If you are a Little House on the Prairie fan, you will enjoy this campground situated on the Ingalls Homestead. De Smet is about thirty miles North off the I-90 in eastern South Dakota, making this a nice stopover for a night or two. Before booking your summer stay, check the Laura Ingalls Pageant dates. This production is held on an
outdoor stage adjacent to the homestead for a few select dates in summer. We found the play, put on completely by local De Smet volunteers, simple, but informative. The campground is located next to the Ingalls Homestead Visitor's Center amd Gift Shop. There are only four campsites for RVs here, so book early. Sites offer electric and water hookups. Our shared pedestal had one 30 amp and one 50 amp port. Luckily, we had a 50 amp adapter so we didn't have an issue since our neighbor was already plugged into the 30 amp. These four sites are on grass and are not big rig friendly. There are a handful of tent sites as well as covered wagons and a bunkhouse that can be reserved. All sites overlook the Ingalls Homestead and surrounding farms, some speckled with cattle. To visit the various homestead attractions you will need to purchase tickets at the Visitor's Center; your camping fee does not include access to the attractions. We found this a bit disheartening and expensive, especially since we then had to pay for the pageant tickets. We ended up dropping a pretty penny here in a short amount of time. Attractions at the homestead include various historic buildings, horse drawn hayrides, a "Little Prairie School" lesson, and a few kids activities such as doll and jump rope making. Due to poor weather, we didn't get a chance to explore the entire homestead. Every Little House fan will enjoy stepping back in time to see how Laura and her family survived here as well as learn the history of their homesteading.
Best Sites: 4, All Tent Sites
Poor Sites: None
Hookups: Electric & Water
Potable Water: Yes
Dump Within Facility: Yes
outdoor stage adjacent to the homestead for a few select dates in summer. We found the play, put on completely by local De Smet volunteers, simple, but informative. The campground is located next to the Ingalls Homestead Visitor's Center amd Gift Shop. There are only four campsites for RVs here, so book early. Sites offer electric and water hookups. Our shared pedestal had one 30 amp and one 50 amp port. Luckily, we had a 50 amp adapter so we didn't have an issue since our neighbor was already plugged into the 30 amp. These four sites are on grass and are not big rig friendly. There are a handful of tent sites as well as covered wagons and a bunkhouse that can be reserved. All sites overlook the Ingalls Homestead and surrounding farms, some speckled with cattle. To visit the various homestead attractions you will need to purchase tickets at the Visitor's Center; your camping fee does not include access to the attractions. We found this a bit disheartening and expensive, especially since we then had to pay for the pageant tickets. We ended up dropping a pretty penny here in a short amount of time. Attractions at the homestead include various historic buildings, horse drawn hayrides, a "Little Prairie School" lesson, and a few kids activities such as doll and jump rope making. Due to poor weather, we didn't get a chance to explore the entire homestead. Every Little House fan will enjoy stepping back in time to see how Laura and her family survived here as well as learn the history of their homesteading.
Best Sites: 4, All Tent Sites
Poor Sites: None
Hookups: Electric & Water
Potable Water: Yes
Dump Within Facility: Yes
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