Girls' day out in Nauvoo

We had planned a 3-day stay in Nauvoo so there was plenty of time to see all the performances, do all the carriage rides, explore all the historic homes, etc. There was an unfortunate event wherein our 3-night lodging was unavailable (that's a whole story in itself), so there was an emergency change of plans and we stayed those 3 nights with Nathan's family in another part of the state.

I was determined to get to Nauvoo so Sarah and Rachael could see the pageant. The only solution was to leave really early in the morning and drive 4 hours to get there, spend one full day having fun, then drive 4 hours back home after the pageant ended.  That's what we did, and it was completely worth it. We even wanted to go back the next morning and do it again.

Here are some of the highlights from the trip:

At the blacksmith shop the guide demonstrated how to make a miniature horseshoe. One person in the tour group gets the shoe. I've been to Nauvoo 3 times in the past, and haven't happened to be the lucky recipient.  Sarah was given the horseshoe this year, and she was immensley proud of it. She carried it in her hand the rest of the day. She and Rachael also liked the Prairie Diamond rings that were given out for free at the same shop.

My favorite spot was the Calvin Pendleton one-room school. Nathan is a descendant of Mr. Pendleton, so Sarah was privileged to sign the register of the cabin. The cabin has this book to track all the direct descendants who visit this site. She was the youngest one to sign the book.

She also loved having a spelling lesson from the 1840's presented to her by the cabin tour guide.

It was delightful to visit the grounds of the beautiful Nauvoo temple. I went through this temple last time we visited this city. I was disappointed that we didn't have enough time for me to enter it again. It's so stunning on the inside!

We visited Carthage Jail, the site of Joseph Smith's martyrdom. It was quite literally overflowing with bus-loads of touring teenagers, so it was hard to feel any peace for quiet contemplation. We decided it's much better to visit Carthage in the off-season when we can have the place to ourselves. The last time I was here was in the quiet of late August, so we had a personal tour and could spend as much time as we wanted in each room. It was still a neat experience.

Sarah and Rachael also really liked the Nauvoo Brickyard, where visitors are given free miniature bricks stamped with pictures after learning about the brick industry of 1840.

Rachael loved seeing Joseph Smith's home and learning about spinning wool. It was interesting to see the different types of wools and learn the history of cloth-making. 

There is a country fair every night in Nauvoo during July. It was SO fun! There was a plethora of activities for free: puppet shows, making toys, making handkerchief dolls, braiding rugs, races, tug-of-wars, handcart rides, live music, dancing lessons, and log-sawing. I was very surprised to discover Sarah's favorite spot was log-sawing. She loved pulling on the two-man saw and would hop right back in line after each turn. I loved the dancing- the bagpipe band taught the audience several Scottish highland dances.

After the fair the pageant began. It was wonderful! There was great music, great dancing, and great special effects. Sarah eagerly asked if we can volunteer to be in the cast next summer. Volunteer families live in Nauvoo for 2 weeks and host pioneer games during the day while performing at night in the pageant. I would love it.