June 6:  The journey begins! Our group will depart early this morning from Salt Lake City. By flying, we eliminate 47 hours on the bus and 5 days of traveling the plains!  Tonight, we will visit Liberty Jail and Far West.
June 7: Our day begins at Adam-ondi-Ahman where we will discuss the great future Sacrament meeting which will be held there. We will arrive in Nauvoo later today.  As we travel between these sites, we will listen on the bus about the Mormon Battalion, Zion’s Camp, and the Pioneers. Tonight we will play “Nauvoo in the Dark”, a way to gain an appreciation and love for the gospel while having a ton of fun!
June 8: Our full day in Nauvoo will be spent visiting the historic sites and homes with tours given by set apart missionaries.  Some of the sites we will visit today include Joseph Smith’s home and grave site, the Red Brick Store, the Visitors’ Center, the Women’s Statue Gardens, the Seventies Hall, Brigham Young’s home, Wilford Woodruff’s home, Heber C. Kimball’s home.  You may also want to visit the the Browning Home & Gun Shop, the John Taylor Home, the Lucy Mack Smith Home, the Nauvoo Groves, Pioneer Pastimes, the Print Shop, the Scovil Bakery, the Tin Shop, the Blacksmith Shop, and so much more. Our day will end by attending Sunset on the Mississippi.
June 9: This morning we will visit Carthage Jail where Joseph and Hyrum sealed their testimonies as martyrs.  Then it is back to Nauvoo for a walk down the Trail of Hope. This is the street that the Saints walked just before crossing the Mississippi River.  It was here that the Pioneers took their first steps toward the Salt Lake Valley.
June 10: Today we will visit the Johnson Farm in Hiram, Ohio. It was here that Doctrine and Covenants Section 76 was received.  Joseph and Sidney saw the Celestial Kingdom, the Father and the Savior, and many other things in the upper room of this home.  This is a very sacred place.
June 11:  Our morning begins by attending Sacrament Meeting with a local ward in Ohio. The rest of the day will be spent in sacred Kirtland, Ohio. Our first stop in Kirtland will be a tour of the interior of the Kirtland Temple.  It was here that the Savior appeared to Joseph and Oliver.  Moses, Elias, and Elijah also appeared and restored Keys of the Priesthood.  We will visit the Visitors’ Center, the Newel K. Whitney home (where Joseph and Emma lived) and the Newel K. Whitney store (which included the School of the Prophets and where many revelations, including the Word of Wisdom, were received).  We will also visit the reconstructed Kirtland Schoolhouse, and the Kirtland Ashery, along with a reconstructed water-powered sawmill.  We will visit the Morley Farm where General Conference was held, the Father and the Son appeared, where missionaries were first sent from, and where the first High Priests of this dispensation were ordained. We will have a catered lunch at the Chaplin Forest Stone Quarry where much of the stone for the Kirtland Temple was obtained.
June 12: Our love for America and an appreciation for the freedoms we enjoy will be enhanced as we spend the day in Washington DC.  We will learn about Heavenly Father’s purpose of establishing America for individual freedom and as a place where the gospel could be restored.  Today we will visit the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery, the Lincoln Memorial, the Washington Memorial, war memorials, and the exterior of the White House, the Capitol Building, and the Supreme Court.
June 13: You will have time this morning to explore the many Smithsonian Institute Museums. Later in the day, we will visit the Washington DC Temple and Visitors’ Center where we will have a special devotional.
June 14: Today we travel to Harmony, PA and the Susquehanna River.  It was here that the Priesthood was restored, several sections of the Doctrine and Covenants were received, and where most of the Book of Mormon was translated.  After lunch, we will go to Watkins Glen State Park which includes hiking trails, cascading waterfalls, and the most picturesque views imaginable. We will then travel on to Fayette, NY where we will visit the Peter Whitmer Farm.  This is where the Church was officially organized.  It was also in Fayette that the Three Witnesses saw the angel and the plates.  Some of the Book of Mormon was also translated at the Whitmer Farm.
June 15: We will spend a full day seeing the sacred historical sites in Palmyra.  Our stops will include the Sacred Grove, the Smith Family Farm, the rebuilt log home where the Moroni visits took place, the Hill Cumorah, the Grandin Press (where the Book of Mormon was first published), the Martin Harris Farm, the Palmyra Cemetery, and the exterior of the Palmyra Temple.  Our discussions today will focus on the First Vision and the Book of Mormon.
June 16:  After a return visit to the Sacred Grove this morning, we will fly home from the Rochester, New York airport.

Register Here | Testimonials | Detailed Itinerary

Prices are per person, and are based on hotel room occupancy:

Quad Occupancy: $2,149
Triple Occupancy: $2,249
Double Occupancy: $2,449
(2 queen sized beds are in each hotel room)

Prices include round trip flights from Salt Lake City, deluxe chartered bus, all hotels, 3 meals per day, personal tour guides & historians, chaperons, materials & handouts, ground transportation for the airports, daily snacks & water, journal, and all entrance fees.  

