The first thing I want to say is that I was surprised by the utter coolness of Wind Cave National Park. I have never been so amazed by a simple hole in the ground, but there is wind that just comes shooting out of a hole in the ground. It is so cool. On the day we visited the wind was blowing out at 9.3mph, but the ranger told us it has come out as fast as 40mph.
It is important to note that this is caused not by a draft but rather pressure differences from inside and outside of the cave. This makes it a great opportunity to teach your kids some physics. Don't worry the visitor's center has explanations to help you out.
If the wind wasn't enough there are tons of cool things to see while driving around the park. Depending on the time of year it is very likely that you will encounter buffalo just standing by the side of the road. Don't get too close, but take some time to enjoy these gigantic creatures.
You can also take an opportunity to do some exploring. The hike up Rankin Ridge provides a great view of the surrounding area. It is a fairly easy hike and you can make it up and back in under an hour.
The only warning I have regarding the park is the limited availability of the cave tours. The first time we went down to the park we had just missed the tour and it was another two hours until the next tour would begin. This would have put us too late for me to make it to work on time, so we instead went for a hike and came back two weeks later.
When we came back the elevators were both broken with an unknown date of repair. Fortunately the ranger was willing to talk us through the whole cave tour while standing at the natural entrance. This time the wind was sucking into the wind at 10+ mph. Obviously it wasn't as exciting as actually seeing the inside of the cave, but at least we learned about the history and geology of the cave. Since we were the only ones there my son had time to ask a ton of questions.
It’s the same as all the other stories you hear: It all happened so fast, We were all right there when it happened, We thought we had taken the right precautions... but he drowned anyway. We had been swimming all morning. We intended to get the kids tired out so that we could work on cleaning the house. My parents were coming home from California that night. They had been gone for over a year and my family had been living in their empty house for the last three weeks. My family. The one with 6 little kids. It needed cleaned badly! So we were playing hard, getting the kids wore out so we could get quality naps. Lunchtime came around and that’s when our "proper precautions" started to wear thin. Adults and kids started going in and out of the house: Can you get the mustard, We need more cups, I need to go potty! Life Jackets and Swimmies came off so as not to drip too much water through the house, and there was such a hunger need that no one was put in charge of getting them back on again. I had no idea that he wasn’t in his life jacket. When I saw the top of his little head in the water I remember thinking, “I’m so glad we got that new little jacket! He is swimming so well with it on!” It was so fast. We were all right there. 15 feet away. I had thought we had the right precautions in place. But he drowned anyway.
The three year old saw him first. He knew something was wrong and started to drag him to the steps. There his big sister, who is five, grabbed him. They weren’t yelling or screaming, just dragging him in. I saw them next, and I remember thinking that’s not what it looks like. It can’t possibly be … I started yelling at my husband to get him out. He ran over and the five year old handed him over to Dad. I remember yelling the most intense prayer of my life, “Oh God, NO! Not my Ammie! Please, please not my Ammie!” Over and over again. His body was limp and blue. His eyes were glazed over. No one ever told me about how his eyes would look. His body looked so small, like some horrid rubber doll hanging limp in his father’s arms. When I ran up to get him, he smelled like vomit. Of course Dad handed him to me. I had had the most training. I knew we had to start CPR immediately. But this was so different than training. He was so small. How do I do compressions on a chest this small? His entire chest fit in my two hands.
