We visited 218 US History and LDS Church History sites in 47 days. (That included visiting 54 different cities). Each day is blogged with information about places we visited, maps, photos and highlights of the day.
If you would like more information if you are planning a trip, you can email me at priceless6191@gmail.com. I kept very detailed records including: budgets, trip plans, and calenders for the trip showing our day by day progress. I also have tons of brochures and maps for specific places, although I did try to scan the most important details I have onto each blog page. Below is listed each city we visited, and what we did there. Click on a city and start exploring.
I made this blog because I realized I would have appreciated a site with more specific information. I hope this is beneficial to anyone who wants to take a history trip. It was our families dream trip, and we still refer to it often.
Here is a PDF with a summary of our trip. (If you would like an editable version, I have the spreadsheet version also.)
Trip Itinerary
** Just a side note as you look around the site…no my kids names are not Bazooka, Starburst, Jawbreaker etc…our kids just picked nicknames so they could have some privacy. Have fun looking!!!!
Alcova, WY
Devils Gate, Church, Trek, Independence Rock
Custer, WY
Custer County Museum, City 4th of July
Keystone, SD
Mount Rushmore 4th July Celebrations
Rapid City, SD
Dinosaur Park, Storybook Park
Wall, SD
Wall Drug
Omaha, NE
Winter Quarters Visitors Center, Winters Quarters Temple (E,B), Mormon Pioneer Cemetery, Glenn Cunningham Lake, Pioneer Courage Park
Council Bluffs, Iowa
Kanesville Tabernacle
Nauvoo, IL
Play “High Hopes and Riverboats”, Movie “Remembering Nauvoo”, Play “Sunset by the Mississippi”, Women’s Garden, Riser Boot Shop, Blacksmith Shop, Seventies Hall, Lucy M Smith Home, Brickyard, Heber Kimball and Wilford Woodruff’s homes, Movie “Joseph Smith-Prophet of the Restoration”, Joseph Smith’s Homestead, Mansion House, Nauvoo House, Red Brick Store, Smith Family Cemetery, Trail of Hope, Youth of Zion, Play “Old Anna Amanda” 2xs, Nauvoo Pageant 2xs, Carriage Ride, Pioneer Park Pastimes, Nauvoo Temple (B,E), Frontier Fair 2xs, Play “Rendezvous in Old Nauvoo”, Old Nauvoo Burial Grounds, Lands and Records Office, King Follet Discourse, Emma and Josephs Letters Vignette
Carthage, IL
Carthage Jail
Macomb, IL
Dinner with Steve -Guadalupes Restaurant
Petersburg, IL
Lincolns New Salem (camped there)
Springfield, IL
Springfield Vis Ctr, Lincolns Home Vis Ctr, Lincolns Home, Lincolns-Herndon Law Office, Old Capital, Lincoln Library, Lincoln Presidential Museum
Chicago, IL
Chicago Navy Pier, Magnificent Mile, Millennium Park, Cloud Gate, Chicago Temple (B,E)
Gary, IN
Just for Gas and Photos
Kirtland OH
Kirtland Ward, Ashery, Isaac Morley Farm, Newel K. Whitney Store, Whitney Home, Sawmill, Schoolhouse, Kirtland Temple RLDS
Parma, OH
Brian and Camilla’s Home
Hiram, OH
John Johnson’s Home
Middlefield, OH
Amish Country, Cheese Factory, Hiram College (where President Garfield attended and taught)
Kenmore, NY
Mags home, Keeners, Lindbergh Elementary, Pam’s Home
Niagra Falls
Niagara Falls, Cave of Winds
Buffalo, NY(2 sites or events)
Downtown Buffalo, Duffs Chicken Wings
Mendon, NY
Home built by Brigham, Early Meeting Home, Phineas Young’s Home, John Young’s Home, Tom Tomlinson Inn, Heber Kimballs home site, Camped at John Young’s Home, Site of Brigham Young’s Mill and Home, Baptismal Site, Tomlinsons Cemetery
Palmyra, NY
Palmyra Visitors Center, Palmyra Temple (B,E), Palmyra Pageant, Sacred Grove, Smith’s Log Cabin and Frame House Alvin built, Hill Cumorah, Martin Harris’s Home, Book of Mormon Publication Site (Grandin Building)
Waterloo, NY
Peter Whitmer home
Oakland, PA
Aaronic Priesthood Monument, Joseph and Emma’s Home Site, Grave of Emmas parents and son Alvin Smith, Susquehanna River
Jersey City, NJ
Liberty Harbor
New York, NY
PATH Rail System, Site World Trade Center, 911 Memorial and Museum, Battery Park, Statue of Liberty, Wall Street, New York Stock Exchange, China Town, Little Italy, Noho, Washington Square Park, New York University, Empire State Building, Garment District, Bryant Park, Time’s Square, Theatre District, NBC Studios, Carnegie Hall, Central Park, New York City LDS Temple, Madison Square Gardens
Philadelphia, PA
Independence Visitor Center, Independence Hall, Congress Hall, City Tavern (restaurant), Carpenters Hall, New Hall Military Museum, Benjamin Franklin’s Grave, President’s House Site, Liberty Bell Center”
Hershey, PA
Hershey Amusement Park
Gettysburg, PA
Gettysburg National Park
WashingtonDC
Washington DC Temple (B,E), IKEA, Ford’s Theatre, Petersen House and Center for Education and Leadership, Spy Museum, National Archives, Washington Memorial, World War II Memorial, Vietnam Memorial, Lincoln Memorial, Korean War Memorial, Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial, Thomas Jefferson Memorial, Holocaust Museum, Lincoln Walking Tour, Arlington Cemetery, United States Capital Building, a Session of Congress, a Session of the House of Representatives, Smithsonian Natural History Museum, Smithsonian American History Museum, Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, White House, Holocaust Museum, Nationals Game
Alexandria, Virginia
Mount Vernon
Centreville, VA
Bull Run Regional Park (Camping), visit with Tamara and family, Atlantis Water Park
Manassas, VA
Battle of 1st and 2nd Bull Run (Manassas)
Harpers Ferry, WV
Harpers Ferry
Sharpsburg, MD
Antietem Battle Field
Alexandria, Virginia
Alexandria, VA Pier and Chick-fil-A
Chantilly, VA
Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum Annex
Middletown, VA
Cedar Creek Battlefield (2nd Manassas Battle Reenactment)
Charlottesville, VA
Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello, University of Virginia
Buena Vista, VA
Southern Virginia University
St Louis, MO
St Louis Temple (B,E), St Louis Arch and Musuem, Old Court House (Dred Scott Case), Outside Busch Stadium, Feet in the Mississippi, Ulysses S. Grant National Historic Park and Grant Farm, Home Town Buffet, St Louis Cardinals Game, St Louis RV Park
Cottleville, MO
Joel and Christy’s Home
Independence, MO
LDS Visitor’s Center, Harry Truman Presidential Library, Missouri Mormon Walking Tour (things we saw on the tour: Clinton’s Soda Fountain, Jackson County Courthouse, 1827 Log Courthouse, Bingham-Waggoner Estate, Church of Christ Temple Lot, Community of Christ Temple, Gilbert and Whitney Store, Printing Office Site (Evening and Morning Star), Governor Boggs Home Site, and Partridge Home Site and School) , Campus RV Park (next door to the LDS Visitors Center), Vaile Mansion
Kansas City, MO
Kansas City Temple (B)
Liberty, MO
Liberty Jail, Eight Witnesses Monument
Richmond, MO
David Whitmer’s Grave, David Whitmer’s Livery site (marked by with a plaque), Old Richmond Jail Location, Statue of General Alexander W. Doniphan, Pioneer Cemetery (Monument for the Three Witnesses, Grave for Oliver Cowdery, Peter Jr. and Jacob Whitmer’s Graves)
Farwest, MO
Far West Temple Site
Jamesport, MO
Amish Country, Amish Baseball Game, and Shopping
Jameson, MO
Adam-ondi-Ahman , Jameson Town Fair and Parade
Doniphan, NE
Mormon Island
McKinnon, WY
Little America
Boston, MA
11 years later we went back to add Boston to our list or US/church history travels. Here is a link to the beginning of that trip. Yale, Scarburough and Prospect Ave in Hartford, CT, Mark Twain’s Home, Boston Temple, Boston Aquarium, Faneuil Hall, Boston Massacre Site, Old State House, Boston Latin School Site, Park Street Church, Granary Burying Ground, New State House, Boston Commons, Harbor Cruise, USS Constitution, Bunker Hill Monument, Old North Church, Paul Revere’s Home, Old South Meeting House, Union Oyster House, Omni Parker House, Cheers, Prudential Tower Observation Deck, Trinity Church of Boston, Old South Church
Other Valuable Links:
Mormon Pioneer Trail Auto Tour Route Guide
mormontrails.org
godncountry 