Hill Cumorah

We experienced the Hill Cumorah in two parts.   Once we arrived in Palmyra we stopped first at the Hill Cumorah and hiked to the monument they have there of Moroni.  It was late in the afternoon and we were expecting it to rain soon so we seized the opportunity. 

The views from the top of the hill were gorgeous. 

 I truly couldn't believe I was on top of the Hill Cumorah. My whole life I had been taught the story of Moroni delivering the plates to Joseph Smith on a hillside and here I stood.  The reality never sunk in. 

 My kids of course took full advantage of rolling down the big hill. 

On our way down we went a different way than we had gone up.  The way up was paved and a large path.  The way down was not paved and was literally through the woods.  It gave such a better depiction of what it would have been like for Joseph Smith.  You could feel the reverence of the area.  I was telling Cassidy why a statue of Moroni was at the top of this hill.  After I finished the story, she said, "This is a special, special, special place."  We really tried to emphasize to the kids being calm in these places and thinking about how they were feeling there so they could recognize the sacredness of the places they were.

We went through the Visitor Center the next morning.  It was so pretty.  We watched a great video about Joseph Smith receiving the plates.  The videos really helped the kids to visually understand what happened there.  They also had many interactive displays for the kids that helped them as well.