If you read the Little House on the Prairie books by Laura Ingalls Wilder, or watched the television show when you were a child, you were probably fascinated by the way of life in the late 1800s. There’s a historic town in South Dakota that still embraces that time, and every South Dakotan should visit it at least once.

The prairie town of De Smet is located north of Sioux Falls, about halfway between Brookings and Huron.
Jimmy Emerson, DVM/flickr
This charming town is home to around 1,100 residents.
Ross Griff/Wikimedia
De Smet is most famous as the town in which the author Laura Ingalls Wilder grew up. The Ingalls family arrived in 1879, and many of the town's current residents are very familiar with the Ingalls and their history.
The Laura Ingalls Wilder Memorial Society offers tours of several historic sites occupied by the Ingalls family.
J. Stephen Conn/flickr
The society also houses many artifacts of the Ingalls family. Click here to visit the society's website for more information about tours.
The tour includes the Sigurd Anderson School, where Laura and her little sister Carrie attended....
J. Stephen Conn/flickr
...the Surveyor's House...
Jimmy Emerson, DVM/flickr
...the original Ingalls Family Home where the family lived from 1887 to 1928...
Jimmy Emerson, DVM/flickr

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...and The Discovery Center, where you can learn more about the Ingalls family and participate in some hands-on activities.
Laura Ingalls Wilder Memorial Society/Facebook
Other historic spots around town include the Wilder Home, where Laura and her husband Alonzo lived in 1894...
Jimmy Emerson, DVM/flickr
... and you can also see the church that Pa helped build.
J. Stephen Conn/flickr
Laura wrote about this event in her Little House books. Today, the church is occupied by the Christian and Missionary Alliance Church.
The De Smet Depot Museum is another interesting place to visit.
MNDoodles/Tripadvisor
It's full of all kinds of vintage items including typewriters, clothing, an old phonograph and more. It's free to visit!
Visit the Ingall's Homestead for a fun-filled afternoon.
3450/Tripadvisor
On the homestead, you'll take a covered wagon tour.
Erika K/Tripadvisor
Every passenger will get a chance to take the reins and drive the wagon.
You'll also visit the one-room schoolhouse, make a corn cob doll and jump rope, and see demonstrations of hay twisting and wheat grinding.
Erika K/Tripadvisor
Plan to spend at least half a day at this fun, educational spot where you'll step right back into the late 1800s.

Have you visited De Smet? What’s your favorite thing about this historic town?

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De Smet, SD 57231, USA