Laura Ingalls Wilder Historic Home & Museum
The Laura Ingalls Wilder Historic Home & Museum is a farmhouse and museum complex on Rocky Ridge Farm near Mansfield, Missouri, where the author wrote her stories about childhood and pioneer life. The main house was built in 1894, a stone cottage from 1928 houses additional exhibits, and a modern museum building displays family possessions, photographs, and original book editions.
Laura Ingalls Wilder and her husband Almanzo moved to the farm in 1894 and built their house there after leaving the northern prairie states. She wrote her celebrated Little House books at this location, drawing on memories of frontier life and family experiences to create her series.
The home embodies the values Laura portrayed in her books: simplicity, hard work, and family bonds. Visitors can see how the place honors these ideals and how her stories continue to resonate with people seeking connections to pioneer life and American heritage.
The site opens from March through November and is best reached by car via Route 60, about 45 miles east of Springfield. A visitor center near the parking area offers tickets and information before you explore the buildings and grounds at your own pace.
Laura's daughter Rose Wilder Lane was herself a published author and played a key role in helping her mother publish the Little House books. The stone cottage she built in 1928 still stands at the site and reflects her contribution to her mother's literary success.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 60,000 contributors worldwide.
