Church History Road Trip Games: From the Sacred Grove to Martin's Cove

Standing in the Sacred Grove, walking the streets of Nauvoo or touching the walls of a Kirtland schoolhouse can change the way a family reads the Doctrine and Covenants. But the hours in the car between sites can test anyone's patience.

This guide pairs the main Church history sites with free Church history games your family can play on a phone along the way, so they arrive knowing what happened there and why it matters.

Church history sites worth the drive

The Church maintains a network of museums, historic sites, monuments and markers. From Vermont to California, there are more than two dozen Church-owned historic sites in the United States. A few favorites for a family road trip:

• Sacred Grove, Palmyra, New York: where Heavenly Father and His Son, Jesus Christ, appeared to young Joseph Smith in 1820.
• Historic Kirtland, Ohio: a visitors' center and six historic buildings, including the Newel K. Whitney store and a sawmill.
• Historic Nauvoo, Illinois: the Church's headquarters from 1839 to 1846. Check the Church's site for seasonal hours.
• Martin's Cove, Sixth Crossing and Rock Creek Hollow, Wyoming: three sites that remember the 1856 handcart companies.

Always check each site's page for current hours and reservations before you go.

Church History Geo: find it on the map

Church History Geo names a place and what happened there, and you tap where you think it is on the map. You score points for closeness, plus a speed bonus. Pick one of three maps: New York, Pennsylvania and Ohio; Missouri and Illinois; or the trail west. You can also play all three.

For example: "Fayette, New York. The Church is organized (April 6, 1830)." In our test, a tap 12 miles away earned a bull's-eye and 104 points, including the speed bonus, plus a link to the heading of D&C 21.

Play the map for the region you're about to visit the night before. Kids will start recognizing names like Kirtland, Far West and Nauvoo on road signs.

Hidden Saints: who am I?

Church history is full of people whose stories aren't told often enough. Hidden Saints gives you eight people, one clue at a time. Each starts at 5 points, and each extra clue costs a point. Choices include early Saints like Jane Manning James, Elijah Able and Louisa Barnes Pratt, plus Mischa Markow, who was raised in Eastern Orthodox Christianity and worked as a barber before preaching the gospel in Europe.

It's a good way to show children that the Restoration was built by ordinary people from many places and backgrounds.

Timeline and First Temple in Each Country

The Church History Timeline has three rounds of five events to put in order, such as the organization of the Relief Society in Nauvoo, the recruitment of the Mormon Battalion and crickets swarming the pioneers' crops. First Temple in Each Country asks you to order countries by when their first temple was dedicated, from a list of 53 countries.

Is Tonga earlier than the United Kingdom? El Salvador or Sweden? Most families argue about this one.

Church Growth Guesser

Church Growth Guesser asks 10 questions about members, missions and temples in different years, such as 1977, 2000 and 2025. For example: how many temples were in operation at the end of 2010?

It's a quiet way to show children how much the Church has grown. Today there are 386 temples dedicated, under construction or announced.

More for the drive

• Heading west? Play the Pioneer Trail and the Handcart Challenge. See our pioneer trek guide.
• Visiting temples on the way? Track them in the Temple Passport. See Temple Games.
• Reading the revelations as you go? Revelation Map shows where each section was received. See Doctrine and Covenants Games.
• Before you leave: the Church's Church History Topics are short, reliable background reading for each site.

Questions families ask

Do the games work without Wi-Fi?

The games need an internet connection to load, so open the next game before you drive into a rural stretch with weak signal.

What ages are they for?

Church History Geo and the Timeline work well for ages 8 and up with a little help. Hidden Saints and Church Growth Guesser suit youth and adults.

Are Church history sites free?

Many Church-owned sites offer free admission and tours. Check each site's official page for current details and reservations.

Is this affiliated with the Church?

No. These games are made by Weak Things. They are not affiliated with or endorsed by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Keep reading

• Pioneer Trek Prep: The Handcart Game
• Doctrine and Covenants Games
• Before They Were Apostles