Introduction
The Pioneer Life tour begins at the Cultural Hall. The three-story building opened in 1844 as a meeting place for the city’s Freemasons. School classes, concerts, plays, dances, and other social gatherings took place on the main floor, while the basement housed state-issued firearms for the Nauvoo Legion.
What to Expect
The Cultural Hall is a two-room guided tour of the first and third floors. The third floor is unfurnished. After the tour of the Cultural Hall, you will walk or drive over to the Lyon Drug Store to continue the Pioneer Life tour.
During the summer and fall, live performances by Nauvoo Performing Missionaries are held inside on the first floor.
Accessibility
Parking
- There is parking available on the east side of the Cultural Hall on Main Street.
- There is no designated accessible parking. However, the size of this parking lot will be able to accommodate visitors’ vehicles with accessibility needs if the lot is not full.
- There is parking available north of the Cultural Hall. There are parking spots along White Street, as well as a large lot on the corner of White Street and Main Street.
- There is no designated accessible parking. However, the size of this parking lot will be able to accommodate visitors’ vehicles with accessibility needs if the lot is not full.
Mobility Accessibility
Exterior
- Five steps into the building
- Handrails on both sides
Interior
- Three steps onto the stage
- No handrails
- Staircase to the second and third floors
- Handrail on left side when ascending
- Handrail on right side when descending
Terrain and Flooring
Exterior
- Street: Asphalt (fair condition); level
- Sidewalk: Aggregate concrete and bricks, stamped concrete, and a stone curb with no curb cuts (good condition); level
Interior
- Flooring: Carpet on the first floor and wood on the second floor
Seating
- Seven rows of pews on the first floor
- Two pews on the third floor