MN/SD Laura Ingalls Wilder focused trip

This is very cool! I would love to do a literary themed trip like this. I have a few ideas about some. I hope you do a trip report afterwards. I'd love to know how it goes.

Look up the trolls near Detroit Lakes, MN.

You're missing this place in Wisconsin, her birthplace, about 75 miles from Minneapolis.
https://www.lauraingallspepin.com/home-at-lauras-place/

https://desmetalliancechurch.com/history.php

Pa helped build this church. It's the church my family attended when we lived in the area when I was young.

Have you looked at re enactment plays and such?

As Sam says, there is the site in Wisconsin where "Little House in the Big Woods" is set. There is a replica log cabin, and the town of Pepin has a LIW museum. Pepin is a very attractive and interesting town on the Mississippi.

There is a lot in DeSmet. Some of the family is buried in the local cemetery.

There is a museum in Spring Valley, MN, where, I believe the Wilder family lived. Some are interred in a cemetery in Spring Valley. There is a museum inside a historic church.

https://laurasprairiehouse.com/historical-sites/spring-valley-minnesota/laura-ingalls-wilder-site/

Another site is just over the MN border in Burr Oak, Iowa. I think mailing address is Decorah. It is a little known site and not written about in the books. It was a very sad time for the family.

https://www.lauraingallswilder.us/

Pipestone is very interesting as is the Jeffers Petroglyphs.

https://www.mnhs.org/jefferspetroglyphs

Have you read this book? It has some pictures. You can get it on Amazon, but we got it at the Burr Oaks Site where there are several buildings to tour.

https://www.amazon.com/Little-House-Traveler-Writings-Nonfiction/dp/0060724927/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3BN2XBJ9JU1HA&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.mj-FIeEg_aEn0I8YwqTcW5Y2neu9AdCmcgWbiyRc5Pihp1cE-clNiy5mmWL_EV3Rc-SmLTXI9waWEHVFbwE3wnWqpBF1QEhEQEcoK-mpeKH85ej4AgiVCegwqWUiGd1q_X4k17SNv2L9lz-P5P2MJLG6Dg9wQuNN__zWuHdXONKJe_sNoXb8JevbLyfCMSdkzYHgn7UAlgUDj2fiZe-4XtMB988CitZoyKBi_Abhs-Q.o1tKX3Z87EaTy5N6-SyqbNZy-spocve7uYsno7E9ZIc&dib_tag=se&keywords=a+little+house+traveler+laura+ingalls+wilder&qid=1779651616&sprefix=a+little+house+traveler%2Caps%2C365&sr=8-1

Miscellaneous:
*By Minnehaha Falls there is an excellent seafood restaurant (Sea Salt), its in a park building and very casual and also Sebastian ice cream.
*Minnehaha Falls is about a half mile from the Mississippi River where there is a bike/walking path. There also is a lock and dam in that area.
*Minneapolis is known for its lakes with walking paths and bike trails around them. I really like Lake Harriet where you will also find a rose garden, perennial garden and a Japanese garden. All free.
*Also in that relative area is Fort Snelling State Park, which is an urban oasis. https://www.dnr.state.mn.us/state_parks/park.html?id=spk00154#homepage. And there is a historic fort on the confluence of the Minnesota and Mississippi Rivers https://www.mnhs.org/fortsnelling. On the otherside of the river from Fort Snelling is Minnesota's first city, Mendota. There, is a historic site where you can learn about MN's first governor and the fur trade, a couple historic houses and trading post to visit. https://www.mnhs.org/sibley. I think that particular site would be particularly relevant to a Laura Ingalls Wilder trip

Posted by Katiecem
California Central Coast 🐚
05/24/26 01:02 PM
601 posts
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This is very cool! I would love to do a literary themed trip like this. I have a few ideas about some. I hope you do a trip report afterwards. I'd love to know how it goes.

@katiecem, I did a trip last summer where I flew into Bentonville, AR, rented a car, and drove down to Ft. Smith and did the national historic site there. Then, I went to the LIW Historic Home and Museum in Mansfield, MO. It was FANTASTIC. It has ALL the artifacts in the books - Pa's fiddle, the platter LIW threw out her window as her house burned down, her wedding dress, the samplers she sewed in LHITBW, etc. I spent all day there and read every single thing in the museum, plus you get to tour both houses that she lived in and wrote the books. Her and Almanzo's graves are there, too. Next, I hit the Mizumoto Japanese Stroll Garden (fantastic) on my way to Natural Falls State Park in Oklahoma (the 49th state I visited). Finally, I finished in Bentonville, AR and toured the original Wal-Mart and its museum (super interesting). It was a great trip, and I also spent 3 nights for that one.

Posted by mnannie
Northern Minnesota
05/24/26 01:57 PM
1040 posts
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Look up the trolls near Detroit Lakes, MN.

@mnannie These look so cool! Is this the same artist that did the one in Austin, TX, that someone just burned down? Looks similar! Hmmm, I may very well add this to the itinerary if I do go to Fargo. Thanks for the suggestion!