Somewhere away from the chaos going on in my head, I heard my husband telling his mom to get all the rest of the kids in the house. That made sense, we didn’t want them in the way. And someone yelled to call for 911. I started compressions. Immediately there was water, so much water. Water came out his nose and his mouth. He was completely full of water. I kept going, compressions, rescue breath, compressions. The water stopped. At some point I looked up and my husband was standing there watching, and I remember yelling at him, “Call 911!!” He told me his phone was so old it was taking a minute to bring up the phone app. Stupid phone! Compressions, rescue breath, compressions! I started to hear Ammie’s little voice. Little sighs that sounded just like him, but weren’t really him. I remember the CPR instructor talking about that. Patients can start making vocal sounds while you are performing CPR, but it’s just the air going through their cords. I hadn’t thought about how the sounds he would make would be made in his voice. It sounded just like him. I remember thinking it was going to be the last time I would hear his little voice. Don’t stop! Compressions, rescue breath, compressions! I started to notice he was changing color. He wasn’t so blue, his lips were starting to pink up. That’s when I realized my knees were burning on the concrete. If I was going to be able to keep going, I had to get off the patio. I picked him up and ran inside. I started CPR again, but I started to notice his pink color spreading. His heart had started again. I did a couple more rescue breaths and his chest started to rise and fall on it’s own. He was breathing! The 911 operator told us to roll him on his side so that if he starts to vomit he wouldn’t aspirate it. Oh yeah, I had forgotten about that. It wasn’t long before the first fireman arrived. He came in and started listening to Ammie’s lungs with his stethoscope. He still had water in his lungs, so we tried to rouse him. That’s when he vomited. Another big batch of water. It was a good sign, but he still wouldn’t rouse. He was just so tired. Another couple of minutes and the EMTs got there. They ran in and the female EMT grabbed him and headed to the ambulance. I looked at my husband and told him to bring clothes because I was still in my swimming suit, and we left. He vomited one more time in the ambulance, and that seemed to clear his lungs. By the time we got to the hospital, the doctors said his lungs sounded clear. Chest x-rays showed that his lungs looked good. He responded to pain, and his reflexes were good, we just couldn’t rouse him. He was so exhausted.
They said he needed to be kept under observation for the night to be sure that he didn’t have any complications, but the hospital didn’t have a pediatric intensive care unit. So they decided to fly him to Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia where he would receive the best care. I couldn’t believe how fast they had the helicopter team there to take him away. I wanted to go with them. But they were concerned that the seat belts wouldn’t fit around my 39 week pregnant belly. And so we got him prepped in the seat belt on the gurney, and they took him. They said it would be a 12 minute flight to CHOP. It took us almost two hours to drive. It was the hardest moment for me to watch him roll down the hallway heading to the helicopter. I was completely sick that I couldn’t be with him.
When we got to CHOP, a nurse was sitting with him, rocking him. He was asleep, but they informed us that he woke when he got off the helicopter, and his lungs are working well. He screamed in his amazingly high pitched screams and was calling for his dad! They were actually wondering if those high pitched screams were normal for him. They also asked about a red mark that had developed by his eye. He had had a mosquito bite that developed petechiae (those little red spots that can speckle your face from intense vomiting) from the pressure of CPR. But that was it. His vitals were normal, his heart was normal, he was reacting as he should. He was our little boy, alive and well. Truly, he was a miracle to us.
The stress of the day did start some minor contractions for me that night, but with some rest they went away. They kept us overnight for observation, but it was clear that by the next morning he was going to be just fine. He was eating, drinking, and playing with the cool new hospital toys - which was a definite benefit of being in a pediatric unit. Our life, it seemed was going to be able to return to normal, though it would never be the same. I will forever look at him a little differently. I will appreciate his smile and laughter, even his high pitched screams, so much more.
So why is this story important? It started out the same as all the other stories you hear, but our miracle ending was not the result of luck or of an amazingly fast ambulance team, but of training. I received my Wilderness First Responder training as part of my undergraduate degree in Recreation Management. As part of that certification, and recertifications, you are presented with many practice scenarios that require you to work through how to care for a patient. You discuss what the patient will look like, how they will act, even the panic or fear of the people around the patient. Working through these scenarios prepares you to act under pressure. I have also served on a search and rescue team that also did training exercises on how to handle stressful situations. With that team, I received the Red Cross Healthcare Provider CPR certification. It was in this higher level CPR certification where I learned about what drowning patients will look like, smell like, sound like. Some how, knowing these things, being prepared for them made me feel more competent, even capable to do what seemed impossible: perform CPR on my own son.
So be trained. Get as much training as possible. Get an advanced CPR certification. The little bit of extra time and money may be the difference of being able to act, and freezing under pressure. I decided because of this experience that I have to continue my first responder training. There is still so much that I should learn! I am so grateful for the courses and instructors that I have had thus far that gave me the ability to not panic, freeze, or give up too soon, but to do what was needed to save my son’s life.
As an epilogue to the story; As we walked in the front door of our house, Ammie ran in, picked up his life jacket and asked to go in the pool. “Yes!" we said. We went straight into the pool, got the other kids, and made new happy memories of the family playing together in the water. We will be more diligent about our children in their life preservers, but fear will not drive us to abandon activities that provide bonding and a lifetime of fun.
Work hard, play daily, sleep well, be safe. But above all, love every moment of this life.
