L.D.S. Family Travels
by Becky Cardon Smith
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Last week, we introduced “3 P’s” that would help make your family trip more informative, fun, productive, and less stressful…

PLANNING
PREPARATION
POSITIVE TRAVEL ATTITUDE (PTA)

We suggested ways to enhance your traveling experience through advance Preparations and encouraged everyone to travel with a PTA attitude. We promised to discuss in more details the first step for a less stressful trip, that of Planning for a visit to Church history sites.

PLANNING

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Just as building a home without a set of plans would be unwise, a trip without some advance planning is equally on shaky footings. While I am not suggesting you make an itinerary that leaves little room for spontaneity, I have found that the more thought and planning we do before we leave, the more I can relax and enjoy the trip. The first question to ask as you plan your trip should be:

How many days do we need for this trip?

In some cases, the duration of your trip is preset. School holidays, family reunion dates, and work vacation times are usually for a fixed number of days. In other cases, the number of days for your trip is flexible and can be set after you plan out your itinerary. If time is short, it is better to focus on one or two areas rather than hurrying to different towns for a brief visit. In listing the various Church history stops, we have also listed some of our recommended “must see” sites and a suggested length of stay. But before you make any arrangements, we suggest you read more detailed information about the sites in our guidebooks and talk to others who have been there to learn from their experiences. In planning your trip, we suggest you allow yourself an extra cushion of time for unexpected delays or stops. To spend the money and time to visit the sites and have to leave without feeling you saw all that you hoped to see would be very frustrating.

• Sharon, Vermont – The three closest airports for those planning to fly into this area are Burlington (Vermont), Manchester (New Hampshire), and Boston (Massachusetts). If you are in the Boston area, consider the one-hour detour through Topsfield. I suggest you plan one full day in the Sharon area to spend time at the Joseph Smith Memorial and Visitors’ Center, the store where Joseph Sr. met Lucy in Tunbridge, the site where Joseph had his leg surgery in West Lebanon, and the home rented by the Smith family while living in Norwich. All of these three sites are within close proximity. If time allows, visit a nearby farm for a maple syrup demonstration, visit the granite quarry which produced the monument, or take a scenic drive through one of the quaint New England villages.

• Whittingham, Vermont – This small village is the birth site of Brigham Young and is a nice rest stop while driving from Sharon, Vermont to Harmony, Pennsylvania. Allow 20 minutes to visit the Brigham Young Monument and to see his birth site.

• South Bainbridge, New York – Now called Afton, the town was known as South Bainbridge at the time Joseph and Emma came here to be married. Allow 20 minutes to see the historic marker at the site of their marriage, drive by the Josiah Stowell home, and the Joseph Knight home in nearby Colesville, before continuing on to Harmony. While on route from Whittingham to South Bainbridge, you will pass by Cooperstown and Oneonta. The National Baseball Hall of Fame is located in the first town and the National Soccer Hall of Fame is found in the second.

• Harmony, Pennsylvania (Now called Oakland) – Allow 30 minutes at this brief but important stop. Visit the site of Joseph and Emma’s cabin, the site of Emma’s childhood home, the cemetery where Joseph and Emma’s first child is buried, the Susquehanna River, and the Monument to the Aaronic Priesthood.

• Fayette, New York – Many significant and spiritual events took place at the Peter Whitmer farm in Fayette. Allow 1 hour for the tour of the home and visitors’ center.

• Palmyra/Manchester, New York – Allow at least two full days to visit the many “must see” sites here, including the Hill Cumorah and Visitors’ Center, Sacred Grove, Smith family log cabin, Smith frame home, E. B. Grandin Bookstore, and the Palmyra Temple. There are many other “nice to see” sites including the Erie Canal, Swift Cemetery, Martin Harris home site, and much more. The closest airport for this area is in Rochester but there are several other options within a fairly close proximity.

• Mendon, New York – This is an often overlooked but important stop located just a few miles from Palmyra. Allow one hour to drive by the homes of John Young, the Tomlinson Inn, Solomon Kimball’s home, the sites of Brigham Young and Heber C. Kimball’s homes, and the cemetery where Brigham’s first wife is buried.

