We enjoyed visting the dugout site and putting our toes in Plum Creek. Nothing too overly fabulous or exciting, but a must see for history buffs to imagine the Ingalls family living on the ground you walk. It was an amazing experience for us.
Again you can walk where Laura walked and it is amazing. When a train goes by town you hear the whistle at the Dugout Site. A sound Laura heard back in 1874
Fun to see, but nothing out of the ordinary. The kids had fun in Plum Creek, and it was fun to say we were On the Banks of Plum Creek
The owners have kept it just like they found it. Great place to visit if you have read the books.
Enjoyed our visit in Walnut Grove. The inside displays are similar to the Mansfield, MO setup but we enjoyed Walnut Grove more due to the self tour you can take, it allows you to spend all the time you want in all of the displays including the dugout home and you don't have to stay with the tour guide like Mansfield. We also enjoyed the additional tv display room that none of the other locations have, it kind of brings everything together. This is a must visit to any Laura Ingall's fan.
Every summer the small town of DeSmet puts on a musical out in the fields where the Ingalls had their farmsted. It is fun to watch the production sitting in your lawn chair or on a bench, enjoy the summer evening, and watch the play put on by volunteers from the community. We have gone several times over the years and it is a fun event every time.
This is a good stop if you are a Little House fan. It has lots of history. Some of the stuff does not seem to be related to the Ingalls family but just from that time period. Still worth the stop.
Near Nellie's Cafe, this was fun, had a lot of history, and worthwhile exhibits and gifts and souvenirs. Not too high priced. For an admittance fee, one can take a short self tour around the museum area. Since the Ingalls were only in Walnut Grove for three years(having left once because of crop failure and grasshopper infestation only to return a year or so later), the time spent here will not be that long. Continue on US 14 to DesMet, SD where the Ingalls settled permanently and where all the family, except Laura, are buried. You will need to spend several days there for sure.
If you are interested in Minnesota history, or any American history, this is an interesting site. Quite and peaceful marked trails (less than a 1 mile long) and a small picnic area. They charge $5 a carload, which was more than reasonable.
this is a must-see historic site for serious Little House fans - but not much to see for everyone else. The farm on the Banks of Plum Creek just outside of town, where the Ingalls family homesteaded and lived in a dugout, has been privately owned for many years. The family who live there allow visitors to access their land to view the collapsed creek bank where the dug-out was located in the 1870's. There is a historic marker at the site and some other landmarks are identified.There is also a nice picnic area.