For Dad's version of the story (including pictures) visit: http://trailheadfamily.blogspot.com/2016/09/whats-worst-that-can-happen.html
We do a lot of crazy traveling with our family. My wife and I are proud of the fact that we don't let fear stop us from bringing our kids along on any adventure that pops into our minds. We do hard things, that is just what it means to be part of our family. And yes, sometimes when someone says that we are crazy, I am guilty of responding with the phrase "What's the Worst That Can Happen".
On August 14th we were sitting around my in-laws pool, impatiently waiting for my wife to go into labor. This was our second attempt at trying to have a home birth while visiting family on vacation. My in-laws had been away serving a mission for our church but were returning home that evening just in time to meet our seventh child. This is probably an excessive build up to the story since you all knew the story as soon as I said "we were sitting around the pool", but I digress.
The kids had been playing and having a blast, but we were all hungry. We got out of the pool to make sandwiches and my mom, who lives just down the street from my in-laws, helped to cycle the kids through the bathroom. Using the bathroom before lunch is actually quite a chore with six kids. After using the toilet a few of the children, specifically the 5 year old, 3 year old, and 2 year old, got back into the pool and were playing on the steps. There are two things I want to point out here so you don't immediately think that we are horrible parents 1) there were three adults (me, my wife, and my mom) all standing 15-20 feet away making sandwiches, and 2) we always keep our little kids in life jackets when they are playing near the pool.
Ok, so number two was wrong in this case. We all thought the two year old was in a life jacket, but it hadn't gotten put back on after he made the trip to the bathroom, and for some reason he got back in the water without asking for it. My wife had seen that he was in the pool, his head was sticking up out of the water as he was laughing with his siblings, but she didn't see that the life jacket was missing. Three adults standing 15 feet away making sandwiches and none of us saw that the two year old had gotten back in the pool without his life jacket.
The Worst 5 Minutes of my life
Our three year old son was the first one to notice that there was a problem. His 2 year old little brother had at some point moved off the step and went under the water. We don't know exactly what happened at this point. The three year old pulled his brother to the side of the pool where their older sister lifted him out of the water. Nobody remembers what was said, but at that instant all three adults turned and saw my daughter holding this small lifeless blue body limp across her arms.
I ran over and grabbed him. I can't remember if he felt cold or not, but he was completely blue. His eyes were glossed over and his body was limp. The more we think about this event the more it reminds us of when you pull a dead frog out of the pool skimmer. But this wasn't a frog it was my son. I don't know if I can officially say that he was dead, but his heart had stopped and he wasn't breathing. He looked dead.
My first instinct was to just get everyone away. This way the most traumatic thing that had ever happened to our family and I didn't want anyone there to see it. I didn't want my wife to have to see him. She was due to have a baby at any minute, and couldn't handle seeing her dead son hanging there in my arms.
You should know that this is actually taking more time for you to read than it took for me to live this experience. The above paragraph actually all happened within probably 3-5 seconds of time. My panic lead to the only logical conclusion, I handed my son to my wife. She says she would have punched me had I done anything different, and rightfully so. To me he was dead, to my wife he was her child needing to be saved. She immediately began performing CPR, massaging his heart with her thumbs and between rescue breath repeating "not my Ammie, not my Ammie". At the same time she was yelling at me to call 911, which I was fumbling to do with my shaking fingers.
Turning Point
This is the point where the story turns for the better. It took about five minutes from the time my wife started CPR until my son began to get the first bit of color back into his lips. This was how she knew that his heart had started back up again. I have no idea how this works so to me I just chalk it up to being a miracle. She rubbed his chest and that limp body, whom I perceived as dead, became my son again.
All of this had been happening on the burning hot concrete patio, and at this point my wife lifted him up and moved him inside the house. A couple more rescue breaths and he spewed water on the dining room floor. His lungs must have been completely filled because there was a lot of water. After the water came out we saw the first sign of movement as his check began to move, just slightly, but he was breathing. To me it was like seeing a ghost. My son was dead, but now here he was lying on the ground, flush and unconscious but no longer blue. He looked like a person again.
According to my phone it took eight minutes from when I first dialed 911 until the fire chief showed up at our house. After assessing the situation he began working to get the rest of the water out of my son's lungs. A few minutes later the ambulance arrived and my 11 year old directed the EMTs to our location. It seems like a blink of the eye and they were gone with my wife yelling for me to grab her some clothes and meet her at the hospital. They were gone.
