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Trip Details
About the Tour Guides:
Dr. Steve Harper is a historian of early America and a leading scholar of Joseph Smith. As a volume editor on The Joseph Smith Papers project and the Managing Historian and General Editor of Saints, he has decades of experience as a professor of history and religion. A prolific author and editor of historical texts, he guides this tour with a wealth of knowledge and an unparalleled personal touch.
Scott Salvesen has both a passion for and a master's degree in tourism. With a passion for history and years of experience in tourism and adventure therapy, Scott manages each tour with expertise and care.
Trip Dates: TBA - Spring 2025
Trip Length: 4 days
Trip Cost per person: The cost is $1,600 per person double occupancy, or $2,100 single occupancy*
Trip Difficulty: Modern urbanized (learn more)
Number of Tour Spots: 48
Final Date to Book: March 31
About this Trip:
The first temple of the last dispensation was built by Latter-day Saints in Kirtland, Ohio. But after a season of spirit-filled worship and endowments of divine power in the Lord's House, the Lord commanded Joseph to get out of Kirtland, and the saints eventually lost control of the temple. On March 5, 2024, a joint statement by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and Community of Christ announced that the Latter-day Saints had resumed stewardship of the House of the Lord.
From 1831 to 1838, the Savior's Church was headquartered in northeastern Ohio. Joseph Smith received more revelations there than anywhere else. The home in which he and Emma lived was recently restored and dedicated. Visitors can now contemplate the Restoration while visiting Joseph's house in the shadow of the Lord's House.
This trip is for Latter-day Saint adults (young, old, and in between) 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 bus 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:
Day 1
We will arrive in Cleveland by the afternoon, where we'll begin our adventure with a dinner cruise on Lake Erie.
Day 2
Follow Oliver Cowdery and his missionary companions through the Western Reserve (northeastern Ohio) as they convert 127 souls in two weeks but are not well received by Ashabel Kitchell and the United Society of Believers in what is now Shaker Heights. See where the New York saints arrived by steamship at Fairport Harbor, where the Painesville newspaper man Eber Howe mocked the Saints. His neighbor, the brand new bishop Edward Partridge, welcomed them. Explore the farms, homes, and shops of early Ohio converts. Take in all the sites, sounds, smells, and feels of Historic Kirtland Village and the quarry used for the temple. After dinner, there will be unstructured time for relaxing, Public Square, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, etc.
Day 3
Visit the home where Joseph and Emma lived, the House of the Lord in Kirtland, the Johnson farm in Hiram, Ohio. Contemplate all that occurred in these sacred places, including the vision of heavenly glories (DC 76), the birth of the Book of Commandments, and Joseph and Sidney being beaten and tarred. Learn how the Lord resolved what theologians call the soteriological problem, and how He made good on his promises to endow the saints with power in His House. Spend the evening in Amish country enjoying a show at the Ohio Star Theater.
Day 4
Attend sacrament meeting at the New Philadelphia Ward, learn how the early Saints understood and enacted the law of consecration, spend unstructured time in Ohio's Amish Country. Authentic dining with an Amish family.
Day 5
Return home from Cleveland, OH.
Enjoy shopping in the Public Square, visit the Rock n' Roll Hall of Fame, or many other optional activities.
Travel safely!
What is Included in Your Price:
- 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
What is Not Included in Your Price:
- Airfare and baggage fees to and from Cleveland, OH
- 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 $1,600 per person double occupancy, or $2,100 single occupancy. That includes whole group activities (two meals each day and all gratuities for the bus driver and waitstaff at group meals). It doesn't cover the third meals or optional add-ons that the whole group doesn't participate in together, such as the Rock n' Roll Hall of Fame, etc. Each day, we have built into our schedule stops at markets and stores for your food and snack needs.
Tipping Standards
Tipping is acceptable throughout the United States for services.
Unlike other tour companies, Restoration Travels covers the cost of generous gratuities for all drivers and waitstaff for all group meals and excursions where the cost is already covered by your trip fee.
Safety and Other Special Considerations
There is a low to moderate risk of experiencing crime on this trip. We do our best to travel in well-marked and safe areas, but there is no guarantee.
All guests must be able to enter and exit a bus without aid, and must be able to walk at least 3 miles without being aided.
It is highly recommended that all guests purchase traveler's insurance for all trips in the event of theft or medical emergency. Restoration Travels is at no point responsible for costs incurred due to theft or medical emergency.
Disclaimer
*Price is subject to change