Visiting the South Dakota Ingalls Homestead: Living Like Little House on the Prairie's Laura Ingalls Wilder

Experiencing life like Laura Ingalls.

Experiential, tactile learning was a huge part of my childhood (my first job in high school was at a living museum, and my love for American Girls inspired my degree in American Studies), and that was definitely my favorite part of the Ingalls Homestead. Not only were there were kittens and horses for visitors to play with, but I did laundry, made a cornhusk doll, and even drove the covered wagon to the school!

I'm also happy to report that during our school lesson, I correctly guessed an 1800s riddle.

'Little House on the Prairie' contains only a few of Laura Ingalls' real homes.

One thing I never realized is that the real Ingalls family moved around quite a bit! Of course, the easiest thing for a TV show is to have its characters remain in one setting (in this case, Walnut Grove). But in real life, the full journey included:

• Pepin, Wisconsin (Little House in the Big Woods)
• Independence, Kansas (Little House on the Prairie)
• Walnut Grove, Minnesota (On the Banks of Plum Creek)
• Burr Oak, Iowa
• De Smet, South Dakota (By the Shores of Silver Lake, The Long Winter, Little Town on the Prairie, These Happy Golden Years, The First Four Years)

Laura and Almonzo then moved a few times after they got married, traveling from Spring Valley, Minnesota to Florida to Mansfield, Missouri.

And the show changed a lot about the Ingalls' real lives!

The team at "Laura's Living Prairie" (as the website calls it) was so enthusiastic, kind, and helpful — and they answered all 1000 of my questions!

I was probably most surprised to learn that covered wagons were actually a lot smaller than we think they are. And they'd be so packed, no one could actually ride in the back. Mary and Laura would have walked nearly the entire way from Wisconsin to Kansas!

(I was also surprised to learn that the original show changed way more about the Ingalls' lives than I knew. Albert didn't exist and Mary never married!! Excuse me while I cry).

Traveling to De Smet (AKA 'Little Town on the Prairie')

Downtown De Smet has plenty to offer anyone who loves Little House on the Prairie. Thanks to Laura Ingalls Wilder Historic Homes, you can see the Ingalls' real Surveyors’ House, the first school Carrie and Laura attended, and the last house Charles and Caroline lived in. I also tried my hand at the fiddle! (Much harder than I realized.)

I had the time of my life, and soaking up so much information made me feel so creative and excited. The whole day also reminded me of a historical children's book series I came up with in high school...maybe I'll finally plan it out?

We also visited The World's Only Corn Palace and grabbed some local ice cream at Farm Life Creamery. During the trip, we stayed at the Hampton Inn Suites Brookings, which had the most incredible staff and cleaning crew; they found one of my tiny stud earrings after I'd totally torn the room apart!

And you can't visit South Dakota without trying these restaurants.

If you need any other recommendations for your trip, Travel South Dakota provided us with some incredible restaurants I can't stop thinking about:

Good Roots Farm is a pizza farm co-owned by Bill and Julie. In addition to the farm animals, gardens, an on-site thrift store, and a burgeoning fairy garden, there's a giant outdoor space for patrons to bring their picnic blankets and enjoy some homemade pizza. My dad and I couldn't stop talking about it.

Craft Chophouse & Lounge was the perfect dinner after our busy Ingalls Homestead day, and between the steak, salad, and pasta, I was living. Genuinely some of the best Alfredo I've had, and I forgot to take a picture. Shoutout to our waitress Maya! She was so sweet and communicative.

Pheasant Restaurant & Lounge is exactly the kind of place I'd take my entire family for a special occasion (you might want to dress a little nicer for this place). The generational, family-owned establishment (which is also Brookings' oldest full-service restaurant) is warm, inviting, and has delicious food.

The blackberry balsamic and lime olive oil are making my mouth water as I type this, and the restaurant might have made me the best steak I've ever had. I'm still thinking about it.

A couple other places I loved include a burger joint called The Dive (I had a burger with peanut butter, cranberry sauce, cheese, jalapeños, and onions), a retro diner called Zesto where we got some hot dogs, and a breakfast place called Cook’s Kitchen. It gave me exactly the kind of small breakfast I wanted before a 7-hour travel day, including a delicious egg and bacon plate, and plenty of coffee!

Thank you South Dakota! I'm already thinking about when I can go back ;).