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.

Men Who Changed America

Nauvoo was once the home of three men who changed American History, and their homes are open for tours.

1. Brigham Young.  The great colonizer.  In 1846 he led over 10,000 people west to a new home in what would become the state of Utah.  For the next 30 years, he organized hundreds of settlements in what is now Utah, Idaho, Arizona, Nevada and Wyoming.  Brigham Young changed the face of the American West.

2. Jonathan Browning.  "The name of Browning has become synonymous with fine firearms. Jonathan invented one of the first repeating rifles and his descendants revolutionized the art of gunsmithing by inventing automatic shotguns, rifles and machine guns." His son, John Moses Browning is credited with 128 gun patents.  Some of the Brownings' original guns are on display in the home.

3. Joseph Smith Jr. Founder of the Church of Jesus Christ or Latter-day Saints (and the Community of Christ) now a world-wide faith of over 14 million people.  A discussion of American religious history has to include Joseph Smith.  If for no other reason than there would be no Mormons, no Nauvoo, and no Brigham Young without Joseph Smith Jr.

The Brigham Young and Jonathan Browning homes are open for free tours.  There is a $3.00 per person free to tour the Joseph Smith homes.

Free Souvenirs!

If you're a family on a budget like we are, "free" is a good thing.  As we've said, most of the shops and homes offer free tours, but some shops also offer free souvenirs.  Here's a listing.

1. Webb Brothers' Blacksmith Shop--free "prairie diamond ring" for each person in the family.
2. Scovil Bakery--free gingerbread cookie.
3. Brickyard--free souvenir Old Nauvoo brick.  Made in Nauvoo.
4. Family Living Center--Make your own Jump-rope (Limit 1 per family); Dip your own candles (1 per person, seasonal); Sample homemade bread (all free activities).

Must See's

If you can't spend a full day in Nauvoo and you just want to hit the highlights, we reccomend the following as "must see's".

1. Stop by the LDS (Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) Visitor Center  for a quick overview of the history of the village. You can pick up a free map of the historic sites and get tickets for the free wagon rides.  They have two wagon rides. The first is a "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.  The second wagon ride, "Wagon Tour of Old Nauvoo" is a narrated, 1-hour ride through the historic sites south of the visitors center.  Both tours are fun and did we mention, they're FREE.  Even though the rides are free you still need tickets and on busy days tickets can run out early.

2. Scovil Bakery.  This quaint little bakery is one of our favorite places to stop.  Not only do they explain how they made bread and cakes in the 1840's, but every visitor get's a small gingerbread cookie, and they are DELICIOUS.  Here's the recipe if you want to make them at home.

3.  Webb Brothers' Blacksmith Shop.  This shop is arguably the best demonstration in town.  The first half of the shop is the "Wainwright".  There you will watch a demonstration on how wagon wheels were made and you will learn about what it took a pioneer to go west in the 1840's.  The second half of the shop is the blacksmith shop.  There you will watch as the blacksmith forges a miniature horse-shoe.  Everyone one who visits the Blacksmith shop gets a free "Prairie-Diamond Ring" and one lucky winner will get the horse-shoe.

4. Heber C. Kimball Home.  This was the first home ever restored in Nauvoo.  It was restored by Heber's great-grandson, J. Leroy Kimball.  Originally restored as a vacation home by Dr. Kimball, his work renewed interest in Nauvoo history and eventually led to the formation of Nauvoo Restoration Inc., the company responsible for restoring many of the homes in Nauvoo.  The Kimball home is one of the largest and most beautiful of the restored homes open for tours.

5. Joseph Smith's Red Brick Store.  This is a working general store that sells souvenirs as well as other items that would have been for sale in Nauvoo in the 1840's.  Stop by and browse the store and before you leave, purchase an ice-cold bottle of Red Brick Store Root Beer!  And if all of this traveling is wearing you down, purchase a bag of their old-fashioned Horehound Candy.  Horehound candy is an acquired taste, but the Horehound herb was used by Native Americans and Pioneers to treat colds and sore throats.

Though you really can't go wrong with any of the restored shops and homes in Nauvoo, these are our family's recommendations for anyone short on time.  All of the tours are free of charge. Tours typically last about 30 minutes, except for the blacksmith shop, you'll want to allow 45 minutes there.