I took a few minutes to calm down the rest of the kids, and my mom, while I packed some things to take with me to the hospital. By the time I arrived my son was stable. The doctors insisted that he be flown down to the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) for further observation, but reassured us that he was going to be ok. The rest of the water had come out of his lungs during the ambulance ride, but they didn't have the facilities to keep him under watch all night. They said it would take him 13 minutes to fly to Philadelphia by helicopter, much shorter than our two hours in traffic. This was one of the hardest points for my wife as she hadn't left his side the whole time, but due to her huge belly couldn't ride along in the helicopter. They said I couldn't go due to "weight constraints", but I think they just realized that I needed to stay with my wife.
When we finally made it to the hospital in Philadelphia he was asleep in his room. He was asleep, not unconscious, just asleep. He had apparently woken up in the helicopter and spent much of the ride yelling for "daddy". Now he was just tired. It was a rough day for all of us, and his little body needed to sleep.
There is a lot more about that we could talk about with this story (for example how the stress started my wife into labor) but the most important things is that he lived with no signs of brain damage. The nurse said that as long as the heart starts back up within 15 minutes you avoid permanent problems. We don't know for sure how long he was underwater, but we are guessing no more than 3 minutes. This means that my wife got his heart started after he had been down for around 9 minutes. If nothing would have been done until the fire chief arrived, and if it took him about the same amount of time as it took my wife, then my son would have been down for approximately 3+8+5=16 minutes. I don't know what the consequence would have been of those few extra minutes, but to me, my wife saved his life. Because of her, he is the same child that he was at the start of the summer. I have always loved my wife, and I have always known that she is an incredible woman, but I can't even express the way I feel for her after this incident. She is amazing.
What is the moral of this story
1) Bad things can happen even when you are just visiting family, and may actually be more likely. There are two things that I believe caused this incident. First, we were out of our normal routine. When traveling you break your routine and as a result risk skipping some important part of your normal parenting process. When traveling you will inevitably have to change some of your routines, and yes this increases the odds of something horrible happening; but breaking your routine is also what makes traveling beneficial. You only grow as a person when you try new things, which means you have to break your routine. So I would argue, it's worth the risk.
Secondly, accidents happen when you get too comfortable. We had lived with my in-laws for almost two years, albeit back before we brought a miniature basketball team along with us. Their house felt like home to us, and we were quickly lulled into believing that everything was normal. It felt like home, so we turned off our high alert system. Unfortunately this wasn't our normal home routine, we don't even have a pool at home, so we needed to remember that this was not an environment that the kids were used to.
2) I had taken CPR multiple times through the years but it didn't help because I panicked. I tell people that this was the most worthless I have ever felt as a parent. My child needed me more than ever before and I couldn't do anything. Fortunately, I did the most important thing correctly which was to hand my son over to my wife.
In preparation for our crazy life together my wife had gotten her undergraduate degree in Outdoor Recreation, and part of her training involved receiving her Wilderness First Responder (WFR) certification. She has kept this up over the years, presumably because the recertification is so much cheaper than the initial training, but really because it gives her the confidence she needs to save us a ton of emergency room visits. When we lived in Texas my wife was on the Search and Rescue team where she received addition training on how to stay calm during intense situations. My wife is naturally just an amazing woman, but she also had the training necessary to mediate this situation.
We believe that everyone should try new experiences. Get yourself out of your comfort zone. That said, when the worst happens the more training you have the better. The WFR course is designed to help you "Be Prepared for The Unexpected". The Unexpected can happen whether you are on a week long kayak trip, or just visiting your in-laws. You will feel more confident to try new things, and be better prepared, if you take the time to receive training.
3) We were only kept in the hospital for 24 hours before we were sent home. And you can probably guess the first thing my son wanted to do when we got back to my in-laws house; he wanted to go in the pool. We walked into the house, he grabbed the life jacket, and told us he wanted to go swimming. So what did we do... we took him swimming. Actually my wife took him swimming and I drove over to my parents house to get the rest of the kids so we could all go swimming together.
Here is the important point: Bad Things Will Happen. This may have been the worst thing that has happened to us while traveling with our kids, but it definitely isn't the first time that something bad has happened. I mean we have survived some massive cuts, burns, cacti, and oh yeah having a premature baby while on a camping trip. And all of these past experiences have taught us that you can't completely prevent horrible things from happening, but you can learn from the experiences. We did not want the lesson to be that our kids should stay away from the water, this would be a negative consequence of the experience and would limit the future fun we could have as a family.
