Jackson County to Nauvoo with Dr. Steven C. Harper

About the Tour Guide:

Dr. Steve Harper is a leading scholar of Joseph Smith's First Vision and his later revelations, and he's the only guide in the game with over 20 years as a professor of Church history, 10 years as a volume editor of The Joseph Smith Papers, and 6 years as the Managing Historian and a General Editor of Saints: The Story of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.

Trip Dates: April 14, 2027 to April 18, 2027 (see itinerary below)

Trip Length: 5 days

Trip Cost per person: The cost is $2,500 per person double occupancy*, or $3,000 single occupancy*. A $250 non-refundable per person deposit is required to book. Final payment is due on January 15, 2027.

Trip Difficulty: Modern urbanized (learn more)

Number of Tour Spots Still Available: 10 out of 10

This trip is for Latter-day Saints and their family and friends including teens who think about scriptures when they don't have to. You'll need to be able to walk a mile each day and ride in a vehicle for up to three hours at a time. If you’re not sure it's for you or your family and friends, contact us, and let's chat about it.

The itinerary is as follows:

We'll meet in St Louis, and enjoy an excellent dinner, and get acquainted.

We will start at Gateway Arch National Park and then visit the Missouri State Archives to see the infamous extermination order and the state capitol, where Thomas Hart Benton's painting depicts what the saints suffered in Missouri. We'll walk around the capitol to compare and contrast Zion with Jacksonian democracy. We'll arrive in Independence, Jackson County, Missouri.  

We'll learn about what the saints suffered for their faith and why. We'll stand on the site they dedicated for the temple, see where Bishop Partridge was tarred at Courthouse Square, the spot the Lord mentioned in D&C 57:4. We'll learn about the several saints including the Rollins sisters who rescued printed pages of the Book of Commandments while a mob burned the rest and ruined the press. We'll spend the night at a bed and breakfast across from Courthouse Square.

We'll trace the route of the Camp of Israel, learn what the Book of Mormon witnesses suffered for their testimony in Missouri, stand on the spot where Joseph rebuked the vile guards in Richmond, the temple site in Far West, the Hawn's Mill site, and pass through Gallatin, where saints fought for their right to vote and where Joseph Smith was put on trial, and we'll visit the place where Adam gathered his posterity, prophesied to them, and bestowed his final blessing on them.

We'll arrive in Nauvoo early and tour the newly acquired sites that are so significant to the restoration of the temple covenants and ordinances. We'll have unstructured time for exploring or temple worship.

We will spend the Morning in Nauvoo, attend sacrament meeting, and explore more sites. Then we'll tour the jail at Carthage where Joseph and Hyrum Smith sacrificed their lives for their witness of the Savior. We'll then head for St. Louis, reminisce, and have a final meal together.

Please note: while our tour does end on April 18th, we request that you book flights home on the 19th so that there is no stress on your part to catch flights on time. We have a hotel booked near the St Louis airport for your convenience on the 18th.

• Ground transportation
• Accommodations
• Two meals per day
• Entrance fees into activities as outlined in the itinerary
• Gratuities at all group meals and for all services covered by trip fee

• Airfare and baggage fees to Kansas City, MO and from St Louis, MO
• Snacks and one meal per day
• Souvenirs and clothing
• Activities not included in the itinerary
• Personal medical and emergency costs (we strongly recommend purchasing traveler's insurance for this trip, and all trips you may take)

The cost is $2,500 per person double occupancy, or $3,000 single occupancy. That includes whole group activities (two meals each day and all gratuities for waitstaff at group meals). It doesn't cover the third meals or optional add-ons that the whole group doesn't participate in together.