Our Youth Church History Tour sells out very early.  By registering, and paying the initial payment of $300, your spot is secured on our trip.  The $300 is fully refundable until 90 days prior to departure.

Details

My name is Tom Pettit and I am the owner of Living Heritage Tours.  I conduct Church History Tours several times each year.  Of all the tours I lead, the annual Youth Church History Tour is my absolute favorite one to do.  Since returning from my mission to Australia, I have spent the past 20 years teaching the gospel to youth and adults through church callings, church history tours, and speaking engagements.  I also share the gospel by teaching the events of the Restoration and by teaching the doctrine of the Latter-Day revelations at the actual sites where they took place!  However, my focus on this tour is not to just teach the history, but to help the tour participants draw closer to the Savior by applying the lessons learned from these historical events to our own daily life.  I love church history because of the revealed truths, the clarity of God’s love for His children, and the inspiring stories of those early Saints.  You can hear me tell some of my favorite stories from Church History by checking out my YouTube channel.  You can also learn more about me and Living Heritage Tours by visiting the About Us page and also my Blog.

Testimonial: Click Here to read what past attendees have said about this tour!

Additional Information:  Please click here for additional Information Packet

Chaperones:  Our chaperones are usually recently returned sister missionaries who bring a contagious passion for the gospel to the tour. They are living proof that living the gospel can bring so much happiness into our lives. They are anxious to share their testimonies, knowledge of the gospel, and their righteous examples with those who join the tour.

Roommates:  You are guaranteed to room with your friends or family members.  Just let us know who you want to room with and we will make sure it happens.  Many attendees come on their own.  We can help find 1, 2, or 3 roommates for you.  Each hotel room has 2 queen sized beds.  Roll away beds will not be available.

Booking Requirements:  A $300 payment, per person, is required to confirm your reservation.  The $300 is refundable until 90 days prior to departure when the remaining balance is due.

Terms and Conditions:  All rates are per person and are based on room occupancy.  Rates are for cash or check payments.  If you would like to make your final payment with a credit card, please add 3% for the bank’s credit card fee.

Airfare:  Because of our tight itinerary, and because flights are commonly delayed, we strongly encourage you to fly with the group from Salt Lake. Exceptions might be made if certain conditions are met. Please inquire if you will not be able to fly directly with the group. Our group flight from Salt Lake City on June 6 departs at 5:45am. We will be meeting at the airport at 4:15am. The flight home from Rochester, NY on June 16 arrives in Salt Lake City at 10:10pm.

Additional Charges:  Advertised rates include airfare, deluxe chartered bus, all hotels, all meals, personal tour guides & historians, chaperons, materials & handouts, ground transportation for the airport in Kansas City and Rochester airports, daily snacks & water, and all entrance fees. You may want to bring some money for incidentals and souvenirs.

Dietary Needs:  We will do all we can to help those with dietary needs. About two months prior to the tour, we will provide the daily menu which will include websites and phone numbers of all the places we will eat. This will give you a chance to determine what meals will work and what meals will not work. For those meals that won’t work, we will coordinate alternative meals. This takes some effort on everyone’s part, but we have been very successful at keeping everyone very well fed. Because of the extra expense for special ordered meals, a $50 charge will be added to the cost of the tour so these arrangements can be made for those that desire this assistance.

Tour Size: This tour will sell out with 102 youth traveling on two buses!

Food: We eat a lot of food! We have never run out of food. All of our meals are catered from places like Chick-fil-A, Subway, Dominos, and Chipotle. We also have several meals that are provided by catering companies so we get our healthy food in too!

Families & Others: This Youth Church History Tour is specifically designed for teenagers. Parents and others who would like to join this tour may do so, but the pace of the tour is designed for teenagers, and we relate the historical information and the scriptures to that age group.

Standards:  We expect that the principles taught in the For the Strength of Youth pamphlet will be followed by all attendees in regards to dress, language, and behavior.

YouTube:  Visit my YouTube channel to preview some of the topics discussed at each historical site, and to hear me tell some of my favorite stories from Church History.

Thank you for considering a Youth Church History Tour with Living Heritage Tours. We are very excited to help those that participate have an incredible experience that they will remember for the rest of their lives! Additional information can be found by clicking here.

While traveling on the bus, you will hear the history, personal accounts, and the stories of the events surrounding the restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ. By the time you return home, you will have heard the history of the Church from 1805 to 1846…while standing in the actual places the events took place!

After completing your registration, you will receive a Welcome Packet which will provide you with everything you will need to prepare for this upcoming tour. You may register for our tour online or by calling our office directly.