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All the United States Minnesota Walnut Grove Laura Ingalls Wilder Museum and Pageant

Laura Ingalls Wilder Museum and Pageant

Elaborate drama imparts an appreciation for 19th century hardships.

Walnut Grove, Minnesota

Added By
Reagen Thalacker
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it’s amazing how small these wagons were…like closets-on-wheels!   Kevin OKeeffe / Atlas Obscura User
from the museum’s one-room schoolhouse exhibit   Kevin OKeeffe / Atlas Obscura User
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About

One of a handful of museums across the country dedicated to preserving the history of Laura Ingalls Wilder and her landmark "Little House" books, the Wilder Museum in Walnut Creek, Minn., stands out because of its annual pageant.

You'll have to pack the family into the station wagon and travel to Minnesota if you want to witness the family-oriented outdoor drama. An elaborate 15-scene display that includes an intermission, the pageant's organizers maintain a strict no recording policy in the hillside amphitheater. Every night, all costumed characters from the Walnut Grove area participate as Laura narrates the story, which has her reflecting on life in the area in the 1870s.

"It is our hope that visitors will take with them a sense of history and a deeper appreciation of the joys and hardships that challenged our ancestors when settling the prairie," the official website reads.

Though the pageant only takes place in July, the museum and accompanying gift shop is open year-round. Its collections are housed in a series of interesting buildings, including an 1898 depot, an onion-domed house, a little red schoolhouse, a chapel, an early settler home, and a covered wagon display. Some highlighted exhibits include a quilt owned by Laura and her daughter, Rose; scale models of the "Little House on the Prairie" TV series homes; historic documents; and a Bible from the church that Laura attended.

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Museums And Collections Museums Television Open Air Wondrous Performances

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Added By

regs22

Edited By

nbj914, Kevin OKeeffe

  • nbj914
  • Kevin OKeeffe

Published

July 22, 2010

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  • Wikipedia: Laura Ingalls Wilder: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laura_Ingalls_Wilder
Laura Ingalls Wilder Museum and Pageant
330 8th Street
Walnut Grove, Minnesota, 56180
United States
44.22446, -95.472574
Visit Website
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Nearby Places

Sod House on the Prairie

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miles away

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Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Minnesota

Minnesota

United States

Places 184
Stories 25

Nearby Places

Sod House on the Prairie

Sanborn, Minnesota

miles away

Mimi and Papa's Place

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miles away

Giant Pipe of Pipestone

Pipestone, Minnesota

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Minnesota

Minnesota

United States

Places 184
Stories 25

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