Posted by Sam
Green Bay
05/24/26 01:59 PM
23533 posts
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You're missing this place in Wisconsin, her birthplace, about 75 miles from Minneapolis.
https://www.lauraingallspepin.com/home-at-lauras-place/

@Sam, yes, sadly I'm going to have to miss Pepin on this trip. That's intentional because I want to give each of the LIW spaces the time they deserve, plus I'd love to go back to Madison, WI and see more of it (I went once for a conference a few years ago and found it to be absolutely delightful).

Posted by pbscd
USA
05/24/26 02:26 PM
509 posts
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https://desmetalliancechurch.com/history.php
Pa helped build this church. It's the church my family attended when we lived in the area when I was young.
Have you looked at re enactment plays and such?

@pbscd That is SO COOL that you went to the Pa Ingalls church! It is definitely on my "to see" items in De Smet. I did see that they have the LIW pageant but it's not during the week that I'm going. Honestly, though, I've read the books so many times I could probably act out the pageant myself, hahaha!

Another site is just over the MN border in Burr Oak, Iowa. I think mailing address is Decorah. It is a little known site and not written about in the books. It was a very sad time for the family.

@jules Yes, I read about this in the Pioneer Girl Annotated Bibliography (if you're a LIW fan, this is a MUST READ. It has the original version of the books she wrote plus tons of research, photos, etc.) I don't think I will have time to see it on this trip, but thanks for the suggestion!

Pipestone is very interesting as is the Jeffers Petroglyphs.

Good to know! Thanks!

Have you read this book? It has some pictures. You can get it on Amazon, but we got it at the Burr Oaks Site where there are several buildings to tour.

I had to look that one up, and I see it's 3 books in one. I've read the first two (On the Way Home and also West From Home), but I did not realize there was a third one (The Road Back) - I'm definitely going to try to track that one down! Pioneer Girl talks about the journey that L & A took from Missouri back to SD, so I'm familiar with the topic, but I'd love more detail. Thanks for the suggestion!

Miscellaneous:
*By Minnehaha Falls there is an excellent seafood restaurant (Sea Salt), its in a park building and very casual and also Sebastian ice cream.
*Minnehaha Falls is about a half mile from the Mississippi River where there is a bike/walking path. There also is a lock and dam in that area.
*Minneapolis is known for its lakes with walking paths and bike trails around them. I really like Lake Harriet where you will also find a rose garden, perennial garden and a Japanese garden. All free.
*Also in that relative area is Fort Snelling State Park, which is an urban oasis. https://www.dnr.state.mn.us/state_parks/park.html?id=spk00154#homepage. And there is a historic fort on the confluence of the Minnesota and Mississippi Rivers https://www.mnhs.org/fortsnelling. On the otherside of the river from Fort Snelling is Minnesota's first city, Mendota. There, is a historic site where you can learn about MN's first governor and the fur trade. https://www.mnhs.org/sibley. I think that particular site would be particularly relevant to a Laura Ingalls Wilder trip

Those are all great suggestions; thank you so much for your local tips! Yay!

I'm not at all biased, but Minnesota is amazing in the summer!

I'd say that everyone above has given you pretty much all the information there is, but you will have a great time. My daughter and son-in-law and their kids and I have been pretty much all over the state visiting these places and love them.

And that's nice that you are staying in New Ulm. We stopped for lunch there when we went to visit the Laura Ingalls Wilder site. There are several really good German restaurants in town. We ate at Turner Hall, which was really good, but they have others. And the history of New Ulm is pretty interesting, too. What I especially like is that it was founded by German immigrants from Chicago and Cincinnati who were members of the Turner Society. I'm originally from Cincinnati, so I've always been fascinated by that. And that's probably way more information about New Ulm than you needed or wanted to know, lol!

If you like small museums (this one's not necessarily quirky,) the Museum of Russian Art is pretty wonderful. It's one of my favorite museums. https://tmora.org

Another pretty cool place is the American Swedish Institute. It's in a gorgeous building, has a lot of really interesting exhibits, and the gift shop is to die for. I usually go there several times a year.

Another LIW Fan here!
We visited DeSmet a few years back on an Upper Midwest driving vacation. One other thing we saw in SD was the Corn Palace (I think it’s in Mitchell?).
Interesting place, if you’re passing by, but not worth a special detour, IMO.
If you’re still looking for ideas in Minneapolis, we visited Paisley Park (home of Prince) in Minneapolis. I found it very interesting, even though I’m not a huge Prince fan.

To build on Mardee's great ideas for New Ulm, there is a big statue of "Herman the German" in New Ulm with a little museum https://hermannmonument.com/. Herman the German is meant to represent to contributions of Germans in Minnesota. Across the Minnesota River from New Ulm is a historical 1871 store, that was abruptly closed one day with all the merchandise still in it. One of the factors for the closure was that the railroad did not go thru the town. https://www.mnhs.org/harkinstore If you drive by, do stop in. The store is from the time frame that Laura lived in MN.

