"No other museum - neither Skansen in Stockholm, nor the Museum of English Rural Life in Reading, UK, nor the Cotton Museum in Giza, Egypt, nor any museum in North America - offers as broad a view over the history of ideas about how things grow and how to grow them. For that reason, the Living History Farms, in my estimation, is now, as it has been for many years, the best agricultural museum anywhere. Living History Farms engages visitors with the central reality of agriculture...placing the emphasis where it rightly belongs-on the living."

Dr. Terry Sharrer, former Agricultural Curator and now Health Sciences
Curator of the Smithsonian Institution, in an August 7, 1996, letter.

Living History Farms in Urbandale, Iowa, tells the amazing story of how Iowans transformed the fertile prairies of the Midwest into the most productive farmland in the world. While at the 550-acre open-air museum, visitors travel at their own pace through five historical time periods spanning 300 years. On-site interpreters provide a unique learning environment of seasonal activities and demonstrations. A complete visit lasts three to four hours.

HISTORICAL SITES

The 1700 Ioway Indian Farm shows how Iowa's first farmers worked the rich black soil. On the 1850 Pioneer Farm, oxen do much of the heavy work and the family lives in a log cabin. The 1875 town of Walnut Hill recreates a bustling frontier community with craftsmen and merchants in 16 shops along the town's main street. At the 1900 Farm, draft horses supply the power for the field work while the family lives in a white frame farm house. The Henry A. Wallace Exhibit Center depicts the history of the 20th Century. Sites are connected by walking trails and tractor-drawn carts. Each site is authentically farmed or worked by interpreters in historical clothing. Many educational programs are available for school and adult groups. Also, day camps and historical dinners are available by reservation. Special events are scheduled throughout the year.

AWARDS:

The American Association for State and Local History awarded LHF with a certificate of commendation for the Tangen Home and Implement Warehouse site, where the business and home life of a middle class Midwestern family in the 1870s is interpreted. The site was recognized for "outstanding accomplishments in the collection, preservation and interpretation of state and local history." Midwest Travel Writers Association : LHF is the first site in Iowa selected by this writer's group to receive its GEMmy Award as an exceptional tourist attraction. TravelAmerica Magazine's top 20 tours in the United States includes Living History Farms as a highlighted stop. The Iowa Paralyzed Veterans Association (IPVA) honored LHF for "outstanding effort to make facilities accessible to the disabled community" (it was the first time the award was given to an organization and not an individual). The IPVA also donated four wheelchairs to LHF (now loaned to visitors at no charge).

VISITORS:

In 1999, attendance reached 110,092 museum visitors, with an additional 29,675 attending the Farms' non-museum activities (i.e. facility rentals). The largest single group is school and youth programs, with more than 40,000 participating in 1999. An intercept exit survey of 941 visitors in 1999 showed 39% of the visitors from central Iowa; 24% from the rest of the state; and 33% from out-of-state, including more than 85 foreign countries.

AGRICULTURAL SIGNIFICANCE:

Nationally, only 2% of all Americans are actively engaged in farming. Even in Iowa, a world leader in agriculture, farm families account for about only 9% of the work force, although agri-business is a major component of the state's economy. LHF is nationally recognized for its interpretation of the development of agriculture. Multi-national corporations based in Iowa bring people from around the world to Living History Farms to learn the history of Midwestern agriculture. The strength of Living History Farms programing is that it can interpret change through time. While it is a uniquely Iowa institution, Living History Farms, as a representative of an agricultural heritage common to many areas, also has a universal appeal.

RENTAL FACILITIES

Unique meeting places in a rural setting for groups, company picnics, business retreats, sales meetings, receptions, weddings and more. Get all the details on our Rental Facilities page.

A MAP OF THE FARMS

Take a sneak peek at our map that we hand out to visitors when they arrive. You can get an idea of how large our site truly is and what an opportunity for a good family adventure we have for you.

Living History Farms

a non-profit, historical, educational foundation located at 2600 111th St.,Urbandale, Iowa. Operations and maintenance are dependent upon gate receipts, memberships and contributions. Phone: 515/278-5286 (office) or 515/278-2400 (24-hr. special event info) Email: lhf@lhf.org Living History Farms is open daily, May 1 to September 3; and Wednesday through Sunday, September 5 to October 21. Hours are: 9 am to 5 pm daily. Admission is: Adults, $11.00; Child (4-12) $6.00; Senior Citizen (60+), $10.00. Two Day Admissions are: Adult, $16.50; Child, (4-12), $9.00; Senior Citizen (60+), $15.00. (Two Day Passes must be used on consecutive days) The last tractor-cart to the farm sites leaves at 3:00 p.m. each day. Ticket sales and admission to the Farms ends at 4:00 p.m. each day. Mastercard and Visa accepted