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The Ingalls Homestead was the family home of author Laura Ingalls Wilder, author of the Little House on the Prairie books, which are American classics and inspired a television show of the same name. The Ingalls moved to the De Smet area in 1879, lured by the promise of free land, and built a home on a 157-acre plot in 1880. Laura herself lived here until her marriage in 1885.

The Ingalls Homestead is a wonderful place to learn about pioneer life and is geared towards educating children, who can participate in a variety of activities. Children and adults can drive a covered wagon or pony cart, wash clothes on a washboard, twist hay into sticks for fuel, and make a jump rope and a corn cob doll to take home. There is also a one-room schoolhouse where everybody can join in a typical 19th-century pioneer classroom in period clothing.

Address: Ingalls Homestead, 20812 Homestead Road, De Smet, SD 57231, Phone: 800-776-3594

Ingalls Homestead | Things to Do in South Dakota
© Ingalls Homestead

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

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