For Families

Jumping Family Silhouette in Nauvoo

Bringing your family to Historic Nauvoo? There are many things that visitors of all ages will enjoy! We have gathered suggestions to help make your trip memorable, enjoyable, inspiring, and fun!

Family-Friendly Buildings and Activities

While everyone is welcome everywhere in Historic Nauvoo, younger audiences might be especially interested in the following places and activities:

Visitors’ Center

Visitor Center Diorama

The new exhibit “Nauvoo: Cornerstone of Zion” includes interactive elements for younger audiences. See below for descriptions of each activity or feature.

Activity Booklets

When you’re in Nauvoo, there are two activity booklets—one for children and one for youth—available at the visitors’ center welcome desk. By completing the booklet, you will receive a Nauvoo brick!
Nauvoo Brick

Design-a-Temple Activity

This activity allows children to design their own temple by mixing and matching plastic templates.
Close up of temple design activity

Character “I-Spy” Activity

This activity invites children to use cutouts to find and learn about individuals depicted in Walter Rane’s two paintings hanging in the exhibit.
Close up of painting matching activity

Temples Dot the Earth

A wall-mounted touchscreen allows families to view temples from all around the world through interactive games and activities.
Historic Nauvoo

Bithiah’s Bits

Look out for “Bithiah’s Bits” panels throughout the exhibit that tell the story of Nauvoo through the eyes of Bithiah Fordham, a young girl who grew up in Nauvoo.
Historic Nauvoo

Scale Cutaway Model of the Nauvoo Illinois Temple

A scale cutaway model of the temple often interests children and provides an opportunity to teach about what happens inside.
Historic Nauvoo: Scale

Activities and Rides

Family Living Center

The Family Living Center is an additional Pioneer Life experience. This large demonstration building showcases eight different arts and crafts from the early days of Nauvoo. From making bread to dipping candles, throwing pottery to winding rope, shaping barrels to weaving cloth, there is plenty to see and do for both children and adults.
Family Living Center

Temple Stones Pavilion

The Temple Stones Pavilion is an additional Temple City experience. This interactive space on the property of master stonecutter William Jones presents the journey of a block of stone from the quarry to its final place in the walls of the temple.
Temple Stones Pavilion

Pastimes Pavilion

Pastimes Pavilion is an additional Pioneer Life experience. Children of all ages can enjoy outdoor toys and games from the 1840s. Try walking on stilts or racing climbing bears. Organize a game of duck on a rock, tag, tug-of-war, or checkers. Two child-sized cabins offer options for pretend play.
Pastimes Pavilion

Wagon Ride

The wagon ride is an additional Pioneer Life experience. Meet a team of our horses, and take a ride that provides an overview of the physical setting of Nauvoo.
View from inside of wagon during ride

Carriage Rides

Historic Nauvoo

Oxen Experience

The Oxen Experience is an additional Pioneer Life experience. Meet these hardworking draft animals and see them in action. During your visit, you will come to appreciate how oxen helped the Saints in both building—and leaving—Nauvoo.
Oxen pulling a wagon

Trade Demonstrations

In some of the Church’s historic buildings, missionaries teach about the work people did to build Nauvoo in the 1840s. The following buildings offer demonstrations:

Sample Itinerary

If you would like some additional assistance planning your trip to Historic Nauvoo with your family, we have created a suggested itinerary that you can explore here. This itinerary provides options for one-day, two-day, three-day, and week-long visits.

Resources for Children and Youth

Here are some stories and activities to help younger visitors learn more about Nauvoo.

Illustration of a family visiting the Nauvoo Illinois Temple.

Resources from The Friend

“The Nauvoo Temple”

Illustrated story for young children about the building of the Nauvoo Temple and the importance of temples. Includes a coloring page about families.

“Relief Society Sisters and the Nauvoo Temple”

Paper figures that can be cut out and used to talk about women’s roles in Nauvoo.

“The City of Joseph”

This comic-book style story tells how Joseph Smith helped the Latter-day Saints build up Nauvoo into a temple city.

“Joseph and Saints Build Nauvoo”

Coloring activity that accompanies the “The City of Joseph” story above.

FAQ for Visiting as a Family

Where are the baby-changing facilities?
Where are the family restrooms?
Where can I breastfeed?
Are strollers allowed in historic homes?
Do you have stroller parking?
Do you have any hands-on activities available at Historic Nauvoo?
Last Updated On 15 Mar 2023