Where is Nauvoo

Nauvoo, Illinois is located mid state, on the western edge of Illinois. It sits right next to the Mississippi River with the scenic Great River Road running through it. This little river town is 3 hours north of St. Louis Missouri, 2.5 hrs northwest of Springfield, Illinois, and 1 hour north of Quincy, Illinois. Despite a population of less than 1000, this little town is usually bustling tourists and many family friendly activities!

Our Favorite spots and Activities in Nauvoo

We spent 2 days exploring Nauvoo. Here are all the fun and family friendly activities I would definitely recommend checking out!

• Rent a Golf cart from Nauvoo Adventures (rent in person at the Inn at Old Nauvoo). This is such a good way to get a feel for the town and the layout without walking or driving everywhere. There are 4 or 6 seater carts available for 2hrs, 4hrs or all day rentals. A map is provided of the town and where the golf carts are allowed to go, which is almost everywhere except the highway.
  

• Nauvoo River Walk. Begin on the west end of town where Water Street and Parsley St meet. If you take the path south along the Mississippi you will come across many cute fairy gardens in the trees, my kids loved finding these. There are also beautiful views of the Mississippi and informative plaques along the route. We saw 2 bald eagles and many beautiful herons on our strolls. (You can also find fairy doors on the businesses downtown.)

• Family Living Center– The family living center is part of the historic pioneer village. Here there are many free and fun interactive activities for the whole family to enjoy. We learned about brick making, and got to take home a souvenir brick. My kids also got to learn about candle-making and rope making With hands on learning. We even brought home one of the ropes they made!

• Nauvoo Visitor Center and Women’s Garden – The visitor center is a great place to begin your trip! It has historical information and displays and the most beautiful landscaping and garden for all you floral lovers!

• Baxter’s Vinyard, the oldest winery in Illinois. The vineyard and the Wine barrel located right next door offer wine tastings a limited food menu and a small gift shop.
  

• Nauvoo State Park – Like town, it’s small but full of beauty and not to be missed!

Nauvoo State Park

Our 42nd Illinois State Park Visited on Our State Park Challenge! During our visit, it was 90° both days. So a small park with only one hiking trail and an indoor museum with a guided tour was exactly what we wanted!

Things to Visit at Nauvoo State Park

• Lake Trail– this is a 1.5 mile trail that circles around the parks Lake Horton. It’s an easy trail that gets narrow at some spots. Overall, it is very easy to complete.
• Boat Ramp/Fishing Dock – there is a small primitive boat launch with a fishing dock next to it. We loved viewing the sunset over Lake Horton from the fishing dock, and my kids found a lot of fossils/fossilize rocks near the waters edge of the boat ramp.

• Camping– the state park has 105 camping spaces equally divided between class an and class B areas. The camping area is in the pine forest which is very open with a pine needle floor. There is not a lot of grass, poison ivy, or brush around the camping area, which I really prefer when camping.
• Playgrounds– there are two playgrounds at Nauvoo State Park both have picnic areas next to them.
• The Museum– the Nauvoo State Park Museum is a house built by the Mormons in the 1840s which was then remodeled by the Icarians and later owned by the Rheinberger Family. The Museum holds memorabilia and historical relics from each of those eras, as well as Artifacts from Native American occupation. There is a tour guide at the museum from 1pm to 4 PM to give tours throughout the house, including the wine cellar and press room in the underground area! We really enjoyed learning about the history and the architecture of the house. Behind the house is the location of the first vineyard in Nauvoo, which has been producing grapes since the mid-1800s.
  

Historical Significance Of Nauvoo

Nauvoo, Illinois was originally home to the Sauk and Meskwaki Native American Tribes. They called the area “Quashquema”. In the 1830s Joseph Smith, prophet and President of the church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, fled to the area, and made it there home, renaming it Nauvoo. Many Mormons came to Nauvoo during this time and at its population height, Nauvoo was almost as large as Quincy or Springfield. Due to unrest between The Mormons and other locals, the LDS leaders decided, the church as a whole would leave the town in the winter of 1845 to 46.

Nauvoo Temple

The Nauvoo Temple, built by the church of Jesus Christ of latter-day Saints was originally built in 1841. The original temple was damaged by arson and a tornado in 1848 after the departure of the Mormons, but a replica was built in 2002 and is visited by many LDS groups today.

The Best Way To Explore Nauvoo

Our favorite way to explore Nauvoo was on the golf carts, but you can also rent bikes or take a free horse and carriage ride from the visitor center or next to the family living center.

The Best Time to Visit Nauvoo

If you are visiting Nauvoo for its outdoor recreation the best time to visit is late spring or early fall. The town can be very busy during the month of July for religious events, it is also very hot and humid in July and August. Our visit in early June was unseasonably warm, but not miserable. Despite the heat, We were still able to enjoy all the outside activities we wanted.

Best Places To Stay in Nauvoo

Because of the many visitors that come to Nauvoo, there are also many options for lodging. The Inn at Old Nauvoo is the only place with a pool, so that was a big draw for us. We stayed two nights there and the staff was super friendly. we stayed our last night at the 10 acre treehouse just outside of Nauvoo. This is a great option if you want to connect more with nature with without camping. The state park offers RV and tent camping. Here is a full list of places to stay in Nauvoo.

Best Places to Eat in Nauvoo

• Annie’s Custard – it was hot outside, but Annie’s custard cooled us right down. The custard was delicious and there was plenty of seating inside.
• Sunset Hill – here we got shaved ice, and I got a lotus drink to energize us for more exploring. They had indoor outdoor seating and so many flavor options.

• The Red Front- is open for breakfast lunch and dinner. We had lunch there, there was plenty of seating you order at the calendar and they bring it out to you. This was my first time having a burgerdilla and it was delicious.
• Lock 19- we had dinner here and it is full of interesting Mississippi River history and good lunch & dinner food.
  

Why Visit Nauvoo?

While most visit Nauvoo, Illinois for its religious history, there is so much more to include in your visit. It is an extremely family friendly place to enjoy the outdoors, with lots of free activities. From the state park, to the Riverwalk, to the fairy door trail downtown, Nauvoo is a great place to learn a little history and admire the mighty Mississippi. Special thanks to Beautiful Nauvoo Tourism for helping us plan our trip and sponsoring this blog post! You can learn more about Nauvoo from their Instagram and see more pictures from OurTrip.
When will you be visiting?
Nauvoo is a great family, friendly town to learn about history and admire the mighty Mississippi. Read along for the best spots here