I actually don't know what the big take away is going to be for our kids related to this experience, but I do know that it will make our family stronger. I also know that when I hold my kids now I do it a little differently and I appreciate every moment with them a little bit more. Things will never be completely the same, but we aren't going to stop doing amazing things together as a family.
P.S. And here is the best part. Less than a week after my son drowned in the pool he was able to play with his new baby sister. This is what a miracle looks like.
Climb the treehouse (We did this on way too cold of a day)
Pet the (stuffed) prairie dog
Do the scavenger hunt (Make sure you get the right version, and if you get stumped ask for help since some of the exhibits may have changed since the worksheet was created)
Find the turkey tracks (Hard for adults, easy for kids)
Mount Rushmore is the most iconic tourist attraction in South Dakota, and a must for every family. I thought, what could be a better way to get our kid patriotically motivated then to visit Mount Rushmore (aka The Shrine of Democracy) then to make a visit on Independence Day. To my surprise, not the best day to bring kids.
I will start this post by explaining the Activity 99 at Rushmore, I will then describe our experience being their for Independence Day.
Activity 99
1) Hike the Presidential Trail. Despite my many trips to Mount Rushmore, I had never actually taken the time to hike the Presidential Trail before. This is a moderately strenuous hike, but well worth the effort and something your kids will remember. You probably want to allow at least an hour because you will want to take lots of pictures. It is important to note that there are no bathrooms along the trail, so make sure to do a potty break before you leave.
2) Find the picture of what Mount Rushmore looked like before the carving. I was actually expecting to find a large photo on the wall somewhere, but all we could find was a small picture on the desk in the Lincoln Borglum visitors center. Ask a ranger to direct you to the picture otherwise you will miss it as it is just a small picture of a boring mountain. Amazing how an ordinary mountain can become something so powerful.
3) Take a selfie with the sculpture.
This is a no brainer and you were going to do it anyways.
4) Find a picture of Borglum in the historic studio. It actually took us a bit of time to find the studio since it is down the hill from the rest of the site. You will pass it as you go on the Presidential Trail so just take the time to peak inside. This is also where you will find a large model of what the memorial would have looked like had funding been available to finish it. I thought this area was really cool, but the kids not so much.
5) Attend the evening lighting ceremony. I have heard so many good things about the evening lighting ceremony that I encourage you to plan your trip in the evening so that you can attend. Our experience wasn't the greatest, but this is largely due to our decision to go on Independence Day and the fact that we arrived at the Memorial about 6 hours before they finally turned on the lights. More details to follow.
July 4th
Mount Rushmore had a large number of events scheduled for July 4th, including presentations by actors dressed as the presidents, a band, a special “Junior Ranger” initiation, and the lighting ceremony. With all of this going on it seemed like an obvious fit for our kids. The Junior Ranger initiation was scheduled for 6:30pm, at the start of the evening presentation. Since it typically takes the kids about 3 hours to complete a junior ranger program we setup our campsite (HorseThief camping area) and arrived at the monument just after 3pm. This gave the kids just enough time to visit the museum, walk the president’s trail, get some expensive but really good ice cream, and allow the kids to finish their junior ranger books. We should have packed some snacks, but everything else was going fine.
Shortly after 6:30pm the program began. The Junior ranger initiation was a lot of fun, and the kids were excited. They had already received their pins when they go the books checked inside, so this was actually just a formality. <Note: Unlike other parks the junior ranger patches had to be purchased separately.> The evening then progressed with a mix of talks by actors dressed as the presidents, two sets by the band (a cappella group), and information provided by the park rangers. The idea for the format was excellent, unfortunately the overall program was way too long causing many families to leave before it was over.
The quality of the presidential talks was mixed. The actor portraying George Washington spent 30 minutes of his "10 minute talk” explaining why Martha Washington not George Washington was responsible for the founding of country and winning the revolutionary war (argh!). Jefferson gave a good talk about slavery but had microphone issues making it hard to understand. Lincoln stuck largely to quotes from the real Lincoln, gave a passionate performance, and easily earned a standing ovation. Roosevelt was the last president to speak, and did a good job selling everyone on the importance of the National Parks. Aside from Washington all of the information was good and prompted great conversation with our kids, the speakers just went over their allotted time in an already blotted program.
