How to Visit a Laura Ingalls Wilder Museum

How to Visit a Laura Ingalls Wilder Museum

Introduction

Instructions

Visit Pepin Wisconsin

Steps

1

Step One

Follow Wisconsin Highway 35 north to the small village of Pepin, Wisconsin, the birthplace of Laura Ingalls Wilder.

2

Step Two

Travel seven miles north of Pepin along the Country Highway CC to visit the little log cabin that is the setting for Laura Ingalls Wilder's first book, "Little House in the Big Woods."

3

Step Three

Take part in the annual Laura Ingalls Wilder Days each September which features a fiddling contest, essay contest and many pioneer crafts and activities.

Visit Malone, New York

Steps

1

Step One

Visit the small town of Malone located in upstate New York, childhood home of Almanzo Wilder, husband of Laura Ingalls Wilder.

2

Step Two

Travel northeast from Malone on US Route 11 for two and half miles, then turn on Country Route 23 until you reach the Donahue Road. From there turn right on the Stacy Road. The Wilder Homestead will be on your left.

3

Step Three

Take a tour of the original house that belonged to Almanzo's parents and was the setting of for the "Little House" book "Farmer Boy" anytime between May and October. Most tours take between 30 and 60 minutes.

4

Step Four

Peruse the on-site museum and gift shop to see the large collection of antique farm equipment and old-fashioned gifts.

Tips & Warnings

• The Wilder Homestead is the only original "Little House" museum still in its original location.

Visit De Smet, South Dakota

Steps

1

Step One

Visit De Smet, South Dakota, the setting of five of the "Little House" books, including "Little Town on the Prairie" and "These Happy Golden Years."

2

Step Two

Watch the "Little House" Pageant, held each July, on the open prairie, one mile from De Smet.

3

Step Three

Go to the Surveyors House, the setting of "On the Shores of Silver Lake." The house has been moved from its original site to a lot in the heart of De Smet.

4

Step Four

Take a tour of the Ingalls Family Home, where Ma and Pa Ingalls lived after they finished farming on their claim. The site is filled with many personal artifacts from the Ingalls Family.

5

Step Five

Stop by the replica of the Brewster School, where Laura first taught.

Visit Mansfield, Missouri

Steps

1

Step One

Travel to the Ozark Hills in Eastern Missouri, to Mansfield, final home of Laura Ingalls Wilder and her husband, Almanzo.

2

Step Two

Follow Route 60 through Mansfield to Rocky Ridge Farm, the home of Laura and Almanzo, and their daughter, Rose Wilder Lane.

3

Step Three

Take a tour of the farmhouse Laura and Almanzo built, using timber and stones from their land.

4

Step Four

Gaze upon the living room, kitchen and bedrooms, preserved as they were in 1956, at the time of Laura's death.

5

Step Five

Make a tax deductible donation to the Laura Ingalls Wilder Historic Home and Museum, so that others can enjoy this piece of American history.