Planning for a Group Visit to New York and Pennsylvania

The New York and Pennsylvania Historic Sites are a popular destination for many groups due to the key role they play in the restoration of Christ’s gospel. From bus tours to school classes to family reunions, careful planning and coordination with the historic sites guest services will help you have a better experience while visiting.

Group reservations are for groups of 15 or more people. Though they should not submit a reservation request, smaller groups may still find the information on this page to be helpful as you plan your visit to New York and Pennsylvania.

There are a number of things to see and do during your visit to these historic sites. We recommend checking out the Tours page and the All Locations page to explore the options. If you are coming with children or youth, the Planning for a Family Visit section has more specific recommendations for younger audiences.

Given the size of the historic buildings, you may need to divide your larger group into smaller groups of approximately 10–15 individuals in order to participate in tours.

Depending on your group’s size and needs, there are a variety of places to gather or to reserve for special meetings during your visit to the historic sites. Not every facility or location is available on demand, and careful planning is required for large groups visiting during the busy summer months. When our facilities are not sufficient or available, consider looking at venues not associated with the historic sites.

Explore the possible gathering places listed below. A particular venue can be requested when filling out the Group Reservation Request. Please note that just because a venue is requested, it does not necessarily guarantee that it can be reserved. Await a group reservation request confirmation to verify if your requested venue was available and subsequently reserved for your group.

• Sacred Grove Gathering Place
• Hill Cumorah Visitors’ Center Basement
• Priesthood Restoration Site Gathering Place

There are also several picnic areas at the historic sites that do not require a reservation. Please be aware that they are first-come, first-served, though the meetinghouse pavilions can be reserved through local stake representatives. Find out more information about these picnic areas below.

• Martin and Lucy Harris Farm
• Palmyra New York Stake Center Pavilion
• Fayette Meetinghouse Pavilion
• Whitmer Farm Picnic Area
• Priesthood Restoration Site Pavilion

Although the Palmyra New York Stake Center, Fayette Ward Meetinghouse, and Susquehanna Branch Meetinghouse are nearby and sometimes connected to the historic sites, reservations of these facilities are not managed by the historic sites. You can call any of the nearby visitors’ centers for contact information to reserve these buildings through local stake representatives.

Guidelines for Historic Sites and the Community

• Only missionaries may conduct tours; do not conduct discussions or classes for your group inside the historic sites.
• Always provide youth and children with appropriate adult supervision.
• Groups using a reserved outdoor gathering place must leave by dusk, and groups using a reserved historic site must leave by 9:00 p.m.
• Pay attention to your group’s noise level.
• Remain on sidewalks and designated trails and stay off private residential property.
• Do not obstruct traffic or walk in the street.
• Clean up after yourselves if you have outdoor activities, and do not litter at any time.
• Obey posted signs and local traffic ordinances.
• Park only in designated parking areas.
• Busses and other large vehicles—including RVs—must follow designated bus routes and park only in designated bus parking areas. Do not unload passengers while stopped in a street.

Guidelines for Non-Church-Sponsored Historic Sites

Several historic sites adjacent to the Church sponsored sites hold significance to the history of the Saints in the area (see our What’s Nearby Northen Pennsylvania and What’s Nearby Western New York pages). These sites are owned and operated by other parties and religious groups. Their owners graciously welcome visitors of all faiths, and we encourage you to include these sites in your planning.

If you choose to visit any of these sites, please adhere to the following guidelines:

• Guided tours should only be provided by volunteers or staff of the sponsoring organization. If you take a tour, please be respectful of their presentation and of their perspectives on historic events.
• If you visit these historic sites without taking the official tour, please respect all signage and rules indicated for the site.
• Do not conduct classes or discussions within these sites unless previously authorized by site managers. Take your discussions beyond the site after visiting to help preserve the desired atmosphere at the site.
• Yield to all scheduled tours hosted by site volunteers and staff.

Please fill out the Group Reservation Request for the New York Historic Sites and/or the Pennsylvania Historic Sites to tell us about your group and your plans. After submitting the form, a missionary will contact you to discuss what is available at the site(s) for the date(s) you request and to finalize your reservation. Please be aware we cannot arrange lodging, food, or transportation.

At each of these sites, there is ample parking for buses in the designated parking lots. Buses may not park along the street at any of these sites. Buses also may not stop at any time on public streets to unload or pick up passengers.

Please note that though the Grandin Printshop appears to be a store front on Main Street, there is sufficient parking in the parking lot behind the building via William Street.

For questions about best practices for buses in Palmyra, contact the Palmyra Town Government for additional information: 1-315-597-5521.