The band was excellent, but not accustom to headlining for this type of crowd. The songs were targeted toward an older audience (40-50s) so not really my thing. For some reason they also stuck to traditional rock, and since it was the 4th of July I was hoping for something more patriotic. Overall their permanence was great, but not the get up and dance excitement that keeps kids entertained.
The evening concluded with the national anthem and lighting ceremony. This was a bit of a let down. The lighting ceremony is usually a hugely patriotic event (bringing in participation from veterans etc), but this night they just took down the flag and turned on the lights. My 9 year old son turned to me and asked “when do they light it on fire”, to which my 7 year old replied “it’s just a laser show”. It was difficult to explain that all they did was turned on the lights. We went back to the campsite exhausted after a long 6.5 hours at the memorial.
Our Suggestion: You should definitely take your kids to Mount Rushmore, but not on the 4th of July. The park puts a lot of work into the extra programs for the day, but it isn’t worth fighting the larger than average crowds. Spend the 4th someplace where your kids can enjoy fireworks and then go to Rushmore later in the week.
Bonus Information:
Just as we rolled back into our campsite after the lighting ceremony it began to rain. We quickly put the rain fly on the tent so everything wouldn't get wet. I went to get the now sleeping kids out of the car but the back door was locked. I quickly opened the front door, hit the door lock button, and shut the front door. Obviously now when I went to get the kids the back door was still locked, the front doors were now locked, and all of the car keys were inside with the sleeping kids. After banging on the doors for twenty minutes the babies finally woke up and started crying, but none of the bigger kids would flinch. Daven finally sat up, looked directly at the flashlight shining in his face and went back to bed. Paul looked up at us, turned to the crying baby, and pulled a blanket over his head. Finally, after about half an hour I realized that Paul's sleeping head was directly on the wheel well. I banged on the inside of the wheel well with such force that... lets just say he woke up suddenly and was able to unlock the doors.
As you probably know, this is the 100th anniversary of the National Park System as well as the 75th anniversary of the completion of Mount Rushmore. In celebration the Mount Rushmore Memorial has created a list of 99 activities to complete in and around the Black Hills. Our family, in our effort to do big things, has committed to completing all 99 of the activities by the end of 2016. The following is a log of our accomplishments for the month of May.
You can follow our continuing efforts via Twitter (@TrailheadFamily #Activity99). I will also update this blog at the end of each month.
If you would like to see our previous accomplishments, you can checkout the earlier post: http://trailheadfamily.blogspot.com/2016/04/activity-99-march-april.html
Devils Tower National Monument (5/12)
Learn to say the name of the rock Devils Tower is made of
Walk the Tower Trail
Complete the Junior Ranger Program
Learn how Devils Tower and Bear Butte are related
Learn about Devils Tower by reading the Visitor Center Displays
One of our favorite traditions is taking a yearly trip to Nauvoo Illinois. While this is often thought of as the Mormon Mecca, it is actually a great family vacation spot for people of any faith who have an interest in history and inexpensive family fun. We constantly receive requests for advice on how to plan an effective trip to Nauvoo and decided to put together a list of suggestions. This post will be the first in a series of recommendations regarding how to effectively vacation in Nauvoo.
Scheduling Your Trip
The historic sites in Nauvoo are open year round, but there is definitely more things for kids to do during the summer. Think about your expectations and choose the timing of your trip accordingly.
The Nauvoo pageant, the largest draw to the area, typically runs the last three weeks of July. While the pageant is wonderful it also brings larger crowds, making it difficult to get tickets for the indoor shows and carriage rides. If you have younger children the largest advantage of going during the pageant is the pre-pageant Country Fair which includes outdoor games, dancing, crafts, and a puppet show. On any given year our family may or may not attend the pageant, but we always spend as much time as possible at the Country Fair.
Fortunately most of the shows are running all summer long, so even if you don't come during pageant there is still plenty to do. Read through the recommendations below and figure out what will work best for your family. Then check online to see when each activity starts for the season.
Personally we like the first week of July. The city of Nauvoo puts on a great fireworks display and we can catch some of the other shows before the pageant starts. We usually stay for a whole week so we can still catch one night of each pageant, which is usually enough for our kids.
