Reviews of Laura Ingalls Wilder Historic Homes (Tourist Attraction)

C_MasterCrafter Gaming, NERF and More!

Good tours.

Azura 04

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Toby Woehl

This was a very interesting day so far. Speaker is very knowledgeable about the family.

John Abegglen

Guide/narrator was excellent, easy to listen to, and well informed. We visited 4 buildings in 2 locations.

Victoria Cook

Great look into everyday struggles back then.

Elizabeth Tyre

This is the only original Ingalls home that is still standing. It's an amazing experience to see how they lived!

marsha hyatt

Childhood dream fulfilled, great displays and history.

Erin Nichols

The tour is a little expensive but you can also juat walk around and see the buildings.

Cynthia Niswonger

I grew up adoring LHOTP books and The TV show. Our tour guide was knowledgeable but threatened to stop the tour because our children had lost interest in her lengthy lectures. The tour felt uncomfortable and controlled by the tour guide. We should have saved over $40 and did a walking tour on our own.

Evan Muxen

This was an experience that my entire family enjoyed, it was part of our mini Laura Ingalls Wilder tour. The tour begins with some recreation structures and moves to the house that "Ma" and "Pa" Ingalls lived out their days. I recommend paying for the tour it allows you to get access to the recreation building and the Ingalls house. I should mention you do not get access to the Ingalls house or the recreation structures without the tour.

Lorri Christensen

Just because I love this series of books!

Heather Carlson-Vagt

Good and interesting things to learn

jeffrey regan

Well done tribute on Pa Ingalls' 160 acre homestead site south of town. Reconstructed house, example of dugout, school where Laura taught, horse rides, Barn cats and kittens, campsites.

Jill Einolf

Great tour!

Nick Schumacher

Wonderful tour! Well worth the time

Sandy Andriaccio

Very informational and worth your time to stop!

Diane Eldridge

Love the books and it's wonderful how her history is being kept alive! All staff are friendly and welcoming! Hope to get back there soon for another visit!

Dorothea Casey

So cool to walk where Laura, Ma, Pa, and all the family walked!!! Even if you aren't. Little House fan, there is a lot to learn about US history!!!

Ruben Gomez

Great experience.

george robertson

Not bad, lots of information, worth a stop in

Darla Harris

It's amazing to see just how they lived back then. You learn so much, great experience!

M Cleary

Loved it

Lexie Hain

We enjoyed it! A lovely and relaxing place to learn. Take the wagon ride.

Timothy Roberts

Off the beaten path but worth a visit if you are a fan of the books. Lots of hands on activities for kids.

Ron Schaefer

My wife loved it. Friendly Assistants. Very knowledgeable. Got to meet stars of the show due to special celebration.

Paul Roby

Great place for families

David Page

It's all very simple, but you can tour the grounds on your own, or join the guided tour. It's a very nice display of the pioneer history!

Scott Myers

Great family fun!!

Debby Rhodes

Great author and loved seeing how small the houses were!

Lois Hultgren

Guide was not too exciting but fun to see buildings.

Jen Martin

Great tour, loved the history of the house.

Robin Stickle

This site has a school Laura taught in and one she attended. It also has a prairie schooner. I did not realize they were so small! There is a shop with lots of period items. All this was free to see except inside the one school. For a price above our family's budget, you could have a tour guide explain lots of things and see inside the one school and a house she lived in. For a price you could also do hands on activities. We were only disappointed that the prices were not family friendly.

Karl Schultz

Excellent!! A must see!!!

CRAIG CULWELL

Its good place to see

kaylee jordan

Neat to see.We did not take the tour

Mia Kelley

Great little tour with additional information about the Ingalls and Wilder family. Pa, Ma, Mary, and Carrie are all buried in the local cemetery. Worth the time!

Audrey C

My kids love it. And we definitely recommend it

advAnturemom

FUN!! It was a little pricey for our large family, but it offered some neat history. We especially enjoyed the Surveyor’s House and the house in town. The gift shop had great gift and souvenir options as well. Enjoyed it but wish it was a bit more affordable.

Bill Lang

Covers portions of her life not covered by the TV show or early books but really fills in gaps.

Thad Karschner

Very interesting history

Travis Webster

If you have read the books this is a must see

Mike Miller

Spending the night in a covered wagon!

Lucy Peace

It's a very good and historical place for all ages. The staff is very friendly and helpful.

Teresa Schmidt

So much fun for the whole family!!

