The popularity of the HBO hit Big Love has had the unexpected consequence of spawning cultural tours of polygamist communities around Utah and other U.S. states with small polygamist populations.

Supporters and tour organizers say that the cultural tours are providing a unique educational experience for participants, allowing them to see the history and current inner workings of a formerly secretive subset of the American people.

“This is a chance for the general American public to see how we live and that we just live by our values. I was 13 when I was promised to our Leader. The golden tablets, found by Joseph Smith in upstate New York, are part of the true Principle and since they tell us to do this, we do it. My four sister wives (one of whom really is my sister) are my best friends. See? We’re not wacky or fringe,” said mother of six, Angelia Bowman of Hudson, Utah.

Multi-Love Tours, LLC, currently the only tour operator of this type in the country, offers two “plural marriage” tours per week in various Utah towns and one town per week in Idaho and Montana. There are a variety of tours available, ranging from a 3-hour tour of a suburban trio of houses to a 2-day overnight tour complete with mandatory costumes and the option to “play” a sister-wife at the local sect’s rural compound.

Reaction from tour participants appears to be mixed. Said one participant who declined to give her name, “We love the show and thought the tour would show the sets, let us walk through the three houses, stuff like that. We even thought there was a possibility to meet Ginnifer Goodwin. We weren’t expecting to meet real polygamists – it’s kind of gross to see them in real life.”

Said Ryan Houseman, age 17, of Midland, Texas, “The best part was seeing their nighttime schedules – man, that guy must be tired, but in a good way if you know what I mean!”

The company is also planning a Celebrity Cruise for polygamists and those interested in meeting them and learning more about the culture. Seminars, lectures, and social mixers are planned. The Alaskan cruise will leave Los Angeles on June 17 of this year.

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Tags: Big Love, HBO, polygamy, Utah

This entry was posted on Thursday, March 12th, 2009 at 5:01 pm and is filed under Cruises, Cultural Tourism, Fun and Random, TV and Videos. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.