Nauvoo is a fascinating place to visit. It is quite an experience to walk the streets and tour the homes where the early saints walked and lived. I love seeing how they made their bread and built their homes. The whole experience was made better by sharing it with Cori's family.
One of the great highlights of visiting Nauvoo is interacting with the senior missionary couples who serve there. The thought crossed my mind about 1000 times that this would be the perfect mission for my parents. The missionary couples spend their days caring for horses, sewing and baking, talking with visitors, guiding tours and sharing their witness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. 
The missionaries also put on a few shows. There is an additional troupe of college-aged performers who participate in the performances and live music through out the city. These younger performers audition and after being selected are called to serve a 4 month mission for Nauvoo's summer visitor season. Our favorite show was Sunset on the Mississippi. The music was pretty impressive and some of the skits were darn funny. These people know how to cut loose.
We went on a few of the wagon tours. It was a great way to get an overview of the city. I just loved hearing familiar church history stories while looking at the places where they occurred.
Grant has recently started throwing full-blown tantrums. He only had one on this trip. 20 minutes of unconsolable sobbing with the occasional "NOOOOooo" thrown in for good measure. A more compassionate mother might have found this scene heartbreaking. I found it a bit humorous. Hence, this picture:
We got to tour so many places: the gunsmith's house; the tin smith's; the post office; the print house; the brickyard; the Joseph Smith Red Brick Store; the resting place of Joseph, Emma, Hyrum, Lucy mack and Joseph Sr.; the bakery; the Nauvoo House; the Sarah Granger Kimball home; and the Trail of Hope. There were plenty of sites that we missed too. Each tour was full of stories of faith, diligence and obedience. It was really moving to hear testimonies from each of the missionaries as they shared this history with us.
The Trail of Hope (Parley Street) is one of the sites that is still sticking to me. When the saints drained the swamp and built Nauvoo, they were expecting some permanency there. They spent six years building brick homes and a beautiful temple. When persecution heightened and pushed them West, yet again, it was a heartbreaking exodus weighed down even more by the martyrdom of Joseph Smith. Parley Street is where the covered wagons lined up waiting to ferry across the Mississippi to destinations completely unknown. There are plaques all along the way with quotes detailing the faith and hardship of these good people as they obeyed and left their beautiful city.
At the end of Parley Street there is a memorial to the pioneers who perished in the trip West. And then there is the river. At certain points along Parley Street, you can look back and catch a glimpse of the top of the temple. I cannot imagine what it would have been like.
Another favorite stop was at the 'Pioneer Passtimes' tent. Dress up clothes, stilts, pioneer games, a little school house and shade kept us there for a while.
There are a few sites that are owned by the Community of Christ (previously, the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints). They run tours of the original Smith house site where Lucy Mack lived, the graveyard where the Smiths are buried, the Joseph Smith Red Brick Store, and the Mansion House where Joseph and Emma were living when he was taken to Carthage. This is a picture of the upper floor of the Joseph Smith Red Brick Store. It is where the Relief Society was organized.
I'm so glad we are going back later this summer. In July my parents are coming out and we'll see it all again.
At the end of Parley Street there is a memorial to the pioneers who perished in the trip West. And then there is the river. At certain points along Parley Street, you can look back and catch a glimpse of the top of the temple. I cannot imagine what it would have been like.
Another favorite stop was at the 'Pioneer Passtimes' tent. Dress up clothes, stilts, pioneer games, a little school house and shade kept us there for a while. 
There are a few sites that are owned by the Community of Christ (previously, the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints). They run tours of the original Smith house site where Lucy Mack lived, the graveyard where the Smiths are buried, the Joseph Smith Red Brick Store, and the Mansion House where Joseph and Emma were living when he was taken to Carthage. This is a picture of the upper floor of the Joseph Smith Red Brick Store. It is where the Relief Society was organized.
I'm so glad we are going back later this summer. In July my parents are coming out and we'll see it all again. 
