Events

  Drive-through Christmas light show • November 28–December 31 "Best holiday lights in greater Des Moines, as voted by locals!" —Catch Des Moines Online ticket purchase required • Limited tickets available each day • Times...

Living History Farms is now a regional partner in the Scripps National Spelling Bee Saturday, March 7 • 2 p.m. Emcee: WHO 13 News anchor/reporter Calyn Thompson We're excited to bring the Scripps National Spelling Bee to...

A Hoover Presidential Foundation traveling museum experience April 1–May 30 Created to extend the reach of the Herbert Hoover Presidential Library and Museum, the exhibit introduces visitors to Herbert Hoover’s life, leadership, and humanitarian legacy...

It's Easter in Walnut Hill! Egg hunts and so much more ... Saturday, April 4 • 9 a.m.-noon All events but egg hunts and horse-drawn wagon rides will take place indoors Advance: $12 • $11...

THIS EVENT IS FULL Transcribing the Freedmen's Bureau An Acts of Science: Connected Event Friday, April 10 · 12:30–3 p.m. or 4:30–7 p.m. Registration is required and is limited to 15 people per session All...

Guest speaker: Historian Sarah Fling of the White House Historical Association A "Hoover on the Road" program of the Hoover Presidential Foundation Thursday, April 23 • 6:30 p.m. Living History Farms Kemin Cultivation Center •...

Celebrate the creativity and heritage skills of Iowa artisans APRIL 25 • 10 a.m.–3 p.m. ADMISSION IS FREE! In recognition of America's 250th birthday, we present the inaugural Folk Art Fair at Living History Farms....

Colonial America to Reconstruction May 5–June 26 John Edward Smith Gallery (Kemin Cultivation Center) Included with General Admission Introduce upper elementary-age students to the beginnings of American history and the skills involved in primary source...

Come see the mobile museum traveling the country May 12–23 • Tuesday–Saturday • 9 a.m.–5 p.m. FREE! Learn how 13 colonies declared and won independence from Britain. Take a quiz—“Are you a loyalist or a...

Our changing ideas from the founders to Obama's election May 12–June 5 John Edward Smith Gallery (Kemin Cultivation Center) Included with General Admission Since 1776, when the United States declared independence from Great Britain, the...

Explore the origins and meaning of Memorial Day! Saturday, May 23 Procession begins at the Gazebo at 1 p.m. Ceremony at New Hope Cemetery follows immediately Town buildings will be closed during procession and ceremony...

The perfect opportunity for families to learn together! Friday, May 29 • 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Discounted admission if you buy ahead • Free for members Purchase advance tickets You and your children will have the...

PLUS ... Slice of History and Historic Baseball June 13 • 9 a.m.-4 p.m. EMANCIPATION DAY Iowa entered the Union in 1846 as a free state, but our history of civil rights is complicated. Use...

Our Most Valuable Resource June 16–August 11 John Edward Smith Gallery (Kemin Cultivation Center) Included with General Admission Only 0.007 percent of the planet’s water is available to fuel and feed its 8 billion people....

Here comes the bride ... but she's not dressed in white! Saturday, June 27 11:30 a.m. at the 1850 Pioneer Farm Please allow at least a half-hour for the tractor cart ride from the Visitor...

Celebrate July 4th the old-fashioned way! Saturday, July 4 • 9 a.m.-4 p.m. All activities included with General Admission Celebrate a historic Independence Day in the town of Walnut Hill. 1876 marks the first centennial...

Celebrating the first public reading on July 8, 1776 Wednesday, July 8 • 3 p.m. • Church of the Land July 4, 1776, is the date etched into our national memory as the day the...

Our original community event! Saturday, July 25 • 9 a.m.-4 p.m. All activities included with General Admission Every year since 1970, we've invited guests to help us bring in the harvest using methods from centuries past....

How were ordinary people affected by the American Revolutionary War? August 1–11 • Included with General Admission This collaborative project of the American Battlefield Trust and the Daughters of the American Revolution connects modern audiences...

Cooks at four sites compete using surprise ingredients! Saturday, August 8 Cooking over an open fire, hearth, or wood stove is a challenge ... even more so when you have to improvise with surprise ingredients!...

We welcome dogs all season, and this is their special day! Saturday, August 29 • 9 a.m.-4 p.m. • All activities included with General Admission Bring your well-behaved pup to visit our farm sites, walk...

The perfect opportunity for families to learn together! Friday, September 4 • 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Discounted admission if you buy ahead • Free for members You and your children will have the opportunity to tour...

Everything's coming up ... apples! Saturday, September 26 • 9 a.m.-4 p.m. All activities included with General Admission • Advance tickets recommended Join us for a day of family fun celebrating apple harvest season! Visit...

Absent but dear... Saturday, October 3 • 1 p.m. at the Tangen Home Included with General Admission In 1876, a funeral was a pageant of honored traditions. Families gathered to find joy in a public...

Explore the native cultures that have shaped our state Saturday, October 10 • 9 a.m.-4 p.m. All activities included with General Admission As we celebrate the 250th anniversary of the United States as a nation,...

A townful of treats for your little tricksters! ONE WEEKEND ONLY: October 23–25 Last tickets sold 30 minutes before closing Advance: $12 • $11 members • Under 2 free At the door: $13 • $12...

Run 5 miles through 300 years of history! Saturday, November 7, 9 a.m. Registration opens August 1 Immerse yourself in rural Iowa landscapes for this one-of-a-kind off-road race. You'll splash through streams, plow through fields,...