Nauvoo In a Day

We only had a very short time in Nauvoo, but we made the most of it! We wish we could have stayed there another three days or so because we didn't get to see it all, but we loved the time we had there.  On Thursday we drove six hours from Indianapolis to Carthage, and then on to Nauvoo.  By the time we got to Nauvoo, we couldn't do any sightseeing, it was time for dinner and bed. 

We loved all the tulips and the beautiful Midwest spring!

We're still in our summer clothes because it was warm in Indiana when we left.  But really, we're all freezing in this picture! It was cold!

All of  us at Carthage Jail.  The girls were very affected by Carthage, and they thought it was scary.  Sorry it's so blurry, some stranger took it and didn't bother to check how it turned out.

After Carthage, we went to the Walmart in Keokuk to pick up an umbrella, since it was supposed to be cold and rainy during our Nauvoo stay.  Boy are we glad we did! It was very rainy and chilly all the next day.  Since Nauvoo is a lot of outside walking, we made good use of our umbrellas.  Friday morning we started out at the Visitor's Center.  The girls loved all the statues, especially the Christus. 

 At the Visitor's Center, we watched the Joseph Smith movie, and all the girls were very emotional during the persecution scenes.  There was a lot of sobbing going on in our row.  And not all of it was from the girls.  What a powerful movie!  We all loved it.  It was so neat to be able to experience all these things with my kids, since they are old enough to understand what is going on.  Very rewarding.

Walking in the rain! We went to the blacksmith shop, the tin shop, and the brickyard. 

It wasn't a downpour, but it didn't stop, either.  A steady rain, all day long.

At the schoolhouse.

All the missionaries were so sweet and nice.

School is in session! The girls thought the school was the best.

Look at Evie! She makes me smile.

Walking the streets of Old Nauvoo.

In the printing office.

 Then we went to the Family Living Center.  We made a rope as a family--too fun!

Twisting the rope

Our finished rope!  We also learned how the pioneers baked bread, and we got to try a piece--yum!

And we learned how they made candles

 That evening, we got to see the Nauvoo Rendezvous show, put on by all the senior missionaries.  Oh my goodness, it was the cutest thing I have ever seen in my life! A bunch of cute old people singing and acting, with varying degrees of success at pitch and rhythm.  They had lots of energy and it was absolutely adorable.  It makes me smile just thinking about it!

The next morning, we just wanted to take a wagon ride before we left, so we stayed long enough for the first ride of the morning.  Before our ride, we walked around a bit outside because it wasn't raining! Yay!

We saw the ox-drawn wagon

We saw the horse-drawn carriage

And we rode on a horse-drawn wagon

They provided blankets and hats for us.  It was about an hour long ride, so we were glad to have them!

Hallie and Evie decided to take a rest about halfway through the wagon ride. 

I'm so glad we took the wagon ride tour of Nauvoo, it was a great overview and a good way to get a lot of information quickly and also to see most of the town.  I do wish we had had more time to tour the homes of Nauvoo.  Well, there will be something new for us to do next time, I guess.  After our wagon ride, the girls and I walked through the tribute to women garden next to the Visitors' Center.  It was so beautiful!

Look at all those daffodils and tulips!

Hallie was the one who discovered this nest and egg.  Very cool!

Then, with dragging feet and reluctant hearts, we had to say farewell. 

Temple through the trees

And a final view of the temple before we leave Nauvoo.  This temple is special to us because it is where we took our endowments out, so it was the first temple we had ever been through.  It is so beautiful!

Goodbye, beautiful Nauvoo! We loved the visit and we hope to return soon and stay a little longer.  There is such a special spirit about this place.  It really brings to life some of the happy times in the lives of the early Saints.  I am so grateful for all their sacrifices.  What a great experience!