The $1827 Tour | Church History For Families
In celebration of the 200th anniversary of Joseph Smith receiving the gold plates in 1827, and as we prepare for Bountiful Travel's 30th anniversary, we're offering these family church history tours at a special price for a limited time.
Bring your family on a nine-day, gospel-centered journey to the places where the Restoration began. Together you'll walk the Sacred Grove, stand on the Hill Cumorah, and visit Harmony, the Kirtland Temple, Liberty Jail, Far West, historic Nauvoo, and Carthage Jail. Children 5 and older and teens are welcome.
Brian teaches Church History and Doctrine at Brigham Young University, including The Eternal Family, a course on the family's central place in Heavenly Father's plan. Walking these sites with him is a chance to see the story of Joseph, Emma, and the early Saints through the lens of faith and eternal families.
Day 1THURSDAY, JUNE 3
Fly to Rochester, New York
You will depart this morning for Rochester, New York. Plan to arrive at the hotel before 7:00 pm so you can get to know the group and your tour director at our meet and greet.
Hotel: Hampton Inn and Suites Rochester/Victor
Day 2FRIDAY, JUNE 4
Palmyra - Sacred Grove - Hill Cumorah - Fayette, New York
We spend the day at the sites in Palmyra and Fayette, New York. Our stops include the Sacred Grove, the Smith Family Farm, the rebuilt log home where Moroni's visits took place, the Hill Cumorah, the Grandin Press (where the Book of Mormon was first printed), and the Peter Whitmer Farm.
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner at the hotel. Hotel: Hampton Inn and Suites Rochester/Victor
Day 3SATURDAY, JUNE 5
Harmony, Pennsylvania - Susquehanna River
Today we travel to Harmony, Pennsylvania, and the Susquehanna River. Much of the translation of the Book of Mormon took place here, and this is where the priesthood was restored and Joseph and Oliver were baptized. The sites include Joseph and Emma's home and the Isaac Hale home. We then return to the hotel.
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner. Hotel: Hampton Inn and Suites Rochester/Victor
Day 4SUNDAY, JUNE 6
Niagara Falls - Kirtland, Ohio
This morning we check out of our hotel and attend sacrament meeting with a local ward. Then we head toward Kirtland. On the way we stop at Niagara Falls, the oldest state park in the USA, and board the Maid of the Mist, which passes directly in front of the falls and into the Horseshoe Basin. This is a fun activity you won't want to miss! After free time for lunch and shopping, we travel on to Kirtland, Ohio.
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner at the hotel. Hotel: Holiday Inn Mentor
Day 5MONDAY, JUNE 7
Kirtland, Ohio
Today we visit the Kirtland area, beginning at the Kirtland Temple, where the Savior appeared to Joseph and Oliver, and Moses, Elias, and Elijah restored the priesthood keys associated with temple ordinances.
In Historic Kirtland Village we see the visitors' center, the Newel K. Whitney home, where Joseph and Emma lived, and the Newel K. Whitney store, home of the School of the Prophets, where many revelations, including the Word of Wisdom, were received. Lunch in town is on your own. We also see the reconstructed schoolhouse, the ashery, and the water-powered sawmill.
We visit the Isaac Morley Farm, where a home was built for Joseph and Emma when they moved to Ohio, and the John Johnson Farm in Hiram, where Joseph received many revelations, including the vision recorded in Doctrine and Covenants 76, and where a mob tarred and feathered him.
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner at Mary Yoder's Amish Kitchen. Hotel: Holiday Inn Mentor
Day 6TUESDAY, JUNE 8
Kansas City - Independence - Liberty, Missouri
This morning we transfer to the Cleveland airport for our flight to Kansas City. A bus meets us on arrival and takes us to Independence, where we visit the visitors' center near the temple lot in Jackson County. We also visit Liberty Jail, where the Prophet Joseph spent the winter of 1838 to 1839 while the Saints suffered severe persecution in Missouri.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch. Hotel: Hampton Inn Liberty
Day 7WEDNESDAY, JUNE 9
Adam-ondi-Ahman - Far West - Nauvoo
On our way to Nauvoo we visit Adam-ondi-Ahman and Far West, where the name of the Church was revealed. After arriving in Nauvoo, we visit the Joseph Smith Homestead, the graves of Joseph, Emma, and Hyrum, the Mansion House, and the Red Brick Store.
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner. Hotel: Inn at Nauvoo
Day 8THURSDAY, JUNE 10
Nauvoo - Carthage
Our day begins with free time to explore the many restored homes and shops of Old Nauvoo, including the homes of Brigham Young, John Taylor, Heber C. Kimball, and Lucy Mack Smith, and the Jonathan Browning Gun Shop. This afternoon we travel the old road to Carthage, where we see a presentation on the life of the Prophet Joseph Smith at the visitors' center and then tour the jail where Joseph and his brother Hyrum were martyred.
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner. Hotel: Inn at Nauvoo
Day 9FRIDAY, JUNE 11
Nauvoo - St. Louis Airport - Home
We check out of our hotel this morning and spend a couple of hours in Nauvoo, then depart for the St. Louis airport and home.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Please note that minor changes to the itinerary may occur due to local conditions and to better accommodate our group.
What's included
- 8 nights hotel accommodations
- Meals as specified in itinerary
- Deluxe air-conditioned motorcoach transportation
- Taxes on included services
- Internal flight from Cleveland to Kansas City (group flight)
- Meal gratuities
Not included
- Airfare to Rochester and home from St. Louis
- Transportation from the Rochester airport to the hotel
- Meals not specified in itinerary
- Items of a personal nature
- Trip cancellation and baggage insurance
- Checked baggage fees
- Bus Driver gratuities
- ID / Passport
- First and last names must appear as on passport for international travel and driver's license for domestic tours
- Tips & Gratuities
Several of you have asked about tipping for the bus driver. This is done at the end of each leg of the tour (anytime during the last day per bus driver).
- Driver: A tip is required for the driver and we recommend the amount of $30 per person for the tour, split between 2 drivers.
- Physical Requirements
- Ability to climb stairs and walk unassisted at a moderate pace 3-5 miles per day
- Cancellation Policy
Deposits are non-refundable. If you cancel and the tour sells out, your deposit becomes a travel credit, good for two years from this tour's start date. After final payment, all payments are non-refundable. See our Terms & Conditions for the full policy.
- Airfare
Guests are responsible for arranging their own airfare to the tour’s starting destination and home from its ending destination. Airfare is not included in the trip price.
This trip follows our standard physical requirements and cancellation policies — see our Terms & Conditions. Anything specific to this trip is noted above and takes precedence.
| Price per person | |
|---|---|
| Double occupancy | $1,827 |
| Single occupancy | $2,627 |
Reserve with a $250 deposit per person; final payment due 03/17/2027.
Brian Mead
Brian Mead is an Assistant Teaching Professor of Church History and Doctrine at Brigham Young University, where he teaches The Eternal Family, a course on the central role of the family in Heavenly Father's plan. Before joining the BYU faculty, Brian taught seminary and institute, served as a seminary principal, and worked in the Training Services Division at the Church Office Building. In his writing for BYU's Religious Educator, Brian shows how our relationships with Heavenly Father, Jesus Christ, and our families sit at the heart of the plan of salvation, and that is how he teaches the gos…
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