Ingalls Homestead — Attraction in De Smet

We didn’t know what to expect but we came away completely charmed by this bit of living history. After reading all the Ingalls books as a family, we decided to visit the South Dakota homestead, where the majority of the events from the books take place. Another draw to this SD homestead was the outdoor pageant/drama across the road from the homestead that takes place during several weekends in July. The pageant was fun and cute and well done, for community theatre. We then headed to our family cabin on the Homestead grounds, which was much nicer than we imagined it would be. Clean and neat construction with A/C and a small fridge, as well as nice bunk beds and a firm, sealed vinyl double mattress to put sheets on. Shower and bathroom facilities were a few steps away, and impeccably maintained. The second night we stayed in one of the covered wagons, which was fun and also more comfortable than you might expect. During the day, we had a blast with the kids learning about prairie life for early settlers. Highlights included wagon rides to the one room school house, all kinds of farm animals, choosing whether we’d rather live in the well-recreated demonstration sod huts or a board and batten claim shanty, and learning how to make rope, wash and ring laundry, and fashion corn cob dolls. At every turn we were so impressed by the staff; the experience is self guided but there are knowledgeable young staff in costume helping at just about every turn. Room and activities were extremely reasonable, cost-wise. We loved it and highly recommend stepping into the past at the Ingalls’ Homestead...

This is the original land Charles Ingalls claimed through the Homestead Act of 1862.

I visited this place as a child and have now worked there for 9 summers. I cant get enough of it! I literally cannot say I had a summer without spending part of it working here!

I have brought family and friends for tours and we always have a blast! I always have fun working here, as well! I meet all kinds of people from all over the world each summer and enjoy seeing kids excited to learn about an important piece of American History (through hands on activities, of course!)! There is so much to do, and at a leisurely pace: check out the sod house/dugout, like the one they lived in in Walnut Grove, MN. Then there is a real shanty that was moved to the property. Next is the hayroof barn built in the original location and Ma's Little House (where I work) which is a replica built in the original location (sadly before the current owners purchased the land, previous people turned the land into a corn field, so original buildings had been removed or had fallen down due to disrepair). Then there is the livestock barn where you can get pony cart rides and ride a covered wagon down to the school house. Next is the Flindts Garage, which is a building moved from town.

You get to make ropes, corn cob dolls, try hay twisting and wheat grinding, make button buzzers, and start braided rugs!

Dont forget this is a U touch and climb museum, so you can try everything out! Just be careful!

Lastly, there is camping facilities and a gift shop! Dont forget to try or check those...

This place is a definite must stop for anyone who grew up either reading the books or watching the show. When we first checked in to the visitor's center we were told we needed a minimum of 2 hours. Do yourself a favor and budget a minimum of 3 hours! When you first get out of the car and look around you might say to yourself, this shouldn't take that long, but the way they make this experience come alive makes time stand still. Everyone was super friendly, like unbelievably, stepping back in time friendly! We were super lucky since we went on the 4th of July, the family that runs the place gave the majority of their staff the day off for the holiday, so most of the people we interacted with were all part of the family that's been operating this wonderful experience since 1997. So many fun and interactive activities for children of all ages. Everything is 100% hands on! There are signs everywhere encouraging kids to touch, and climb. My kids will be talking about this for a long time. Riding on the horse drawn covered wagon was the highlight for me!

They even have camping areas!

If you only have time for one Little House stop, this should be it!

However, the cemetery where Charles, Caroline and a few other members of the family are buried is only about 5 minutes away and is worth a...