Daily Planning Vignettes
One of the most powerful things to experience in Nauvoo are the short Vignettes performed by members of the pageant cast. These performances highlight the spirit of Nauvoo in a way that you can't feel anywhere else. Most of the Vignettes are designed for an older audience so young children may get bored. If your kids would have trouble staying quite during a 15 minute monologue, then we wouldn't recommend trying to bring them to the Vignettes. We usually split up with one parent (often Mom) bringing one of the older kids to a vignette while the other adult (usually Dad or a grandparent) takes everyone else to the Pioneer Pastimes.
The one Vignette designed for children is the Youth of Zion. Whereas the other Vignettes are spiritual readings from historic journals, the Youth of Zion is a fun musical performance with some history mixed in. The timing of this Vignette can make it difficult for first time visitors who are trying to do it all, but this is one of the best performances for kids that struggle to sit still.
Shows
When people refer to Nauvoo as "Mormon Disney" they are most likely referring to the countless shows, all of which happen to be free. You will want to reserve tickets for the indoor shows plenty far in advance, and if you are visiting during the pageant we would recommend calling for tickets yesterday.
Obviously if you are visiting during the month of July you will want to watch the Nauvoo Pageant and possibly the British Pageant if it is playing. I can not stress enough the potential for these performances to change your life. Although you many be tempted to arrive early and get a seat up front, if you are bringing young children I would recommend instead getting a comfortable spot in the center back near the sound control booth. While amazing, the pageant is long and we typically end up helping little ones with multiple trips to the restroom. It is sometime also nice to stretch your legs, something not possible when you are in the middle of the crowd.
The two must see shows for kids are Just Plain Anna Amanda and Sunset on the Mississippi. Just Plain Anna Amanda is a musical comedy performed by the Young Performing Missionaries, college kids who spend the summer singing for visitors. Although it is possible to get in on standby, you will want tickets. The front row is reserved for kids, and it is worth showing up early and sending your kids up front. The show begins with a puppet show comedy act, followed by a musical showcasing what life was like for kids at the time. Just be prepared as our kids repeat the songs and jokes from this performance all year long.
Sunset on the Mississippi is our favorite show, as it combines the best of the Young Performing Missionaries as well as old people acting silly. The show is outside so you don't need tickets, plus if your kids get antsy they can get up and dance. You will want to come early so your kids can participate in the children's parade before the show begins. The only negative is that Sunset on the Mississippi conflicts with the Country Fair which makes for a difficult decision during pageant season.
For the slightly older crowd, we highly recommend Rendezvous in Old Nauvoo. This is a romantic comedy staring some very silly old people. Since the senior missionaries in this performance are not professional actors, it is hilarious to see them get out of their comfort zones. This is not a show for little kids, but if you have extra adults, and you can get tickets to the early showing, you may want to send the little kids to the Country Fair while a couple people catch this performance. If you brought along grandparents they may appreciate being sent to Rendezvous as a light hearted date and break from the grandkids.
When you look at the schedule you will see "The Promise" listed. This is a good show, but not exciting enough for some younger audiences. That said, if the forecast shows rain we would definitely try to grab some tickets. We try to get seats by the door because we usually end up taking at least one of our kids out to the hall.
One of the greatest parts about Nauvoo is the seemingly random musical performances that will crop up as you are walking around town. Be on the lookout for performances by the Nauvoo Brass Band and Bagpipers. We are sure there is a schedule posted somewhere, but we usually just catch them as we are hanging out around town.
If you are visiting Nauvoo during the summer, but not during pageant, you may be lucky enough to each one of the BYU traveling groups stopping by for a performance. Make sure to check the dates on the website to see who might be in town.
Rides
If you are looking for a relaxing activity you may want to consider taking either a Wagon Tour through Old Nauvoo or a Carriage Ride through the countryside. Both tours take about an hour, which may be a bit long for younger children, but they are great activities for grandparents. Tickets for these rides are distributed at the Visitor's Center first thing in the morning. If you are visiting during pageant the tickets will be gone quickly so make sure to arrive early. It is possible to get a seat or two on standby, but if you have kids with you then we wouldn't recommend this tactic.
The preferred alternative for young children is to take the oxen ride. This is a quick ride and doesn't require tickets. The kids will love seeing the oxen, you will get some cute pictures, but yet it is a much smaller commitment to you schedule. Make sure to visit the oxen early in the day as they will often stop the rides early if it gets hot outside.
Although not a ride, this seems like a good spot to mention the Hand Cart Trek. We have taken young kids on the Hand Cart Trek but wouldn't recommend it. This is a wonderful activity to save for your teenagers. Remember you will be back so don't feel like you have to do everything on this trip.
