what happened; maybe a small visitors center or just info boards that tell tell the story of what once stood there.

Hi Wendy,

Nice thread. I did a complete Church History trip, this last Summer with my husband. It was wonderful. I am in agreement with you, on the Kirtland Temple and surrounding areas. I felt an amazing spirit in Kirtland the entire time I was there. We have more recorded appearances of the Savior in Kirtland, than in any other place.

I can't remember which prophet made the remark (may have been Hinckley) that coming to Kirtland, he received the same feelings as He did when in the Holy Land. I would have to agree with the strong spirit, but have not been to Israel... yet.

You might consider starting a group on this topic?

tDMg,

LdsNana-gVr

and, I wanted to add... regarding the Farwest temple site and history there, My grandfather found the site, when searching for the cornerstones of the temple that were apparently grown over with grass, etc... He reported it to the Church and now we have at least what there is there now!

[Dale]

Thanks for writing Dale. Your history is our history to a point. I have enjoyed visiting with members of your church at the historical sites in Nauvoo, Independance and Kirtland.

I was LDS before becoming a member of the Community of Christ. I consider the LDS history a part of my heritage. I had family at Nauvoo who went west to Utah. My denomination's history is as you say our common history to a point. But my family history has great ties to the LDS church that i am quite proud of.

[Palerider]

There is a very good chance I will be going to Nauvoo the first weekend in February....

[Mahonri]

My wife is a "Nauvoo nut"... she loves it. Last summer we did our third trip there and for the three nights we were there, we did the pageant every single night.

I wish I could have visited Joseph Smith's birthplace and the site near Harmony, PA where the priesthood was restored.

We've been to all of the other sites in the US including the Mormon Batallion site in San Diego.

Favorite place: Temple in Palmyra or Temple in Nauvoo.

[rameumptom]

I'm just west of Indianpolis, so I'm pretty much centered between the eastern LDS sites. 5 hours from Nauvoo and Kirtland, 8 hours from Palmyra and Far West.

My wife and I spent 10 days in Nauvoo last September. We stayed at the CoC's campground - had a cabin for $12 a night, with few others there. Deer came into the camp every morning to eat acorns. We had a nice visit with some of the CoC members that run the place - they are good and decent people, and you should be proud of them, Dale. September is a very good time of year to visit - weather is still very good and there are no crowds. We visited with the temple president on the steps of the Nauvoo Temple one Sunday afternoon, when he was sitting there on a folding chair greeting visitors.

I'm an amateur nature photographer, and so taking shots around the Mississippi at various time of the year is awesome, as well. Nice to take photos without 10,000 LDS tourists getting in the way. I was able to find some good locations along the river for shots of pelicans and blue heron.

Stopping by the LDS land records building is always worthwhile. I was able to find where a couple my ancestors had homes/land holdings in Nauvoo. My wife found out that her ancestor, Jeremiah Leavitt had 40 acres up on the "Mound", so we went in search of it. At the very top of the Mound, the highest spot in the county, is a home of a non-member, who is very friendly towards the Church. She used to have a bed and breakfast in the home, and rents LDS land in Nauvoo for crops and cattle. Anyway, using a plat map, we found that the Leavitt land was directly east of her property, and so we were able to walk on the corn fields that were once Leavitt property.

It's also the time to go for the grapes. Next to the CoC campground is a local farmer that sells juicy Concord grapes for $1 a pound. We bought about 15 pounds while there, and munched on most of them or made grape juice for breakfasts.

Something that most LDS that go to the area miss, are some of the nearby non-LDS sites. South of Nauvoo, about an hour, is Mark Twain's home town of Hannibal. Great place for a steamboat ride, and there's an ice cream shop there that has Huckleberry Ice Cream - only huckleberry ice cream I've ever found this far east. Just south of Hannibal is Lover's Leap, with an awesome view of the town and Mississippi River.

Going into Iowa or back west into Illinois are Amish settlements. There are a few Amish stores where you can get some very decent items at a great price. My wife stocked up on canning lids, which would have cost us 3 times as much in Indianapolis. We also had the privilege of visiting an Amish schoolhouse, where about 20 children attended. The property it was on was/is for sale, and we actually considered purchasing it - however the home has no running water or electricity, and would have been very expensive to install (not to mention that insurance companies required electricity to insure the home).

By the way, while we were there, the Hyrum Smith home and farm was for sale - 3/4 million dollars for anyone with the pocket change to buy it. We gasped at its price, but that's what is to be expected with the Nauvoo Temple. Don't move there unless you have already found a job, or are retired. There are few jobs in the area, and recent studies show that the area is losing population (except right in the Nauvoo area). Prices for homes in/around Nauvoo are artificially high, but if you go down to Hamilton, you can probably get a decent deal on a place.

The drive between Nauvoo and Hamilton is probably one of my favorite drives in all the USA. You are along the Mississippi the whole way (about 12 miles), and it is gorgeous. It rivals Montana's Road to the Sun drive, and I-90 along the Florida/Mississippi gulf coast.

Anyway, Ramona and I are actually considering retiring to the Nauvoo area when we're finished working and serving in the Indy area, we like it that much.

[rameumptom]

There is a very good chance I will be going to Nauvoo the first weekend in February....

Are you driving or flying? If you are planning to pass through Indianapolis, let me know and maybe we can hook up.

Rameumptom