I would describe this experience as a living museum. It starts with a quick 4 minute video explaining the property. You set the pace for the rest of your visit. There are multiple hands on activities (corn husk doll making, rope making, and hay twisting). There are numerous historic buildings on the property which are made to resemble buildings described in Laura Ingalls Wilder's Little House On The Prairie series. This is the actual property but the buildings are recreations. There was a very nice and informative covered wagon ride which takes you to a school house. The kids got to hold the reins and "drive" the wagon. We were lucky enough to be there when they had schoolhouse presentations. There is camping on site and the bathrooms were spotless. Loved climbing the tower and getting a panoramic view of the prairie.

We thoroughly enjoyed our stay at the Ingalls Homestead. The replica buildings as well as the buildings that were relocated here are so interesting to visit. The owner is so sweet, helpful, and a wealth of information. The shop is filled with books and souvenirs! Don't miss this stop! And spend the night if you can! We stayed in the bunkhouse, and I'm adding some photos here because I was curious what it looked like and couldn't find any photos. Also adding a pre-sunrise and sunset photo because the scenery and wide open spaces are gorgeous 😍

The Ingalls Homestead is a hands on living history museum for all ages. A large variety of activities and buildings take visitors back to the pioneer days of this area's first white settlers. So much to enjoy and there is camping available right on the grounds for the visitor/customers! Evening guests enjoy wide open skies filled with stars!

Awesome experience, grew up reading and watching the Ingalls story. Would stay at their campground the next time we visit. Great family activity, spent about 3 hrs and would have spent more. The staff is super friendly and very knowledgeable about the Ingalls background.

It was a really nice place to visit. Interesting homesteading information and a look into a time in history. Even if you haven't read the books. The folks were real nice. Interaction with the animals was enjoyable and just walking the homestead was like being given a glimpse of another time while persevering some comforts of modern life.

What a great experience!! We LOVED the hands on activities, the friendly kittens, and the feel of being in the past on the prairie. My dad loved all of the old machinery and my mom enjoyed making the corn cob dolls. My son loved driving the covered wagon and the pony cart. All of the staff were incredibly friendly, patient, and helpful. We all laughed when the teacher had my son stand against the chalkboard with his nose against the wall because he forgot to bring the water for the class. It was warm out, but the prairie wind made it a pleasant temperature. We went right as they opened at 9:00 on a Saturday, and didn't have to wait in line for anything. As we were leaving at 11:30 is was starting to get a little busier. We also spent some time driving around De Smet, visiting the original buildings of the Ingalls family as well as the cemetery. Highly recommended. Our group ranged from 64 years old to 10 years old and everyone enjoyed it. Would love to go back some day!

Imagine being able to hop right into a Laura Ingalls book and experience her life for a day. That's how you feel when you arrive on the property. The staff are friendly and helpful, but also hands-off enough for you to be able to enjoy the experience authentically. The animals scattered about were a bit hit with my kids, who really enjoyed being able to pet and cuddle the barn kittens for as long as they wanted. They also loved the multiple wagon and horseback rides that the staff tirelessly gave to whichever kid wanted a turn. The tour to the schoolhouse via mule wagon was exceptional as well. The "teacher" there made my kids feel very welcomed, even though they were getting pretty squirmy after a long day of traveling and exploring. If you want the full experience, check out the covered wagons for an overnight stay! We squeezed our family of five (two adults, three small kids) into the smaller wagon, and though it was tight, it definitely gave us an appreciation for the life of a pioneer family! We loved it. You definitely will enjoy it more if you at least read several of the Little House books. If you only have time to read a few, I would suggest "By the Shores of Silver Lake," "The Long Winter," and "Little Town on the Prairie."

So so so fun! You could feel the freedom of the open prairie and experience the things that Laura's family had and did first hand. You can do everything in a day, but it is so nice to take a few days and take it slow and really enjoy it. We stayed a few nights in a covered wagon on site and really enjoyed it. Highly recommended!

This is an excellent place to go with students in grades 3-6. The staff are friendly and very knowledgeable about the Ingalls family. My teacher heart was very happy visiting with my family. They did a good job setting up all the books. Excerpts from the related stories were found all over. There are wonderful hands on activities for everyone to do: corn cob dolls, jump rope/lasso making, wheat grinding, pony cart rides, horse rides, covered wagon ride, and several others. It is very neat to be on the actual Ingalls Homestead. From the viewing tower you can see all corners of the property. The one room school experience was excellent. There were pinafores for the young girls to wear. A staff member told all about how school was done in a one room school. Both of my kids left wanting to go home and read the books. It really made the stories come alive for us. It was $20 a person, but if you are local it gets you a season pass for the year. Well worth the visit! My daughter wants to come back next time we visit grandma and grandpa.

It's pricey $20 per person when we visited. But well worth it if you have kids. My 2 boys (age 8 and 11) who knew nothing about Little House still loved it, and my neice (age 7) who did know it was practically in heaven. The staff was absolutely amazing going above and beyond to create a rich and fun experience. There are so many fun things to do. Even I (being a history buff) had fun. We went "quick" and took 2 hours but you could easily take a half day or more. It is mostly outside, so be aware of the weather. Definitely check it out if you have kids (or just love history).

I've never read her books or seen Little House on the Prairie. That being said it was a very well done example of a prairie Homestead. Many interesting facts and hands-on experience with tools from the time. The staff was very courteous and knowledgeable.

Our family loved our time at the homestead. Everyone was helpful, had great attitudes and eager to teach in a fun, experiential way. It was a "go at your pace" experience. I loved how they encouraged everyone to touch and experience history. Very glad we added this to our stop.

We have read the series and watched many of the episodes in the series. The kids were so excited to see the homestead in person. We also got a ride on a wagon pulled by horses up to the school house and back. It was a rainy day and it allowed us to spend quality time with the staff.

This was so much fun for my whole family! I'm so sad that we didn't spend the night there. None of the houses are original, but it's the actual land, and they built the buildings that were on the land to the specifications and the best educated guess from documentation that they have. We loved seeing the kittens in the chicken coop, the size of the houses and the minature ponies, buggy rides, wagon rides, making jump ropes and corn dolls, grinding wheat, twisting straw, and being a student in the school house with a great teacher explaining things. The teens who worked there didn't know very much, gave wrong information, or I thought might not have read the books. The adults I talked with knew their stuff and were beyond fantastic. The whole place was so interactive, and it was beautiful to watch the storm roll in just like in the books. We didn't have time to see the other places in town, but we felt like this was the best option to get an Ingalls experience while we were there. Ohhh, and my kids loved pumping water, washing clothes, and putting it out to dry. Even if you don't know the books, everyone will have a great time!

If you are a fan of Little House in the Prarie, which I am, this is an amazing place to go. We spent the night, and the morning sunlight on the fields was a gorgeous way to start the day.

This is such a fun place! If you have any interest in the Laura Ingalls Wilder books or the local history, this place is a must. For the entrance fee you will watch a 4 minute video summarizing the homestead's history and have free roam of the 160 acre homestead. After the short video, the rest is at your own pace using the provided map. See all the buildings, try your hand at washing clothes on an old fashioned washboard, make a corn cob doll and see how twine is twisted to rope. Not to mention all the other history of what life was like in the late 1800's. Highlight is the wagon ride to the schoolhouse and various animals. Shout out to the wagon driver. She did a great job with the horses, gave insight about what the ride would have been like back in the 1800's, interesting facts about the homestead act requirements and the crops they continue to grow to this day. We made a day of it and had a great time. Will be going again.

Very interesting place. Lots of history & fun things to do. Great for the entire family. A must see. Plan on 2-3 hours for sure to see & do everything. You could really stay longer.

This place is amazing! Beautiful. Relaxing. Interesting. A must stop if you're passing through or staying for a few days.