Also in New Ulm is Schell's Brewery where you can tour and taste. The brewery is 165 years old! https://www.schellsbrewery.com/brewery/bierhalle/

Not sure what your route is to get to DeSmet, but when I visited awhile back I remember that the state highway leading there was extremely flat and straight, to the point where I remarked to my driving companion that it felt like we weren’t moving at all!

If you have time in South Dakota, I highly recommend visiting the Badlands. It’s an absolutely gorgeous area with really unusual landforms.

And thanks for the recommendation on the annotated autobiography. I definitely need to check that out.

The visitor center in Fargo gives free t-shirts to people who are visiting all the states and save North Dakota for last. It's called the Best for Last Club (no comment). If that's not enough to convince you to travel to Fargo, maybe the Fargo movie display complete with the wood chipper will.

In NE South Dakota not far off the interstate is Nicollet Tower & Interpretive Center. You can climb a 75 foot tower (it's not scary) and see ND, SD and Minnesota!

In Wahpeton, North Dakota there is a tent pole monument to circus dead (you said you like weird monuments). Wahpeton is also the home of the world's largest catfish statue.

My very first time staying in Alexandria was just last weekend. The Big Ole Viking Statue is just across the street from the Runestone Museum. It is a good choice to stay if you don't want to go all the way up to Fargo.

Just a note on Paisley Park. It's in Chanhassen, a half hour drive time, in good traffic, from Minneapolis. Depending on route, Paisley Park could be a stop on the way to or from Walnut Grove/New Ulm.

Badlands National Park in South Dakota (North Dakota also has badlands and theirs is also a national park) is a good four hour drive west of DeSmet.

The Corn Palace in Mitchell, SD, is very unique. If you are on I-90 and need a meal break or gas its worth a look. It is, over an hour southwest of DeSmet.

This sounds like so much fun! I have no suggestions as I've not been to anywhere but Minneapolis, but chiming in to recommend a couple of books. The first, "The Wilder Life: My Adventures in the Lost World of Little House on the Prairie" which documents a trek similar to yours and is also quite humorous. The second, "Prairie Fires" by Caroline Fraser, is more serious and won the Pulitzer Prize for nonfiction.

Now I might have to bump up this road trip on my "to go/do" list. Thanks for reminding me! And do come back and let us know how it went.

@mardee - thanks for letting me know that the food at Turner Hall is good. I was eyeing it because of the Rathskeller murals, but I was afraid it would be "meh" due to the tourism factor. Both of your museum suggestions look interesting, but due to their limited opening hours, I can't make them work with my flight times.

@BarbaraG - I visited the Corn Palace many years ago on a work trip. Pretty funny. And THANK YOU for the Paisley Park suggestion!! That is totally up my alley and is EXACTLY what I will be doing on my way from New Ulm to the airport, since it has early tours!

@jules - I will definitely go take a pic of Herman the German! I had eyed the Schells Brewery but it closes really early so I don't think I will be there in time to sample its wares. I also was very interested in the Harkin Store when I first checked out New Ulm, but it's temporarily closed right now for some reason. Pooh. And thanks for your suggestion about Paisley Park being on the way to the airport - bingo, I've found my "morning after New Ulm" activity! (I have been to the Badlands on a previous trip to the West side of SD.)

@mnannie, I've heard about the t-shirts! My coworker even showed me a website where there's a whole club about ND being the last state people visit, haha! The Tent Pole Monument is on Atlas Obscura, so apparently lots of people like weird stuff, too, haha!

@CL - thanks for your book suggestions! Off to put them on hold at the library.

Kelly, I'm not sure what you can see/do, but the exterior of Harkin Store is open and I imagine you can look thru the windows. Also, there is informational signs. Worth it if you are driving by, I think.

due to the tourism factor

Don’t worry about running into tourists, New Ulm is way off anybody’s radar.

Pipestone + Jeffers Petroglyphs is more than half a day. Some of the petroglyphs are about 8000 years old. Need a tour guide to wet the rock.

If it’s the Holiday Inn in Alexandria it’s OK, lively bar scene.

Bizarrely Georgia was my 50th state. No t-shirt for me.

Edit: I see I’m not the only one
https://www.facebook.com/groups/15908242749/posts/10160724620987750/

Another shout-out for Ft Snelling! It's a interesting piece of history, and they do a good job of presenting it. A bit of minutia? Dred Scott and his wife lived here for a time as the enslaved servants of the assigned medical officer, Dr. John Emerson.

Maybe I'm misunderstanding but just to clarify, Pepin WI is much closer to Minneapolis than it is to Madison. It's maybe 1.5 hours one way. And the upper Mississippi River around that area is a beautiful drive with lots of quaint stops. Cross to Wisconsin at Red Wing and drive down with a stop at Stockholm for pie, see the Ingalls site and you have a really nice day.

But if you don't have time or you have other priorities, that's fine. I just didn't want you to think Pepin made more sense as part of a Madison trip.

@Chris, good catch! Pepin is an easy (and lovely) drive from the Minnesota metro area. We've done that drive many times in a day.