Laura Ingalls Wilder Wayside & Cabin

This was a sentimental visit for me. I've wanted to see the Little House in the Big Woods for decades. The site is open access. You park and can go right up to the house, day or night, any time of year. The door uses a rope latch system and there's a sign asking people to keep the door shut. The interior is small, but there's an information wall that's a good excuse to linger and read. The original cabin, of course, was long gone before the books were even published, and this new version was the result of a fundraising campaign in the 1970s.

We stopped by at the recommendation of the small Laura Ingalls Museum in Pepin, WI. Self guided, site is small but gives you a sense of the little house in the woods. Well maintained. Picnic table at site. 7 miles outside town. I was imagining Pa walking to the town with his furs to sell. There is a board inside with a great deal of information on the timeline from the books.

Absolutely darling and you can even go inside! It looks exactly like what you see in the TV series. The one bedroom for all 5, the loft, the pantry and the big stone fireplace. Brings back so many memories of her delightful books and that wonderful series when television was sweet, kind, and good for families. What an absolute treasure

So...little (replicated) house in the (not really anymore but thanks for a few trees and i know this land could be growing corn) woods. It's really darn pretty here, and peaceful too.Actually...yeah we loved it here. We could have stayed for hours even though the pictures you can see online show the entire thing. My biggest kid read all the info on the bulletin board inside the house and my younger two just ran around and pretended to be Laura and Carrie. There are a few picnic tables. The water spout is beyond broken. The outhouse = amazingly clean. In fact, the whole place was pretty darn clean. Thanks to whatever locals stop by to check on this place, and thanks to all the visitors who dont litter or do any sort of graffiti.

Laura Ingalls Wilder is one of America's favorite authors. Wilder wrote a series of children's books known collectively as the "Little House" series that documented pioneer life in the 19th Century. Her works inspired several stage and movie adaptations but she is best remembered for inspiring the hit television series, "Little House on the Prairie" starring Melissa Gilbert and the late Michael Landon.It all started near this wayside, in the "Little House in the Big Woods." The wayside features a log home, a reproduction of the Ingalls home where Laura Elizabeth Ingalls was born on February 7, 1867 to Charles and Caroline Ingalls. Charles Ingalls seemed to have wanderlust, for he uprooted his family and took them, by covered wagon, to Kansas to farmstead at a new location. The farmstead was actually on the Osage Indian Reservation (near modern Independence) and after being evicted, the Ingalls family returned here, to the Big House in the Woods.Eventually, Ingalls moved his family again, and Laura moved to Minnesota,Iowa, Missouri and Dakota Territory. Laura became a teacher, although she did not care much for the profession and didn't last too long. She married Almanzo Wilder and eventually, the couple settled in Mansfield, Missouri.Ingalls became a columnist in a Missouri newspaper. In her later life, under the encouragement of her daughter, she wrote of her youth in a series of books, aimed at elementary school children, that became the Little House series."Little House in the Big Woods" was inspired by her early life in Wisconsin, near this location and was published in 1932. In 1971, an unpublished manuscript was discovered that documented the first years of her marriage. It was published as "The First Four Years" and is considered to be the ninth book in the Little House series.The wayside is located about 7 miles north of Pepin, Wisconsin, on Pepin County Highway CC. There isn't much here, the Ingalls' log home, the barn and even the Big Woods are all gone. The house is a reproduction but is a great illustration of the hardships encountered in 19th Century pioneer life. The wayside also offers picnic grounds, rest facilities and fresh water - although you have to pump it yourself, just as Laura's family did.A historical marker in Pepin, and one here, commemorate the birthplace and writing career of Laura Elizabeth Ingalls Wilder. She is claimed as a favorite daughter in a half a dozen states, but her life started here, at this spot in Pepin County, Wisconsin.

Anyone who has read Little House on the Prairie or has seen the show should stop by here if they are in the area. Such a sweet little rest area and there it a basic bathroom if needed. There was a constant stream of people but not over crowded.

What you see in the photo is really what you get, a small cabin in the middle of nowhere where. The cabin is decorated a few times a year such as Laura's day in September with docent and activities for kids. It is about 10 minutes from town and it is a replica of what is believed the original little cabin looks like.

This is literally in the middle of nowhere, but worth it if you're a Laura ingalls fan.

The ladies from Wabasha MN who were volunteers in period costumes the day we were there gave a cooking & spinning demo that was so interesting. They were excellent teachers and gave patient answers to my 9 year old twin granddaughters. My granddaughters have talked of it often since as they are mesmerized by Laura Wilders books.

If you are a Laura Ingalls Wilder fan, you will get excited about being here! The cabin is a replica and most of the Big Woods have been cut down for corn and soybeans, but it's still pretty amazing to be standing on the land that Laura was born on and lived part of her childhood on. We are so glad we visited!