• Niagara Fall, New York – A trip to Niagara Falls can be a day trip from Palmyra, a detour while driving to Kirtland, or a flight into Buffalo followed by a short drive. Depending on your schedule, allow several hours up to a full day and spend the night. There are many fun “misting” activities to do here!

• Kirtland, Ohio – The closest airport for this area is in Cleveland, Ohio. We suggest you allow two days to see the many significant sites in this area. Especially exciting are the five new sites that have been recently completed or restored by the Church that will be dedicated this summer. “Must see” sites include the new LDS visitors’ center and walking tour which includes the Whitney Store, Johnson Inn, ashery and more. Additional sites to see include the Kirtland Temple, the Morley Farm, and the John Johnson farm in nearby Hiram. The “nice to see” sites include the beach at Fairport Harbor, an Amish community, a hands-on nature center for children, Six Flags amusement park and much more.

• Nauvoo/Carthage, Illinois – The closest airport for those planning to go to Nauvoo is St. Louis, Missouri. Other choices include Chicago, Illinois, Kansas City, Missouri and Omaha, Nebraska. Allow 2 to 3 full days in this area to enjoy many of the “must see” sites. Some of them include the Nauvoo Temple, the visitors’ center, tours of the many restored homes, strolling through the Monument to Women Garden, walking through the Old Pioneer Burial Grounds, standing at the end of Parley Street gazing out at the Mississippi River, and attending at least one of the free evening programs. Children will especially enjoy the many hands-on activities including making a candleholder, dipping a candle, learning to make bread, and playing pioneer games. Allow three hours to drive out to Carthage and tour the historic Carthage Jail.

• Hannibal, Missouri – This is a fun rest stop when driving from Nauvoo over to the Independence, Missouri area. Spend an hour or more visiting Mark Twain’s boyhood home or take a ride on the Mississippi River.

• Haun’s Mill, Missouri –This is a brief stop when driving from Hannibal to Adam-ondi-Ahman. Recent improvements on the roads have made it easier to find the area where the Haun’s Mill massacre occurred. (Haun’s Mill, Jamesport, Adam-ondi-Ahman, and Far West are all within a fairly close proximity and do not necessarily have to be seen in this order.)

• Adam-ondi-Ahman, Missouri – Time spent here depends on you. To drive through the area will take 15 minutes, but to stop, sit, read some of the suggested readings, and to ponder the importance of this area will take at least an hour.

• Jamesport, Missouri – This is a fun Amish community just minutes from Adam-ondi-Ahman. We suggest you stop for lunch, enjoy some shopping, or spend the night.

• Far West, Missouri – This is another often overlooked but important stop. Visit the temple site and imagine that this area was once home to over 5,000 Saints before their expulsion from Missouri.

• Richmond & Lexington, Missouri – If time allows, spend an hour visiting the Monument to the Three Witnesses in Richmond and the monument to the explosion of the Saluda steamboat in Lexington.

• Liberty, Missouri – The one-hour stop to tour the Liberty Jail Visitors’ Center is a spiritual and sobering experience and not to be missed. Nearby are two home sites of General Doniphan and the burial site of members of the Doniphan family.

• Independence, Missouri – The closest airport for those flying into Independence is the Kansas City airport, while other options include driving up to Winter Quarters and flying out of Omaha, Nebraska. Many have overlooked the important sites in this area. Allow one full day to see the visitors’ center, walk around the temple lot, tour the Flournoy Home and the Log Courthouse, and to visit the sites along the Mormon Walking Trail. We also suggest you take the time to see one or more of the Truman sites in Independence including both the Truman home and the Presidential Museum.

As you can see, there are many wonderful, exciting, and inspiring Church history sites to see. We are not suggesting you try to see them all in one trip. Rather, consider your available time and what you would most like to see. The final questions to consider and some suggested helps as your continue to plan your trip will be covered next week. You are going to have a great trip!

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