Travel back in time and dig in! Join us this summer for a day of hands-on activities that will make history fun and exciting for the whole family. Come out to Living History Farms in Des Moines, Iowa and “Give Us a Hand! at Living History Farms.”

Living History Farms specializes in what the textbooks can’t teach. Historical interpreters greet visitors at three working farm sites and a recreated frontier town to show what daily life was like in early Iowa.

Living History Farms features some of the best hands-on, educational activities in the nation- more than 400 different games, chores, and projects during June, July, and August. The activities change twice every day, so make sure to check the website to help plan your visit.

Here’s a sample of what you can do:

Saddle Up
You’ve never seen horses like these before! Help groom the 1800-pound work horses at the 1900 Farm and then use them to cultivate the corn fields.

Play Date
Children in the Victorian era loved to play outdoors, so join in games of Red-Rover, Mother-May-I, horseshoes, and croquet. Weather not participating? Play parlor games instead and enjoy live music from the antique piano.

Sweet Tooth
Help make ice cream in 1875 fashion and churn butter at the 1900 Farm site. Don’t forget to bake some treats at the 1850 Farm, but don’t spoil your lunch!

Dig In
Help the interpreters at the Flynn House maintain the beautiful gardens, and if you’re feeling extra adventurous, help the residents of the 1875 town of Walnut Hill dig a grave in preparation for a Victorian funeral.

Come and participate in our exciting new activities to help tighten your handle on history.