Skip to main content
Shedd Aquarium

Nauvoo House

890 Main St,, Nauvoo, IL 62354

Historic Sites

In 1841 a group of investors, led by Church of Latter Day Saints founder Joseph Smith, began a joint-stock company to build a massive hotel called the Nauvoo House.

Slowly over the course of the next few years, the building began to take shape. Construction continued after Joseph's death in 1844, but the walls were not yet three stories high when work stopped in 1846.  Decades later Emma Smith’s second husband, Lewis Bidamon, finished part of the structure and together they operated it as a boarding house called the Riverside Mansion.  It was in this building that Emma Smith Bidamon lived during the last eight years of her life. 

More Information

  • Mon: 9:00am – 5:00pm
  • Tue: 9:00am – 5:00pm
  • Wed: 9:00am – 5:00pm
  • Thu: 9:00am – 5:00pm
  • Fri: 9:00am – 5:00pm
  • Sat: 9:00am – 5:00pm
  • Sun: 1:00pm – 5:00pm

There is a $4.00 preservation fee per person for the guided tour of the Smith homes.

How to find us?

Back to Listings

You might also be interested...

Brickyard

Nauvoo

The brickmaker will demonstrate how bricks were formed, dried and baked here in Old Nauvoo.

Read more about Brickyard

Browning Home & Gunsmith

Nauvoo

Tour the Jonathan Browning Home and Gun Shop and learn about the humble beginnings of the worldwide Browning Arms Corporation.

Read more about Browning Home & Gunsmith

Lyon Drug & Variety Store

Nauvoo

Browse the shelves of an 1840s drugstore and discover the inventory of a period business establishment, including medicines, textiles, hardware, and household items. Be sure to…

Read more about Lyon Drug & Variety Store

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Get inspired by top travel stories, gain access to exclusive promotions and contests, and discover even more reasons to #EnjoyIllinois.