Ingalls Homestead

We went here with an 8-year-old Laura fan and her 3-year-old little sister. The Homestead is on a 10-acre section of the original Ingalls' Homestead. Several buildings have been moved here (e.g., a claim shanty, two schools, and a church) and a few are replicas such as the Ingalls' shanty and the hat-roof barn.

Everything was very hands on and kid friendly. Kids could do laundry in a wash tub and hang it on a line to dry, play a pump organ, work a treadle sewing machine, braid cloth for a rug, make a jump rope, make a corn cob doll, attend school at a one-room school house, drive a covered wagon, drive a pony cart, ride a pony, etc.

We got there at 10 am on a very hot day (temps in the 90s) and we stayed for a little over 2 hours. We didn't walk to the church because it seemed like a long walk in the hot sun, but we did everything else. We could have stayed a bit longer but we were hot and hungry so we left. We went they last weekend in June before the Pageant Days so it wasn't very busy and we never had to stand in line to do any activities.

Refrigerators with bottled water were scattered around the 10 acres. The bottles were 75 cents each and you pay in the gift shop when you leave.

Nice gift shop.

You must visit this site if you are a Laura fan. We have been to every Laura Ingalls Wilder site except Burr Oak, and my child says this is the best one yet! I really enjoyed it, too. This site is excellent for children. It really immerses them in prairie life.

My child got to drive a team of horses pulling a covered wagon. We rode in the covered wagon to the one room school where we were taught a school lesson typical of Laura's time period. We then rode in the covered wagon to a beautiful old Lutheran church located on the property. My child also got to drive a pony cart, make a corncob doll, a jump rope, wash clothes with lye soap and a washboard, pet a calf, and twist hay like Laura and Pa did to keep from freezing to death in The Long Winter.

The five cottonwoods that Pa planted (one for each of his girls and Ma) are still there! This was one of the most exciting things for me. There is also an exact replica of the Ingalls claim shanty that sits in the exact spot the original one did. One of the employees at the homestead said that, after Laura started writing the Little House series, someone (I can't remember who) had Laura and Almanzo come out to the homestead site and point out exactly where things were. Laura also verified the cottonwoods were indeed the ones Pa planted. This person obviously realized the historical significance of preserving this information.

We love Laura and the Ingalls Homestead was a joy to visit!

Wonderful time with the kids! Definitely a place to stop if you are passing through. Kids will learn how the farmers lived in that time period. Bought the book "farmer boy" and have been reading it to the kids as past time on our road trip and they love it.

This is a really cool place to stop to learn about life on the prairie. There is a lot to see and do, especially for kids. The staff are wonderful and really work to ensure that you have a fun and educational experience.

I was a big fan of the Laura Ingalls Wilder books when I was growing up but hadn't really thought about them in many years. I was driving through South Dakota in my RV though, and so decided to visit this area to take a look. (It's a little less than an hour from I-90 and so definitely a detour.)

What a great place! Between visiting the spots in town (including the house that the rest of the family lived soon after Laura got married, the schoolhouse, the surveyors' house where the family lived their first winter there, etc.) and the homestead property, this was all really interesting and gave me a really good sense of what life was like for Laura and her family.

I stayed overnight in my RV on the homestead, which was really a treat.

Since then, I re-read all the books, as well as some biographies of Laura and the "Pioneer Girl" book. It all seems much more real now that I have actually visited the area.

Even though I saw all the commercial stuff, I absolutely want to go back here. I'd like to see the land where Laura and Almanzo lived right after they were married, for instance.

The main problem is that there are not any good restaurants in the area. So be prepared for that.

Otherwise, for those who ever were fans of the books (and maybe for others), this is a really terrific place. Well worth taking the time to visit.

When you were little did you ever have a fantasy place in your head, a place so fabulous you knew you would probably never actually go there? I am here to tell you that you CAN visit that fantasy place and yesterday I did just that.

I have loved the Little House Books all of my life. I was motivated to learn how to ride a two wheeler so I could take myself over to the library and check the books out more often. I bought the series in paperback as an adult and purchased them yesterday in hardback in a crate. They are books I have read over and over, read them to my second grade class (proudest day of 2nd grade) and read them to my own children.

The Ingalls Homestead has the dug out, the shanty, the school house, the house, a covered wagon and it just goes on and on. Children can run freely, pump water, feed animals and take wagon rides. The gift shop is terrific and the introductory DVD is great.

You can even camp here, in a covered wagon and no, I am NOT that big of a fan. Ha! But I just absolutely loved the whole experience! My second grade self was happily pretending to be Laura Ingalls and you know, so was my 59 year old self!

I know De Smet, SD is not exactly close to your house but if you are a Laura Ingalls Wilder fan you have to make the pilgrimage. Ma and Pa would want it.

I was surprised to have enjoyed this place very much. I haven't even read the Little House on the Prairie books. All I knew was that I had two days to spend in South Dakota, and we pretty much did everything we wanted to do in Sioux Falls, so we decided to drive the two hours to De Smet to visit what was named a "1,000 Places to See Before You Die" site (though, it should be noted that they were listed in the USA version, not the original world version).

The Ingalls Homestead is actually pretty amazing. We were lucky to visit on a beautiful sunny day---I could see this place being horrible if it was raining. You first watch a short video about the homestead, then you're given a map to start the tour on your own. The plantation is massive, of course, and you walk from little house to little house, learning about how the Ingalls family lived. Even if you're not a fan of the books, it's still interesting to hear about the history and what it was like living on a prairie.

I got a kick out of the kittens that were free to roam around the homestead and the small horses that little kids could ride. Later on, we rode a covered wagon (all the kids got a chance to steer) to the schoolhouse, where we were lectured (in a good way) about schools in the late 1800s.

The whole tour, if you take your time looking at everything, takes about 1.5-2 hours total. There's a gift shop where you can buy all the books, of course. Since I figured I might as well get started (and we had a 2 hour drive back to Sioux Falls), I bought the audio version of "Little House in the Big Woods."

This is a great place for kids, fans of the books, and anyone who enjoys a good history lesson.

A great place for the history of laura Ingall's wilder. the employees love there jobs ,and are very polite,and the landscape is beautiful ,and they have Laura's actual house she lived in.they also have animals and they give rides on wagons,and ponies,I recommend this place to everyone passing through.

What a fantastic place. I traveled here with two other adults and three children 10-3 years of age. Aside from parent taking photos no one was stuck on their phone. The kids even loved learning to wash clothing. Staff was great. Horse rides, school session, hands on activities and baby animals. We all learned things and I will never forget the sound of all of the visiting children's laughter across the prairie.

We loved our visit. It was beautiful, the people were knowledgable and friendly. The kids loved the animals & all the great hands-on activities!