Departure City - Rochester, NY Airport - Palmyra

We depart our home cities this morning for beautiful and historic Palmyra, NY, where we will become better acquainted over dinner as we anticipate our visits to many of the sacred sites of our early Church History.

Palmyra - Fayette

Our day begins with an early morning walk through the Sacred Grove where we can remember and reflect upon the miraculous events which took place there. Next, we visit the restored Joseph Smith Sr. home and farm, including the recreated log home where the angel Moroni first appeared to young Joseph. Our next stop will be at the E. B. Grandin Building, on Palmyra’s Main Street, where the Book of Mormon was first printed and sold. We will then walk 2 short blocks to the nearby grave site of Alvin Smith, Joseph’s eldest brother, and also view an original section of the Erie Canal. After lunch we will climb the majestic Hill Cumorah and tour the Hill Cumorah Visitor’s Center. We end our first day of sacred site visits at the Peter Whitmer Farm in Fayette, NY, where the Book of Mormon translation was completed and where The Church of Jesus Christ was organized on April 6, 1830.

Susquehanna, PA - Palmyra

Today we will visit the Priesthood Restoration site in Susquehanna County, PA. to see the new LDS Visitor’s Center and meetinghouse, and the masterfully reconstructed homes of Joseph and Emma Smith and Isaac and Elizabeth Hale. We will walk through the quiet woods where John the Baptist restored the Aaronic Priesthood and visit the baptismal site on the banks of the Susquehanna River where Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery were baptized.

Niagara Falls - Kirtland

This morning, we are off to Niagara Falls, America’s oldest state park. We will board the Maid of the Mist boat which passes directly in front of the American side falls, before entering the Horseshoe Basin (at the base of the Canadian side of the falls). This is always a very memorable experience! Continuing on to Kirkland we will visit the newly restored Joseph and Emma Smith home, the historic Kirtland Cemetery, and the Isaac Morley farm.

Kirtland

Following Sacrament meeting we will make a stop at the Temple Quarry and have a picnic lunch. We will spend the afternoon visiting the Kirtland Temple and the beautifully-restored Kirtland village – which includes the LDS Visitor’s Center, the Newel K. Whitney Home and Store, the John Johnson Inn, and the sawmill and ashery – which played significant roles in the building of the temple. Our last stop for the day will be in Hiram, Ohio, at the John Johnson Farm. It was here that Joseph Smith completed the new translation of the Bible, received the vision of the three degrees of glory and was tarred and feathered by a local, minister-led mob.

Cleveland Airport - Kansas City - Independence

This morning we depart for the Cleveland Airport to fly to Kansas City, Missouri. Upon our arrival we will drive to Independence to see the Jackson County temple lot, and other important sites related to the challenges faced by the early saints in Missouri. We will then drive north to Liberty and visit the Liberty Jail where the Prophet Joseph and his faithful companions were unjustly and illegally incarcerated for several months while the saints suffered severe persecution from the mobs in Missouri.

Far West - Haun’s Mill - Adam-Ondi-Ahman - Nauvoo

We begin our day by traveling to Far West, MO. to see the dedicated temple site and review the many historical events that occurred here before the saints were threatened with extermination and forced to leave the state of Missouri. Our next stops will be at the deeply-sobering site of Haun’s Mill, and then at Adam-Ondi-Ahman – a place made holy because of what happened, AND by what WILL happen at this sacred location. We then continue our drive to Nauvoo, Illinois.

Nauvoo

This morning we will visit the recently acquired Joseph Smith homestead, the Nauvoo House, the Mansion House, and the Red Brick Store. We will also visit the grave sites of Joseph, Emma, and Hyrum Smith. After lunch there will be free time to browse through many of the restored homes and buildings in “Old Nauvoo”, including the homes of Brigham Young, John Taylor, Heber C. Kimball, Lucy Mack Smith, and the Jonathan Browning Gun Shop to name just a few.

Nauvoo - Carthage

Our day begins with an optional temple session at the Nauvoo Temple. (Subject to temple schedule). After lunch we will visit the Pioneer Cemetery and other Nauvoo sites of historical significance. Once again there will be free time to continue exploring the homes and shops of “Old Historic Nauvoo. After an early dinner we walk the “Trail of Hope” and read excerpts from the diaries/journals of the saints as they reflected on their experiences of being driven out of Nauvoo.

Carthage - St. Louis Airport - Home

Today we travel to Carthage, Illinois to view a production of the “Life of the Prophet Joseph Smith” at the Visitor’s Center. We will then tour the jail itself where the Prophet Joseph Smith and his brother Hyrum were once again illegally imprisoned and eventually martyred. We then travel to St. Louis, MO. for our late afternoon flight home.