One of our goals for this trip was to visit the history sites for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Most of our early history took place in Missouri, Ohio, and New York and many members will do just “Church history tours” with their kids.

Since we were going to be in the vicinity anyway, we made sure to visit the sites as we went. It meant going backwards in history (which can get kind of confusing with kids) but I think they managed okay!

When we suddenly left Cuyahoga on a Friday night we still had to visit the Kirtland Visitor Center which was about a 45 minute drive. The center doesn’t close until 9pm so arriving around 7:45pm gave us plenty of time for the guided tour from the sister missionaries.

My favorite part about all of these tours are the stories. Stories of the Prophet Joseph, stories of other settlers who were there. I can only imagine what it must have been like in the early days of the church – simultaneously so exciting (new revelations!) and so frightening (all the persecution!) at the same time.

Newel K. Whitney Store, Kirtland, OH

After sleeping in a Wal-Mart parking log in Eerie, PA and visiting Niagara Falls, we arrived in Palmyra just in time to shower, make dinner and attend the last performance of the Hill Cumorah Pageant. Having participated in the Manti Pageant two years ago, this was a special treat to see another one!

“The reason we called a crazy audible and suddenly drove accross 3 states was to make the last performance of The Hill Cumorah Pageant in Palmyra, NY. The LDS church does 4 pageants: Nauvoo (saw a few years ago), Manti (the one we were in two years ago), Mesa (haven’t seen yet), and this one.

We originally thought there wasn’t a way to make this one happen, but we managed to find a way.

Each pageant is different, but there is some overlap. The scene captured here depicts Christ’s visit to the Americas after his Resurrection in Jerusalem. The Manti Pageant has a similar scene, which we were able to participate in.

It did rain lightly during the performance, but we were prepared with blankets and rain shells, and enjoyed it all the way through.” – @telegramsam

Hill Cumorah Pageant, Palmyra, NY

We needed a rest anyway, so we spent both Sunday and Monday in Palmyra visiting church history sites, relaxing, and attending the temple. We loved the service missionaries there and everyone made us feel super welcome!

Joseph Smith’s boyhood home in Palmyra, NY

“We’ve spent the last few days exploring Palmyra, NY. For most people there’s really not much here, but for members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints this area has incredible importance.

I sat for a moment outside this small log cabin where Joseph Smith lived and just thought if everything that had to come together in order for him to restore Christ’s gospel. It’s incredible. Just a few yards away is the forest where he went to pray, and down the road is the Hill Cumorah where he recovered an ancient set of scriptures.

Believe what you will, but the sacrifice of these early saints for something THEY believed in with their whole souls is inspiring. Some of them gave up everything, including their lives. Do we have that much conviction about anything?

From being nicknamed “Sister Airstream” by the missionary couples in the temple, to seeing the Hill Cumorah pageant, walking through the Sacred Grove, and visiting the Peter Whitmer farm where our church was physically organized, these last few days have been spiritually enriching.

Find something you believe in that feeds your soul.” – @currentlywandering

Hill Cumorah Visitor Center, Palmyra, NY

Tuesday morning we stopped by the Grandin Building in downtown Palmyra. It was fascinating to see the old printing shop and learn about the process to print 5000 initial copies of the Book of Mormon.

Grandin Print Shop, Palmyra, NY

We heard such good things about the Peter Whitmer farm from the missionaries in Palmyra that we decided to drive by on our way out of town. I’m so glad we did! We watched the video about what happened there in Palmyra and since we only had a short time we spent most of our time in the re-created home.

Peter Whitmer Farm, Lafayette, NY

After leaving I asked Rachel if I bought the Work and the Glory series would she read it with me? She seemed excited so we grabbed all 9 books (and they are BIG!) off Amazon to read. Having visited many of the places in the books gives me such a great understanding of so many of the sacrifices required of the early Saints. I’m so grateful to them!

While not a huge piece of our eastward journey, I’m so glad we took the time to visit these special places. I’m hoping that as we swing back west we’ll also be able to stop by Far West and Independence for that piece of our history as well!