Jason Jones

We had a great time. The people were so nice and gave lots of great information about the Ingalls. Sleeping in the coverd wagon was so much fun. Highly recommend the stay.

Eric Buhrow

Very informative walking tour, along with a nice short trip across town.

Liz Fick

This is well worth a stop or a destination for those who love the books and the TV show.

rsfreedom

Very authentic something for everyone all of the furniture is what was actually there at the time the family lived there. If you want to know about pioneering life.... life on the Prairie... this is the place to go. They have the in town tour...and they are very knowledgeable

Gene Lemke

Not much to see

Keith Garringer

Great place to visit

Jason Michael

It was fine, a nice stop to stretch our legs on our journey back from the black hills. I wouldn't go out of my way to go here, unless you are VERY into the Little House stories and history.

David Erickson

Interesting!

Mark Grey

Haven't need there since I was a kid. Maybe that should change.

GG Mugsy

Wonderful photos and get knowledgeable tour of the Ingalls homes in DeSmet. Most true to life experience we've had so far.

Michael Francisco

Amazing

Steve Hamburg

Absolutely fascinating even if you aren't a "Little House " devotee. Great piece of American history well presented.

Peggy Miles

Amazing

a j

It gave a good feeling for the conditions and technology in residences in the early 20th century.

B Humbracht

Very informative

Mona Whiteman

Great place to visit: fun, historical, interesting and hands on. Great place for kids!

Donnie Patterson

Was great to see the places I read about as a kid.

Michael Cockrell

Very fun! This was an unexpected visit as I was here on business and didn't know this was here. A blast from my childhood. Wish I would have had more time to spend. Would have been even better if my Wife and Daughter had been with me.

Martha Ellis

Didn't get to finish tour (dog) but guide very informed and interesting. Loved seeing their first home and school.

Toni Sorrell

Little Town on the Prairie is DeSmet South Dakota. Love it@

theresa johnson

Wasn't what I expected. Neat but not worth the long drive out of our way.

JuliAnn Geiger

Loved this historical tour. Plan for at least 2hrs to see and hear the tour. It's worth the $14 adult admission

Daniel Dillman

Lots of history and information about the Ingalls family.

Maryjane Westra

Take your grandchildren here. Don't have grandchildren? Go yourself. Very fun and informative. Skip amusement parks this year. Costumes not required but highly advised.

Matthew Hinton

Interesting historical site if you enjoyed the Little House stories or TV show. A little on the pricey side for families though...

Moriah Falde

Pretty cool to see and read some history of the Ingalls family.

Matthew Fawcett

Great reminder of how people used to actually work for their daily bread.

Sarah Gaida

I learn something new every time I go. A great place to immerse yourself in history.

Jathan Good

So much to see. And well done. Very much enjoyed this, with my whole family.

TJ

Great multi-site tour of LIW’s family home, belongings, and period-specific historical items and buildings mentioned in the books. Great guides and historical/cultural information, and perfect for adults or children.

Joan Wollschlager

Must see for Laura Ingalls Wilder fans. This tour is only part of several to experience while you are in DeSmet, SD. Convenient times for tours. Knowledgeable staff.

Mike Summerlot

Loved it.

Michael Stoner

Great place to check out for anyone who has read the books. This place and the surrounding town really adds some perspective to the stories.

Adam Cole

Tons of stuff for kids to do and entertain them with. Awesome history here.

Darrell Haslett

Great Place to learn more about the Ingalls family

Elaine Kendrick

Informative, interactive, and people friendly.

Dawn Doorn

Very educational

Catherine Martinez

My daughter and I loved it. We did the tour and our guide was friendly and knowledgeable. Our guide pointed out places to visit like Loftus'store and directions to the cemetery and the homestead. The clerk in the Loftus store was very nice and told us some of the history of the store too. The museum has free maps that have all the sites of interest marked so you can also explore on your own if you don't want the tour.

A Moore

I had an awesome time with my family, the kids had a blast riding the horses. Lots of cool activities, and great historical adventure. The weather is even great here, if it's raining just wait a bit and it will get warmer.

Emily Heintzman

My family loved it! Great pageant! Heritage House has Great accommodations.

Ted Thompson

Very interesting tour with a lot of great background history of the area and not just about the Ingalls although certainly focused on them.

Stuart Klingbeil

Fun trip

Rebecca J Cardinal

Loved it. So much fun. If you love Laura this will be worth the visit.

Anna Higgins

Was here in March with my large family and it was pretty interesting to see all the history, and the kids were very entertained. Overall great experience and loved our tour guide, very friendly and funny.

C. A. Sarsfield

Good,

PJ Dever

Great tour! Great guide. Even Mary can see this is a great time!

Kim Luna

Love it!

Brian Hansen

Great place for the kids

Nikki Nelson

Lots of fun!!

R Marshall

Sadly, a lot of the items displayed are not original. For the house, it was disappointing to hear that Carrie Ingals didn't prevent family items from being hauled away when new owners bought the home. $14/person is a lot of money to pay to tour this place.

Shawnya Wayman

This was a lot of fun and the people where friendly.

Krista Bjork

Amazing.

Kodi Hoffarth

Living history, my 7 year old was amazed that "this is the REAL place where happened!?" We went for the Pageant which started at 8pm and included live actors, a narrator, horses, and period scene/costumes. When you go, arrive early to the pageant and enjoy the pre-show activities. I recommend bug spray and a lawn chair, it's an outdoor show. Also, there are other Laura Ingalls Wilder things to see and do in town, so make time for those too as long as you're in DeSmet. Our personal favorite was the shop had a bonnet and apron set for $25, how could we not :)

Jeffrey Leaverton

It is a great place to visit. You could spend several hours to a whole day here. The staff is very friendly, and there are activities for the kids to get involved with. Also see the tour of Laura Ingalls Wilder historic homes in De Smet.

Robert Manske

Very interesting

David Wilson

Very neat

Kelly Schneider

The history was interesting and if you're a fan of the Ingalls you'll learn a lot. We were pretty surprised being a historical musuem that in the school house they had the pledge of allegiance with "One nation under God" in parenthesis... when asked why, they answered so it wouldn't offend anyone. That is literally history. Those are the words to the pledge of allegiance. Because of the censorship of history I can only give it 3 stars. If you're in town and have kids, go to the homestead on the edge of town-it is a blast.

Steve Hoyt

Very pleasant paced tour with a great deal of information about the whole Ingall's family history. Tour includes the Surveyor's house which the Ingalls family lived in, the school the girls attended, a REPLICA of the school Laura taught in, and the house Charles Ingalls built later on. Well worth the time to get there.

Tim Kruse

Great "museumesque" feeling while learning about how Laura Ingalls Wilder lived on the prairies of South Dakota.

Ben talbert

We really enjoyed the different tours they offered. Also a great gift shop.

Rick Baibak

Very educational hands on experience of life in prarie towns. Allow at least 3 hours.

Stacy Campbell

If you love the Laura Ingalls Wilder books, you will love this place! Tours are $15 per person. This is the original surveyor's house! A very exciting experience.

Joel Garcia

Take the time to go and see this historic sure and take the tour. Stay for the pageant is you are there in the summer months.

SPITZER S

Loved the pageant!! Loved the activities, concessions, face-painting, etc.. Sooo fun!!

Sydney Folken

It was very authentic, the tour guide was amazing.

Tamica Kenyon

Expensive, should offer.large family set price.

hammer101

Easy to find, plenty of parking. Tour 2 historical buildings, 1 re-creation and the Ingalls home on 3rd st. Gift shop.

Jean Rippee

Very friendly staff. Busy, but helpful. Before and after the "season" NO CHARGE. Vast array of books on the 'subject'.

Heather Goodman

My kids (4 and 9) enjoyed this tour. Our tour guide was very knowledgeable and did a fantastic job on the tour.

Cassie

It cost a lot of money for something that was poorly put together. They don't seem to be on same page as the homestead and it isn't very interesting for kids. It should be cheaper. The tour guides don't know much and memorized scripted information. Overall disappointed.

Donna Arens

Awesome

What did iDEW

Humm

Tim Carpenter

Our grandchildren thought it was cool to be in the surveyor's house and classroom that the Ingalls were in! And to see the land! Wow

Kitt Wattenphul

This is the first house in De Smet. Fascinating to see what Laura called a big house! Some original furnishings. The original school that Laura and Carrie went to. Guides are very helpful and tell about the events in the books.

Jonathan Miller

The family really enjoyed this stop

andrea carr

The museum was great but we took an hour detour and even though it was deserted they wouldn't let us do a quick tour since the next one was two hours away. I totally get rules but it was a ghost town and they were all just hanging around.

Trevor Welker

14 bucks an adult for a tour. dont go there pictures are free

Ken Fisher

Very nicely done.

Jennifer Ackoury

Great Tour!

Eva-Marie Winter

Worth the stop. We didn't buy the tour, but there was enough to see without. They have a great interactive area for kids. Lots of fun.