Food! Glorious Food!

Touring Nauvoo can really make you  hungry. Here are our suggestions for good places to eat and drink. 

As we've already noted, a couple of sites offer small free snacks. You can stop at the Scovil Bakery for a free gingersnap  and the Family Living Center often has free samples of homemade bread. 

TO EAT

For Lunch we recommend the Nauvoo Mill and Bakery.  They have a variety of sandwiches that they serve on a variety of fresh-baked bread.  You can also buy a loaf of your favorite bread to take home.  For dessert, we love their homemade Sorghum butter cookies--they are delicious.

If you prefer to have a picnic lunch,  nearby Nauvoo State Park has a large shelter with several picnic tables with nearby restrooms and playgrounds.

For Dinner You have to visit The Hotel Nauvoo. They have a nice menu.  But we heartily recommend the Buffet!  You've got to try the buffet!  It is a comfort food Mecca.  Though not the largest buffet we've ever been to, it is most definitely our favorite.  When you enter the buffet area, directly in front of you is the salad bar.  It's a pretty typical salad bar. But, if you like Blue Cheese, this bar has fresh Blue Cheese.  Nauvoo used to be world famous for its Blue Cheese (more on that story later).  The hotel still serves it.

To the left is the steam table featuring their hot foods.  The first thing that you will see are two large platters filled with some of the best melt-in-your-mouth cinnamon rolls ever.  In addition to the cinnamon rolls, the buffet also includes Southern Fried Chicken, Hand-Carved Slow-Roasted Beef, Hand-Carved Ham, Hand-Carved Turkey, & Farm-Fresh Catfish. Lightly-Steamed Broccoli and Cauliflower, Vegetable Riviera, Buttered Corn, Sugar-Glazed Yams, Au Gratin Potatoes, Buttered Whipped Potatoes, Home-Made Beef & Chicken Gravies, Wild-Rice Dressing, Blueberry Muffins, Made - From-Scratch Bread, and A Daily Specialty Item.

The buffet is a little pricey, but for a once-in-a-while treat.  It is deliciously worth it.

There are several other places to eat in Nauvoo, but these are our favorites.  

Visit Beautiful Nauvoo for a list of all your dining options in Nauvoo, including more information about the Nauvoo Mill and Bakery.

 TO DRINK

If you are looking for a place to quench your thirst we recommend an ice-cold bottle of root beer from the Joseph Smith Red Brick Store (they sell bottled water as well).  This root beer comes in a bottle with the Red Brick Store Logo on it.  It makes a nice little souvenir to take home.  After you make your purchase, enjoy the beverage while sitting outside on one of the benches overlooking the Mississippi River or the nearby Smith Family Cemetery.

 Our family enjoying Root Beer outside the Red Brick Store.



 Baxter Vineyards is located just about a mile down Parley St. from the historic district.  They have a nice selection of bottled Grape juice (both carbonated and non-carbonated).  And if you prefer adult beverages, they have a fine selection of award winning wines.  Baxter's Vineyards is the oldest winery in the State of Illinois.  I've also heard their pies are really good, though we haven't tried one yet.

For Medicinal Purposes Only.

 Wonder what they did for medicine back in the 1840's?  Check out the Lyon's Drug an Variety store.

Do you have an upset stomach or tired of fighting mosquitoes?  Stop by the  "Summer Kitchen" (summer months only) behind the old Homestead and ask the volunteer for some mint leaves.  Chewing the mint leaves will help settle your stomach and rubbing the mint leaves on your skin will ward off mosquitoes.

Do you have a sore throat or feel a cold coming on? Stop by the Red Brick Store and pick up a bag of Horehound candy.  Horehound was an herb used by Native Americans and pioneers to treat colds and sore throat.

And of course if all else fails, you can check out Baxter's Vineyards and Winery.  But remember, for MEDICINAL PURPOSES ONLY!  :-)

Seriously folks, nobody wants to get sick during a vacation, though sometimes these things happen. Here are some helpful links just in case.

Nauvoo has a full service pharmacy.

The closest Hospitals are in Ft. Madison, IA (11 miles) and Keokuk, IA (15 miles)

In case of emergency just dial 911

Touching History

Some of the buildings in Nauvoo are replicas of the original. But many are originals. Here is a listing of the surviving buildings in Nauvoo that are open for touring.  Places where you can go and actually touch history.  There are other extant buildings from the Mormon period in and around Nauvoo, but they are not open for tours.  All tours are free except for the Smith properties (there is a $3.00/person fee to tour the Smith Properties).

Joseph Smith Homestead
Mansion House*
Brigham Young Home
Heber C. Kimball Home
Wilford Woodruff Home
Lucy Mack Smith Home
Sarah Granger Kimball Home
The Lyon Drug Store
Nauvoo Historical Society Building (donations accepted)
Raymond Clark Store  (Houses the Nauvoo Temple Information Center)
Carthage Jail


These buildings are a combination of original and reconstructed materials.
Cultural Hall
Jonathan Browning Home
Print Shop/Post Office/ John Taylor Home

*My personal favorite of all the places to "touch history" is the handrail going up the stairs in the Mansion house.  The handrail is original.  And when you stop and think about all the people from long ago who touched that handrail on their way up and down the stairs, you realize that you really are "touching history".

