Walnut Grove, located on U.S. Route 14, is home to a charming, small town Minnesota museum that celebrates the life and work of Laura Ingalls Wilder, the beloved creator of the “Little House” series. Come with us as we explore this central Minnesota gem.

Although charming in its own right, the central Minnesota town of Walnut Grove is, today, best known as the childhood home of beloved American writer Laura Ingalls Wilder.
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The town featured prominently in two of the author’s books and served as the main setting for the 1970s television series Little House on the Prairie.
The museum, itself, is comprised of more than half a dozen buildings, including a schoolhouse, an early settler home, and replica dugout.
Ryan Lais/Google Reviews
Artifacts include props and memorabilia from the TV series and actors from the show who have visited the museum. There is, of course, a gift shop, as well.
The mueum’s schoolhouse illustrates the conditions in which Ingalls and her classmates attended school in the late 1800s.
Patrick Skluzacek/Google Reviews
At age 15, Ingalls would earn a teaching certificate and teach in a similar country school near De Smet, South Dakota, for three years.

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The settlers house is demonstrative of the house that Charles Ingalls, Laura’s father, built for their family in Walnut Grove.
Joel Busse/Google Reviews
When they first arrived in Walnut Grove, the Ingalls family lived in an earthen dugout home near Plum Creek while Charles built their home. The museum offers a glimpse into what living in a dugout may have been like.
tom shaner/Google Reviews
You’ll find a more detailed account of that time in Ingalls’ life in her book On the Banks of Plum Creek.
While you’re in Walnut Grove, be sure to grab breakfast or lunch at Nellie’s Little Cafe on the Prairie.
Nellie’s Cafe, 550 U.S. 14, Walnut Grove, MN 56180, USA
Grazia Pattaro/Google Reviews
The name, of course, pays homage to Ingalls Wilder and her books. And the fare is the delicious, down home comfort food you’d expect to find in a beloved small town diner.

Whether you’re a Laura Ingalls Wilder fan, a history buff, or just a lover of small town America, a visit to Walnut Grove and its Laura Ingalls Wilder Museum should certainly be on your bucket list. Visit the museum’s website for hours and more information.

Have you visited this small town Minnesota museum in Walnut Grove? Let us know in the comments.

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Laura Ingalls Wilder Museum, 8th Street, Walnut Grove, MN, USA