See You In Nauvoo

08/19/2026

Autumn is a wonderful time to slow down and explore Nauvoo State Park. From September through November, your family, homeschool group, or nature-loving friends can enjoy quieter trails, changing leaves, peaceful views, and time for fishing and outdoor discovery.

Make it an easy learning experience: bring a nature journal, compare leaf colors, listen for birds, and let children sketch what they observe. After a day outside, See You in Nauvoo offers a relaxing 5-acre home base with the Mississippi Observation Deck, home theater, and arcade.

For groups of 20 or more, plan to book both the Main House and Guesthouse:
Main House: https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/1484368466796053254
Guesthouse: https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/1693800115923911014

Save this for your Nauvoo trip and start planning your autumn nature retreat.

NAUVOO STATE PARK AUTUMN NATURE RETREAT
Nauvoo, IL State Park Camping Boating Fishing Disc Golf



Nauvoo, IL : comfortable place to rest.

08/15/2026

What was the impact of the Nauvoo Temple and the covenants made therein on the people who fled Nauvoo under severe persecution in the dead of Winter? Elder Bednar explains here:

David A. Bednar | 72 Hours Before the Temple Closed, Something Mira...

08/14/2026

Step back into 1840s Nauvoo and the story of the written word. 📜

At the heart of early Nauvoo sat its own printing office: home to the “Times and Seasons” newspaper, where news, doctrine, letters, and community happenings were set in type by hand. For homeschool families, history buffs, and anyone curious about how a young city shared its story, the printing and post office is a wonderful stop on your Nauvoo walking tour.

When you visit Nauvoo, your family can follow the same streets where pioneers gathered news, mailed letters, and published words that helped shape a growing community. It’s a peaceful quiet-season day: no summer crowds, just history at your own pace.

Then come back to the comfort of See You in Nauvoo. Our 5-acre Mississippi River estate features the Observation Deck with sweeping river views, a home theater for movie nights, and an arcade for game time together. Groups of 20 or more can book BOTH the Main House and the Guesthouse to secure the whole estate for your reunion, homeschool co-op, or church retreat.

Start planning your family visit and book early for quiet-season dates from September through May.

Main House: https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/1484368466796053254
Guesthouse: https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/1693800115923911014

Nauvoo Family Reunion and Youth Retreat


Nauvoo, IL

See you in Nauvoo ( your comfortable place to rest.)

08/13/2026

On February 4, 1846, bitter, freezing winter winds swept across Nauvoo as the first wagons began rolling westward down Parley Street. Many were leaving homes they had built with their own hands: homes of comfort, industry, and faith. For some, this was the fourth time they had become refugees, after fleeing intense persecution in New York, Kirtland, Missouri, and now Nauvoo.

As the wagons departed into the frozen wilderness, a mob of roughians fired cannons from across town, a hostile sound underscoring the seriousness of their hatred. Thousands of early Latter-day Saints would ultimately die along the brutal Mormon Trail, sacrificing everything for their beliefs.

For homeschool groups, history enthusiasts, and faith travelers, the Trail of Hope along Parley Street is a sacred place to reflect on the price of faith. After your walk, return to a warm and comfortable place to rest. Please appreciate that pioneers on the Mormon Trail did not have a place to rest comfortably for months of cold winter travel on a 1,300 mile trek on foot.

Trail of Hope • Parley Street • Nauvoo Faith & History


Nauvoo, IL • comfortable place to rest.

08/12/2026

Step into a piece of Nauvoo history at Pioneer Pads and Conference Center.

The old 1880 building once housed a barber shop and the Columbia Store in the 1920s. A few doors down from where the Nauvoo Expositor was and a short walk to the Nauvoo Temple and Historic Sites, it’s perfect for up to eight guests.

This three-bedroom short-term rental features a fire pit, co****le, an 1840s desk and dresser, pioneer-themed rooms, and historic murals painted by renowned artist Michael Bedard.

Rent the game room and conference center by the hour while staying upstairs. Your group can enjoy a pool table, arcade games, ping pong, shuffleboard, and foosball: all in one place for family time, meetings, reunions, and group retreats.

Places to Stay, Things to Do: Pioneer Pads and Conference Center. 1335 Mulholland St, Nauvoo, IL 62354.



Nauvoo, IL : comfortable place to rest.

08/10/2026

Some stories of faith are also stories of skill, loyalty, and endurance.

Born in Virginia, Elijah Newman became a skilled wheelwright, blacksmith, and carpenter. In Nauvoo, he lived near the Mansion House as Joseph Smith’s boarder and personal bodyguard for two years. He serviced church carriages and temple machinery, helped draft pricing standards for the House Carpenters of Nauvoo, and was ordained a Seventy in the 9th Quorum.

On June 28, 1844, after Joseph and Hyrum Smith’s bodies were brought home from Carthage Jail, Elijah stood active watch over them at the Mansion House: protecting them in death as he had guarded them in life.

After the exodus, Elijah crossed the 1,300-mile Mormon Trail and arrived among the first group in the Salt Lake Valley with Brigham Young. His name is engraved on the “This is the Place” monument. Valley records list him as a Mechanic/Wheelwright, repairing pioneer wagons battered from trail. Letha Jane Killian arrived in October 1850 and married Elijah two months later. Their household included her blended family.

They then settled Southern Utah. In Parowan, the 1860 census lists Elijah as Master Wheelwright. Inside the Old Fort, he helped build log palisades and the liberty pole before establishing a home and blacksmith shop.

By 1870, they lived in Rockville, Utah’s “Dixie,” near Zion National Park. Elijah worked as a blacksmith and wheelwright, and together they built the adobe home shown in the fourth photograph with their own hands. The historic home still stands today.

Stories of Faith: Elijah & Letha Newman, Nauvoo, IL



See You in Nauvoo • a comfortable place to rest.
Nauvoo, IL

08/10/2026

Planning a September group retreat in Nauvoo? The peaceful early-autumn season is a wonderful time for your family reunion, church retreat, or quilting guild to gather.

Reserve the full 5-acre estate with the Main House and Guesthouse, giving your group room to connect, share meals, and enjoy time together. Step out to the Mississippi Observation Deck, settle in for a movie in the home theater, or let the arcade provide easy evening fun after exploring Nauvoo.

September dates can fill well ahead, so planning 6–12 months in advance gives your group the best chance to stay together. Make this your Nauvoo vacation rental home base.

Nauvoo Family Reunion and Group Retreat
Nauvoo, IL

Message us for available dates or view the Main House:
https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/1484368466796053254



Your group can return to a comfortable place to rest.

08/09/2026

One man warned them not to go, what happens next is why we remember him.

Levi Savage warned them that Winter could catch them on the trail, but the handcart company chose to continue West. While Savage could have stayed behind, he went with them instead, saying:

"I will suffer with you, and, if necessary, I will die with you."

Snow finally came, and Savage was still there, helping the suffering saints.
He had been right about the danger.

But being right was no longer the point.

You can disagree without withdrawing your love.
You can speak honestly when something matters.

And when the decision is made, you can still choose to walk beside the people you warned. Levi Savage did both.

This is a great article about supporting our leaders and sustaining them.

Levi Savage foresaw the danger facing the Willie Handcart Company. When his warning was rejected, he made a remarkable choice that defined his legacy.

08/09/2026

The light snow fell silently over Far West, Missouri, blanketing a landscape scarred by conflict. Inside the enemy camp, Captain Samuel Bogart’s men slept soundly, confident that their prisoner, a fierce defender of the Saints named Seymour Brunson, was securely trapped.

Slipping off his boots, Seymour tied them on completely backward and stepped into the snow, his heels facing forward. Search parties missed his escape because the footprints appeared to lead into the camp, never out.

Seymour later risked his life to smuggle messages to Joseph Smith in Liberty Jail and ferry destitute families across the frozen Mississippi River into Illinois.

By 1840, he had helped build Nauvoo and served as a trusted high councilor and lieutenant colonel in the Nauvoo Legion. After his passing, a mile-long military procession followed his coffin to the Old Nauvoo Cemetery on August 15, 1840.

At his funeral, Joseph Smith preached the first public discourse on baptism for the dead, teaching from 1 Corinthians 15:29. Seymour was later honored in Doctrine and Covenants 124:132, where it was declared that no man could take his priesthood from him.

Today, a beautiful black granite monument in the Old Nauvoo Cemetery honors this defender of the faith.

Stories of Faith: Seymour Brunson, Nauvoo, IL.



Nauvoo, IL
comfortable place to rest.

08/09/2026

For thousands of years, the Mississippi River has been the great lifeline and heart of Nauvoo. 🌊🌅

From the native peoples and early explorers to the pioneers who crossed its waters in faith, the river has always shaped the story of this land. Today, it offers breathtaking sunrises, quiet reflections, and world-class bird watching along the Mississippi Flyway.

Sitting on our riverfront observation deck, watching the river roll past, you can feel the deep history and natural peace of this special place.

Plan your group retreat or family getaway along the river today.



The Mighty Mississippi, Nauvoo, IL

Nauvoo, IL • See You in Nauvoo • A River of History: Sunsets, Birdwatching, Boating • A comfortable place to rest.