joseph smith birthplace memorial

michaelrU1104JQ

A local must see for the Christmas light show. Beautiful grounds in any season.A visitors center also.

Bear59

I recommend visiting this site during the Christmas holidays, especially when there is snow. The festive lights are mapical! Also it is worth spending some time, visiting the interpretive center, where you can see a film on the life of Joseph Smith, founder of the Mormon Church. Who knew that Nathan Smith, MD, founder of Dartmouth Medical School, was called out to operate on young Joseph's leg and, in fact, save it? And that Smith's family had lived in Lebanon, NH, and was "warned out of town" from Norwich, VT, after three successive crop failures, before moving to Palmyra?I also enjoyed talking with the Elders. They were also very kind to my young friend, who accompanied me on my last trip there.

nctraveler112010

My husband and I knew that we would be stopping at this LDS landmark, as we ourselves are LDS. But, having converted to the LDS faith as adults, we know that we would have enjoyed this activity even prior to becoming members of the LDS church. The visitors center is interesting, warm & informative. The missionaries who are there to welcome visitors are eager to share information while not being overbearing on those who wish to experience the memorial on their own. The memorial itself is beautiful. And the tree-lined drive up to the memorial is breathtaking. This is one of the most worthwhile hours you'll ever spend!

clmspas

Interesting from an outsider's point of view. Well kept monument and trails are extensive. Yes, the music is a little creepy.

974gailt

Wanted to surprise a houseguest/friend, who happens to be Morman, with a detour to Joseph Smith's birthplace. I am not Morman but found the free docent-led tour and the displays in the Welcome Center quite interesting. Getting there takes you along scenic roads and the setting itself is park-like, beautifully landscaped. Heard the history of the parents and grandparents and saw the foundation of the tiny house where Joseph Smith and his siblings were raised, The story of how a 38.5 foot long obelisk got from a single piece of granite from the Barre quarry in 1905 to this mountaintop in Sharon/Royalton is fascinating, seemingly impossible, perhaps miraculous. This beautiful place will be added to the itinerary for future guests.

acciodogs

We stopped at the Joseph Smith Birthplace & Memorial after a 3-day stay at a local cabin. The grounds were lovely and the staff were eager and welcoming. Admittedly, I know little of the Mormon faith, but it was an interesting diversion.

chuckwagon1

This is WAY out of the way, but if you want to see the birthplace of the Mormon prophet, this is the place. There is a visitor center with a lot of displays and presentations. There are a couple of seniors who run the place and are generally very pleasant. They know a ton of stuff about the site. There is a cool monument (obelisk) that commemorates Joseph Smith's birth. If you happen to be there when no one else is there (which is not unusual regardless of the time of year), you can ask the guides to take you to the homesites of several other noted persons in LDS history (these sites are in the hills above the visitor center and are accessible by golf cart). What you really need to do is drive around the mountain to Rauner Special Collections Library at Dartmouth University where they will show you an extremely rare FIRST EDITION of the Book of Mormon -- which they will let you handle with your own ungloved hands. Super cool. 30 minutes from the JS Birthplace site.

muchtraveled55

A very pleasant place to stop and learn just a little off the beaten path. The guides are very friendly and welcoming and the experience is restful as well as insightful.

Shep6

My 4 kids and I stopped in and the missionaries where great to adjust to my kids attention span and there many questions. She gave them a coloring sheet of the monument and a small crayon pack! My kids loved hearing about the granite since we had just recently been to rock of ages in barre where the Monument came from. She was also able to run down to the foundations in the woods and my kids and I loved seeing the old turn pike. Overall great historical stop and religious highlight!

sugarbushfarm

For those interested in learning more about Joseph Smith and the Church of Latter-Day Saints this is a very informative place. The tour is not too long, and just very factual and there is no feeling of religious pressure. For those just looking for a wonderfully landscaped place with beautiful flowers, the monument made of Vermont granite, picnic area, and walk in the woods make this a nice place to enjoy the Vermont beauty and peace

Utahbirder

We arrived just at closing time, but the missionaries were very accommodating, and kept the facilities open as long as we wanted to stay, and were very knowledgeable. A very pleasant and informative experience.

MichiganDiesel

An informative overview of Joseph Smith Jr., the founder of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, birth and early family life, A polished shaft of solid Vermont granite, one of the largest in the world, marks the place of his birth. The presentation on how the solid granite shaft was moved to the hill top is a great story of American ingenuity. Very beautiful surrounding scenery.

bobielo123

By going here you can only be more open to other people and their beliefs; interesting history of a religion that I only know little about ; welcomed by the mission delegates who gave us information. A brief overview of Joseph Smith's life and the development of the LDS movement. Beautifully kept grounds and the granite memorial was an impressive one vast piece of solid natural Vermont granite.