What a great experience!!!! Learning about Laura Ingall's life in a place where she actually LIVED, petting sweet kitties & a little cow & pony, taking a wagon ride & learning what schools were like back then - a perfect visit!!! The staff is amazing!!! SO friendly & helpful!!! I HIGHLY recommend a visit here!!! If I lived closer, I would go regularly!! ❤️

Love this place! Great fun and educational experience. Understanding how our ancestors lives and how hard they worked to make a living. Moving from state to state trying to find a way to provide food and stability and all the challenges they had to overcome. Great family experience and fun for the whole family. Hands-on learning like rope making, doll making and so much more. Thanks so much.

$80 a family of 4, we had a BLAST! Pony ride, covered wagon ride to school, kids made jump rope & corn cob dolls, kittens, little calf & colt, great fun for everyone

Fun afternoon outing for the family. Rode on the horse drawn wagon around the 160 acre property. Many vintage correct time-period buildings. Hands on things to do for kids@

Growing up on the Little House on the Prairie books and tv show it was a little surreal to visit the place that she wrote about in the books. Lots of activities for kids to do but they also allow the adults to be kids at hearts and do the activities as well.

Whether or not you have read the books, this place is definitely worth the visit. Standing in the place where this family struggled through harsh winters and cruel summers, coupled with uncertainty and sheer will to survive, makes this little piece of the history of our nation come to life, right in front of your eyes. The interactive and informative displays make for an even more understanding and feel for what the family endured and get the feeling of why they were so close to one another in such hard times on an unforgiving homestead in the plains of South Dakota. The staff were not rangers that had a script they were trained to read from, they were local people who knew the stories as they had not only read, but had been handed down locally. There was a horse drawn wagon ride to the school house and then back to the on site church, as well and as an extra, the handler let the children in the group "lead" the horses, (with his constant supervision) to and from each place. I highly recommend coming to this site and if you have time, staying in either one of the "covered wagon" campsites, or they have a couple RV hookups, as well. (Call and ask) Thanks to all the staff and we WILL be visiting you again!

A fun stop for people who have enjoyed reading the Little House on the Prairie books or just like learning about history. There is a small playground, many animals (including kittens, chickens, cows and horses), many hands on activities (pumping water, making a lasso, washing laundry like they did in the 1880s, etc.), a wagon ride to an old schoolhouse and more! The landscape is beautiful!

Such a fun, learning family experience! All the workers were so educated about the Ingalls family, the land, homesteading, etc. My kids enjoyed their time on the homestead and interacting at the schoolhouse. Their favorite part was the carriage ride and making the corn cob dolls.

This may be the greatest place to take young children. The owners are friendly and kind and always willing to go the extra mile to make your stay wonderful. The key to this place, though, is to stay overnight. In the summer, the grounds "close" to new visitors, but you still have two hours of daylight and all the buildings and the grounds remain open for your to wander and enjoy. Don't miss the little church on the far corner of the grounds. I enjoy spending a quiet hour with God there each trip, though I recommend a flashlight if you are planning on walking back to your wagon in the dark! We have visited two years in a row, and my kids are begging to be taken back for a third time this summer.

Our family visited the Ingalls Homestead mid-June and spent one night camping on site. We had a wonderful time! When we arrived our van broke down about 3/4 miles from the Homestead. No tow truck was available to help us for more than 12 hours (until the next day). Owners Ann and Beau rescued our family of 6 and kindly towed our van onto their property, enabling us to set up our tent and get comfortable. The next day when our van was towed into De Smet Ann's mother Joan overwhelmed us again with kindness by making available to us a car for our family's use while we were, in effect, stranded. Even apart from how fun and interesting the Homestead was, the owners themselves are people of high character and open hearts! We are so grateful for their hospitality! Our children are Little House enthusiasts and delight in reading horse encyclopedias. Driving the covered wagon was the highlight of my 9-year old son's summer, together with chatting with owner Beau about horse breeds. Thank you for an educational and thoroughly enjoyable time! Best of luck to you into the future!