Laura Ingalls Wilder Park & Museum

Burr Oak, Iowa, is the only location where Laura Ingalls Wilder and her family lived that was not included in the Little House series of books.

The volunteer board along with a part-time director, a part-time curator, and part-time summer tour guides have done an amazing job preserving three historic buildings in Burr Oak including the hotel where Laura and her family lived, and worked. The volunteer board has also acquired a fourth historic building, the Mercantile. I can not wait to see their vision for the Mercantile come to fruition. They also maintain a park that adds to the experience.

In addition to summer tours, there is also a summer festival at the end of June celebrating life as it was when Laura and her family lived in Burr Oak. It is a fun time to be in Burr Oak.

This is a wonderful museum and well worth your time. Though it is touted as a 45 minute tour, I had a terrific volunteer who made it so much fun that we spent close to two hours! There are countless stories, family pictures, various artifacts from the period, etc. I learned quite a bit and I think any Laura Ingalls fan would enjoy him or her self.

There is also a gift shop with many books and various souvenirs at a reasonable cost.

The only confusion I had was that the tour actually starts at a small bank building on the right side. It is well marked.

Check this place out. It's a lot of fun and well marked as you travel north on Highway 52, just north of Decorah.

So interesting! We visited this museum on a trip to Decorah, having been out on Hwy 52 for the Seed Savers and Winery, and this was just a few miles away. Very worthwhile! All the staff were friendly and helpful. We start across the street from the actual museum, in a brick bank building which is also a nice gift shop and holds many of Laura's letters! You pay for your tour there, then we were taken across the street into the old hotel where Laura lived for a short time when she was 8 or 9. There is SO much to see! Our tour guide was delightful; she was a college student who knew a lot about what she was showing us, and shared some other personal insights too, which was nice. The only thing I wished for was more time: each room/area had so much to look at and read, I didn't get time to read everything I wanted to before we had to move on. I was the last one in every room, holding up the group (sorry!), but if they put the information out there, I want to see it! Lots of photos, even things that Laura owned or made! Very cool. We got to see the wonderful little garden out back which had flowers with their meanings explained, herbs that were used in cooking and for household uses too, then there was an old covered wagon (not the Ingalls') and bell outside too. It was easy to imagine life in the late 1800s after being there, and we really enjoyed it. I even asked if I could go back in, to finish looked at everything, but they were starting a new tour! It's worth a look if you're nearby: not far from Decorah at all, and it's very interesting for all the history of that time period, not just the Ingalls'.