If anybody has any suggestions or updates to this list, please feel free to comment.

Waterfalls

Nauvoo sits on a limestone peninsula that juts out into the Mississippi River.  That rocky foundation can be seen in some of the smaller waterfalls near Nauvoo.  So far I've found three of them.  These little waterfalls don't flow year round, but when its wet enough, they can be quite pretty.

1. Joseph Creek
Photo taken from where Partridge street crosses the creek north of the Visitors Center.

2. Stone Arch Bridge
Located off of Highway 96 just south of town, built by a German, M. Baumert ca. 1850.  This bridge crossed one of the original drainage ditches dug by the Latter Day Saints.  Look for the marker on the west side of the highway.

3. David's Chamber
Located about a mile south of Nauvoo on the east side of Highway 96,  David's Chamber was named after Joseph Smith's youngest son David Hyrum.  Young David would often come to this area to meditate and write poetry.  I can see why.

Let's Go For a Ride

 Tired of walking around, take a break and go for a ride in a covered wagon.  Nauvoo has three free covered wagon rides.

The first two wagon rides require tickets that can be picked up in the LDS  Visitor Center.  But get there early, these tickets can go fast.

1.  "Carriage Ride to Inspiration Point."  This wagon ride takes you north of the visitor center on a 45 minute wagon ride through the woods  A narrator provides historic information  along the way.

2., "Wagon Tour of Old Nauvoo" is a narrated, 1-hour ride through the historic sites south of the visitors center.

3. Oxen Ride.  All aboard for a 15-minute ride in a covered wagon pulled by two oxen. This ride does not require tickets, and is only offered on a seasonal  basis.  If the day is going to be a hot one, get there early, because they will shut down the ride to rest the animals.

4. Handcarts.  Give someone else a ride while pulling them in a handcart.  Searching for a cheaper way to move pioneers west, Brigham Young devised the handcart method were pioneers could pull their belongings in a handcart and "foot it" west.  Nearly 3,000 pioneers traveled in this manner. Now you can relive this experience for a couple hours. Treks lasting 1-3 hours are available.  Reservations are required for this event. Please call Tickets and Tours at 217-453-2237, ext. 122.

It's Showtime!

After a long day of walking around and touring the sites, why not sit back, relax and watch a show.  All shows are free.  Tickets are required for some shows and they can be picked up in the LDS Visitors Center and reservations can be made for certain shows by calling Tickets and Tours at 217-453-2237, ext. 122.  Reservations can be made up to 10 months in advance of your visit.

Year Round Shows

1. "Rendezvous in Old Nauvoo."  This musical comedy telling the story of the Latter-day Saints in Nauvoo is performed year round by the senior adult Nauvoo missionaries. Performed in the Cultural Hall.  Tickets are required. Reservations can be made.

2. "Remembering Nauvoo."  A 20-minute film about the history of Nauvoo shown upon request in the LDS Visitors Center.

3. "Joseph Smith, Prophet of the Restoration." a 1-hour film about Joseph Smith, founder of the LDS church, shown throughout the day at the LDS Visitors Center.

Summer Shows  (Memorial Day Weekend - Mid-August)

1. "High Hopes and Riverboats." Young performing missionaries relate experiences from old Nauvoo through music, song and dance.  Performed twice daily in the LDS Visitors Center. Tickets required. Reservations Suggested.

2. "Just Plain Anna Amanda."  This show is especially for children. Performed twice daily in the Cultural Hall. Tickets required. Reservations Suggested.

3. "Sunset by the Mississippi."  A Musical variety show performed nightly on the "Outdoor Stage" directly east of the Visitors Center.  No tickets are required for this performance.

For more information on these shows please visit this page.

The Nauvoo Pageant (July)

The Nauvoo Pageant, featuring close to 100 performers, is an outdoor musical-drama retelling the story of the settling of Nauvoo.  The Pageant is very-well done. When the pageant is in town, there are numerous other shows and activities that take place in town.  For a complete listing, check out the Nauvoo Pageant website.

Presidents of the LDS Church

Are you a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints? 
Care to guess how many Presidents of the LDS Church lived in Nauvoo?
Can you name them? 

Here we go......

1.  Joseph Smith Jr. 1830-1844. (Please note there is a $3.00/person fee to tour the Joseph Smith Homes.)
2.  Brigham Young  1847-1880
3.  John Taylor  1880-1887
4.  Wilford Woodruff 1887-1898
5.  Lorenzo Snow  1898-1901
6.  Joseph F. Smith 1901-1918

Note:  The Lorenzo Snow and Joseph F. Smith (Hyrum Smith) home sites are not marked.  But you can go to the Land and Records office to find out where they once stood.