Do you love a little history with your fun day trips? If you’ve been looking for a unique and historic wagon ride in Illinois, look no further than Historic Nauvoo’s oxen-powered wagon tour. If you’re up for a day trip adventure, then this historic spot is ready for you to take on all they have to offer. Grab that bucket list and mark down the only oxen-powered adventure Illinois has.
Welcome to a little bit of history that you can explore in the present, a little place named Nauvoo. This historic site is all about the early settlers in this area, the ways they lived, and how they got around.
Jonathan Geiger/Flickr
How they got around is actually the focus of this whole trip. Taking a wagon ride pulled by horses is always fun, but have you been pulled along by oxen yet? Just like this yoke, you’ll need to strap in for all the history you can learn in one day at Nauvoo.
Historic Nauvoo Facebook
Strong oxen-pulled carriages similar to this one were used back when settlers first arrived here, but you can ride in one yourself without all the extra baggage. If you have time and planning skills, taking other rides can help you get a full day’s adventure out of this trip.
Historic Nauvoo Facebook
Taking the “Mormon Trail” with the oxen wagon ride won’t last all day, but have no fear; the Nauvoo Historic Site and visitor center has a lot to teach you! Historic buildings, performance events, activities for kids, and wagon rides pulled by horses can easily take up a whole day in a fun way.
JazzChick/Flickr
Who wouldn’t enjoy learning about the local history of wagons and the old technology used in the area? That history includes this ferry contraption used to help covered wagons ford rivers. Thankfully you won’t have to ford any rivers to get here, but you will have to sit in a wagon during the oxen experience.
Ken Lund/Flickr
Similar to how oxen eat anything green instead of being picky about grasses and grains like a horse, you have a wide variety of Nauvoo history to consume here at various locations. Why not make a day trip of it?
Quinn Dombrowski/Flickr
If you don’t mind driving around a town to explore more than just one piece of the historical puzzle, you might enjoy a small town in Illinois with more historic buildings than most can boast.
Jonathan Geiger/Flickr
Historic Nauvoo Facebook
JazzChick/Flickr
Ken Lund/Flickr
Quinn Dombrowski/Flickr
OnlyInYourState may earn compensation through affiliate links in this article.
Address: Nauvoo Visitors Center, 290 Main St, Nauvoo, IL 62354, USA
