Living History Farms is proud to celebrate "Growing Green" through June in partnership with the Monsanto Fund.

Election Day: An 1875 Vote for Mayor
Saturday, July 12

Love party politics? Can’t wait for November to vote? Enjoy politicking in nineteenth century style, as Walnut Hill gets ready to elect a new mayor. Hear townspeople argue the issues, campaign with the local “candidates”, and then cast your vote for the next town leader at the Walnut Hill Schoolhouse. 1875 voting rules will apply and the Walnut Hill Ladies Suffrage Committee is sure to voice their opinions on those rules as well! Votes will be counted at 3:30 pm to determine the winners.

Grain Harvest Weekend
Saturday and Sunday, July 19-20

From hand power to horsepower, witness it all as you hear the smash of the flail, the roar of the steam-powered thresher, and the clicking of the cutter bar. Experience the many methods used to harvest oats and wheat from 1850 to the present and help bring in the harvest that will feed our animals throughout the winter. Demonstrations will be weather dependent.

Travel Through 300 Years of Iowa’s Agricultural Heritage

At Living History Farms, visitors experience first-hand what it was like to live on an Ioway Indian farm, on a pioneer farmstead, in an early Iowa town, on a farm from 100 years ago and what farming is like today!

Discover America’s agricultural heritage as you walk through three working farms, each with authentic crops and livestock. Learn how Native Americans grew crops in Iowa at the 1700 Farm. See how early farmers opened the prairie with oxen at the 1850 Farm. Find out how horse-power and cast-iron machines revolutionized agriculture at the 1900 Farm. Then, reconnect with today’s agriculture in the Wallace Exhibit Center where you can see the many ways two-percent of the people in the United States (farmers) feed, clothe - and even fuel - the other 98 percent.

In the 1875 town of Walnut Hill, join in the excitement of a bustling Iowa town with 14 homes, shops and businesses including a general store, blacksmith shop, print shop, drug store, implement warehouse and two Victorian homes.

Historical interpreters work at each of the farms, homes and shops and are ready to show you the whats, whens, hows and whys of everyday life in the past. The sights, sounds, smells and sensations at the sites will immerse you in history.

During June, July and August, you can really “Give Us a Hand! at Living History Farms.” Just grab your FREE pair of work gloves and try something new every day with hands-on activities for the entire family.

Celebrate Iowa with Lee Kline

Veteran farm broadcaster Lee Kline has compiled his favorite interviews into a five volume collection now available on CD and cassette. The "Lee Kline’s Iowa Notebooks" show both the serious and humorous sides of Iowa. All proceeds from the CD and tape sales go to Living History Farms. Lee Kline entertained and informed generations of Iowa radio listeners with the sounds and stories of rural life for more than 40 years on WHO Radio, Des Moines. Raised in Conrad, Iowa, Lee began his daily "Iowa Notebook" features when he joined WHO in 1954. He continues to file occasional broadcasts recounting interesting stories gathered from recent travel in Iowa and around the globe.

To get your copy of Lee's tapes or CDs visit our MarketPlace on your next visit!

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. For a special events update, call (515) 278-2400. Living History Farms is located at 2600 111th Street (exit #125 from the combined interstates 35/80), Urbandale, Iowa.

Don't lose your handle!
If you would like to be regularly informed about activities and special events, please submit your email address here and we will add you to our email list. Your privacy is protected as we will not sell or give this information away to any third party.

Join Our Email List Email: