CURRENT HOURS: Events and Programs are cancelled thru April 30 and offices are closed; Employees are working remotely and available by phone and email.
EFFECTIVE 3/18/2020: Our Historic Dinner program is temporarily postponed while we practice social distancing during the COVID-19 outbreak. We will continue to follow the recommendations and guidelines provided by government and healthcare officials and make program updates accordingly.
Each year, Living History Farms invites guests to dinner at one of the museum’s many historic homes. Much more than a meal, you’ll step back in time to get a glimpse of life in the past and a taste of history at a Historic Dinner program!
Select the program you are interested in to purchase tickets and find more info:
The 1900 Farm staff welcomes guests with a horse-drawn wagon ride to the farm house, where they cozy up to the wood-burning stove in the dining room and pass heaping dishes of meat and potatoes around the table.
1876 Dahl Historic Dinners at TangenThe Dahl Historic Dinners at Tangen in the 1876 town of Walnut Hill are special occasion meals shared family style in the dining room, followed by fun and frivolous Victorian games in the parlor afterwards.
Info for 1876 Dahl Historic Dinners at Tangen
Triskaideka DinnersFlaunt Fate and court Karma! Join Living History Farms at a Victorian Triskaideka Dinner at the Flynn Mansion! In the 1880s, a New York businessman started a 13 Club: inviting 13 people to dinner on the 13th day of the month, serving 13 dishes, and poking fun at every unlucky superstition possible. They wanted to prove that superstitions had no power for them. Join us as 13 guests sit down to a sumptuous feast. 13 guests only!
Flynn Mansion DinnersAt Flynn Mansion Dinners, historical interpreters offer guests the opportunity to experience the high style a la Russe dining of the late 19th century. Enjoy the high Victorian dining room atmosphere and chat with other guests as serving staff present multiple courses of food, one by one! The dining room host will offer tips for navigating the many forks and spoons laid out at each place setting, while the kitchen staff share their expertise about which recipes and ingredients were part of every Victorian celebration meal.
Info for Flynn Mansion Dinners
Flynn Victorian TeaThe Flynn Mansion welcomes ladies and gentlemen of all ages for a Victorian tea service. Relax and chat with friends and family in our 1870 Victorian home, decorated for either the winter or spring holiday season. Guests are seated at tea tables for three courses of treats featuring tea sandwiches, sweet breads, then cakes and cookies, along with steaming cups of tea. After eating, guests may stroll through the elegantly appointed rooms.
Living History Farms Historic Dinners were featured on IPTV’s Iowa Ingredient:
Read more about our Historic Dinner programs in this article featured in Edible Iowa River Valley.