Nauvoo

 

The kids have spring break this week so we decided to go to Nauvoo, Illinois for a few days.  Nauvoo is only about three hours from where we live.  Scott took a couple days off work.  Nauvoo was the headquarters of the LDS church from 1839 to 1846 just before they went west to Utah, and now there is a temple there and a lot of historic buildings.  We had a rough ride up there - lots of traffic, one bout of vomiting, and the GPS sending us off on some unpaved roads - but we made it.  We drove by the temple in the evening when we got there.

 Then we went to dinner - we got to see an impromptu St. Patrick's Day parade at dinner.

 We went to our hotel (in Iowa - my 41st state visited!!) and went swimming!

The kids were so excited to swim.

 The next day we checked out the visitor center in Nauvoo.  

The kids loved the big 3D map of Nauvoo.  I like maps!  

We also watched a movie about Nauvoo in the visitor center.

We went on a carriage ride...a very cold carriage ride.  It was probably about 40 degrees with a brisk wind off the river.  It made the trials of the early church members seem that much more real to me.  We bundled up in lots of blankets for our carriage ride around a lot of the historical buildings.

 Grant and I trying to keep warm

 The river.  Some shallow parts of the river were still frozen!!

 And a view of the temple while on the carriage

 Saying hi to the horses after our ride

 We learned about making rope and the kids got to make one of their own.

 More rope making

 We learned about pottery

 Weaving rugs.  The kids thought this machine was fascinating!  We also learned about making bread (and got to try some fresh made bread) and visited the bakery and got gingerbread cookies.

 Matthew learning about how to be "running water"

 And Anna

This was in the post office

 At the school house

The kids liked writing on their slates

 And Anna got to ring the school bell

And brickyard.  We learned about making bricks and got our own souvenir Nauvoo brick.  Grant and John were very unruly during the brick presentation.  And Grant was disappointed he didn't get a brick of his own.  I'm afraid of what he would do with it though.

 By the brick oven

We also visited the wainwright (making wagon wheels) and the blacksmith.  We had to cut our blacksmith visit a little short 'cause we had another wagon ride to go on (a different one).  But the kids each got a "prairie diamond" ring, which I think is a horseshoe tack or nail made into a ring.  They all loved their "treasures."

On another carriage ride.  The first one took us around the historical buildings and this second one took us more out in the country to the north.  It was slightly warmer this time but still cold.

 Grant and John both fell asleep on the ride

 Visiting with our horses afterward

 The Nauvoo Temple

They built a temple here in the 1800s but it was destroyed and has only recently been rebuilt by the LDS church.  They tried to make it close to the original.

 It was windy

We also made the short drive to Carthage, Illinois to see the Carthage Jail - a place made famous in mormon history because Joseph Smith, and his brother Hyrum, were shot and killed there.  A statue of the two brothers.

 Inside the jail

 The room they were in when they were shot

The bullet holes are still in the door

 And the window Joseph Smith fell out after being shot

It's a very well known story in LDS history so it was very special to see it in person.  

There was definitely a somber spirit to the room.

 The window (upper) from the outside.

 And after all our siteseeing we had burgers and ice cream.

 And all was well

We also went swimming again later.

John was kind of frustrated during some of our adventures today.  He SO wanted to get down and walk around with the other kids.  Maybe that will fuel him to get walking here soon.  Go John!

So Nauvoo was very cool.  I would recommend it to non LDS friends too 'cause the historical village and rides and things are all really fun for kids.  And its all free.  I liked being there in the off season too 'cause it wasn't crowded, even though there is more open during the summer...we just had to brave the chilly wagon rides.  But I might actually prefer that to the hot, humid Illinois summer.  I speak from experience here.  :)