Historic Sites There are over 30 historic sites to visit in Old Nauvoo, far more than you can visit in one (or even 10 trips). Our kids have a list of favorites that we must visit every year, usually because of the free goodies, and then we add at least one new site with each visit.
The Brickyard should be your top priority, and our kids often go twice in the same trip. The depth of information varies drastically depending upon who is giving the presentation, but the kids are really just there for the free brick anyways. From a teaching perspective, this is a great opportunity to talk with your kids about the atonement.
Your next stop will probably be the Scovil Bakery, followed by a visit to the Family Living Center. The Bakery gives out free cookies, and who doesn't love cookies. The Family Living Center includes demonstrations of many common household tasks from the timeperiod. Kids love helping to make rope, and if you time it right you can score some killer homemade bread.
The last "must see" site is the Webb Brothers' Blacksmith Shop. This presentation is a little long for some younger kids, but this is the best place to learn about how the pioneers prepared to leave Nauvoo. As a bonus, if you needed one, everyone receives a keepsake prairie diamond ring at the end of the presentation. If your younger kids can't sit through the presentation you can play in the grass outside and they will still receive the souvenir at the end.
If you have young children, your goto place will quickly become Pioneer Pastimes. This play area includes pioneer clothes for dressing up as well as a number of games. Our kids average nearly 2 hours per day visiting Pioneer Pastimes. Make sure to bring your camera because the kids will look adorable in their little outfits. Although there are missionaries there to help, please remember that you are still responsible for supervising your own children.
While we visit the above sites every year, all of the sites in Old Nauvoo are staffed with missionaries who can share unique information about the city and life at the time. We really enjoy visiting the Print Shop, Browning Gunsmith Shop, and the Brigham Young Home. The Seventies Hall is wonderful for adults, but not great for kids. The Pendleton Home and Log School, though not our favorite, is tailored more for the school age audience. If it is your first visit to Nauvoo, we strongly recommend that you take a trip to the Joseph Smith Historic Site (run by the Community of Christ) in order to visit the Red Brick Store and Smith Family Cemetery.
Probably the coolest historic site is the Cultural Hall. The Cultural Hall is used as the stage for both Just Plain Anna Amanda and Rendezvous in Old Nauvoo, which makes it difficult to get a formal tour of the building. That said, if you can get in for a tour the history of the building, and particularly the upstairs dance hall, is just awesome.
Planning your Sunday
While it is nice to remain flexible during the week, it is often beneficial to plan out your Sunday activities as Nauvoo is one of the most spiritual places you can spend your sabbath.
It may sound strange, but we would highly recommend that you go to church on Sunday morning. We have attended both the missionary ward and the family ward while visiting Nauvoo. Either way it is a unique experience. Attendance can vary, but expect a huge turnout. We have gone for the past 10 years and have rarely been seated in the chapel.
After church we typically take family pictures. Whether you are LDS (and want pictures in from of the temple) or are just looking for some good scenery, Nauvoo is absolutely beautiful.
Sunday is our favorite time to visit Carthage, although it is also the busiest time to visit Carthage. The Brass Band performance is wonderful for kids and a great way to feel the spirit. After the performance we will often take the opportunity to share our testimonies and teach our kids about why we are willing to make the hard decision in life. Although there are also wonderful vignettes inside the Carthage Jail, it is a tight space and probably best only for older children. We prefer to make a separate trip to see the inside of the jail.
While the shows don't run on Sunday, most of the historic sites are still open on Sunday afternoon, so this is a great time to peacefully explore Old Nauvoo.
If your kids are up for it, or if they can sleep in a stroller, then Sunday evening is a wonderful time to visit the Trail of Hope. This walk out of Nauvoo can easily be a spiritual highlight of your life. Make sure that you are both spiritually prepared for this walk and that you bring bug spray.
We hope you find this information useful. We will be posting additional advice for visiting Nauvoo over the coming weeks. Nauvoo is a great tradition and one we hope you will consider experiencing with your family.
When we came back the elevators were both broken with an unknown date of repair. Fortunately the ranger was willing to talk us through the whole cave tour while standing at the natural entrance. This time the wind was sucking into the wind at 10+ mph. Obviously it wasn't as exciting as actually seeing the inside of the cave, but at least we learned about the history and geology of the cave. Since we were the only ones there my son had time to ask a ton of questions.