Nauvoo-A Brief History

The first settlers in this beautiful horse-shoe bend of the Mississippi river where Native Americans. Though many tribes passed through the area, the Sauk and Fox where the first to settle in the area. The settlement was called Quashquema, named in honor of the Native American chief who headed the settlement numbering nearly 500 lodges. In the summer of 1805, the US Government established an agricultural school and trading post at what is today Nauvoo. In 1824, retired U.S. Army Captain James White purchased the property from the government (and negotiated a treaty with the Native Americans) and began the first permanent settlement in the area.

By 1832 the settlement was known as Venus and had a population of 62. In 1834 the name of the settlement was changed to Commerce (to reflect the settlers optomistic view of the future) and the population was 100. But the Panic of 1837 practically wiped out the little village, leaving only a few inhabitants by the time the Mormons came to the city.

In 1839, the Mormons (members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) were in search of a new home. Having been driven out of Missouri as a result of Gov. Lilburn Boggs “Extermination Order” the Mormons were American religious refugees. Though given refuge by the citizens of Quincy Illinois, the Mormons knew that they needed a home of their own. Eventually Mormon leaders came into contact with a land speculator named Isaac Galland. Galland had gained control of much of the land of Commerce, IL and offered to sell it to the Mormons. When Joseph Smith Jr. (prophet and president of the church) was released from jail in the Spring of 1839, he entered into an agreement with Galland and eventually the church purchased all of the land on the peninsula. On May 10, 1839, Smith and his family moved into “the homestead” and the Mormon settlement of Nauvoo began in earnest. By 1844, Nauvoo had a population of over 12,000 people. It was the second largest city in Illinois (next to Chicago) and it had a liberal city charter that authorized a city university, and a city militia. The Nauvoo militia was one of the largest standing armies in the country.

 Smith's consolidation of power (he was president of the church, mayor of the city, and commander of the legion), made many in the surrounding communities very nervous and a hatred began to build between the Mormons and their neighbors. This hatred led to Smith being murdered in the Carthage Jail on June 27, 1844 and to the entire Mormon population being driven out of Nauvoo in the Spring of 1846.

In 1849 the Icarians, a French Utopian community led by Etienne Cabet, settled in Nauvoo, their experiment in communism lasted until the financial crisis of 1857, when the Icarian property was sold off to pay the debts of their creditors. The Icarians greatest contribution to Nauvoo history is undoubtedly the work of Emile Baxter. Baxter came to Nauvoo in 1855 to join the Icarians. He eventually founded Baxter's Winery. Baxter's Winery is still in operation today, the oldest winery in the state of Illinois.

After the Mormons and Icarians left town, things really quieted down. Nauvoo became known for its wine and blue cheese. Its history was largely forgotten by those not living in the area. Things began to change in 1954 when Dr. J. Leroy Kimball bought the Nauvoo home of his Great-Grandfather Heber C. Kimball. Originally, Kimball bought the home with the intention of restoring it and using it as a vacation home. But, as word of Kimball's project spread, people began to stop by and ask for tours of the old home. A renewal in the interest of Nauvoo's history had begun and in 1962 Nauvoo Restoration Inc. was founded with the purpose of restoring Nauvoo's historic sites.  Today Nauvoo has over 40 restored homes and historic sites open to the public, free of charge.

Nauvoo's tourism received another boost in 2002 when the Nauvoo Temple was rebuilt and rededicated. Currently, this town of 1,100 receives over 100,000 visitors every year.

Where is Nauvoo, IL?

View Larger MapDriving Directions

OFFICIAL LINKS

Nauvoo Tourism Office
Nauvoo Chamber of Commerce
City of Nauvoo Website

http://www.historicnauvoo.net/--Provides information on most of the historic sites/activities in Nauvoo.  Website is operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

The Joseph Smith Historic Site--Provides information of historic sites owned by the Community of Christ. (Formerly known as The Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints)

 Located on a beautiful bend of the Mississippi River, Nauvoo is a peaceful village full of history, fun experiences, and great food.  Best of all most of the activities in Nauvoo are FREE (some sites even give free souvenirs)  This blog will clue you into some of our family's favorite places as well as provide links to official websites that will help you plan your adventures.

Main Street, Nauvoo, Illinois