LOVED IT! worth the stop, super friendly and helpful staff. Nice souvenir shop. White prairie dogs and lots of historical history! RV parking too! read more

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Located to the east of the Badlands National Park, this is a tourist destination, for sure, complete with souvenir shop. Especially appealing to urban dwellers who have never experienced life on a farm. I paid the current fee to tour the grounds. There is a short (10 minute?) video available, then you can don vintage clothing and walk the homestead at your leisure. Walking up the pathway to the left, you will probably see prairie dogs running from hole to hole. They may or may not observe you as you walk along. Inside the home on the left, the dirt-floor room has a button which you push to get a bit of narration. The right side of the house was a newer addition, with furniture and wood flooring. In the old section, you will find the original homestead, with the bedroom in back. Check out some of the 'wallpaper' and you can read articles of news from the era. Yes, they used newspaper to help insulate the home. There are lots of items to see from the homestead days. I found the cream separator to be an interesting apparatus. There was a cellar which had a chicken wire mesh over the entrance. You could see inside from the walkway. The chicken coop was next, typical of the era. On to the barn, there is a broken down Ford Model T in one bay. Various saddles and equestrian items are next. To my surprise, a pony and some chickens were in the next section, staying inside to avoid the approaching storm. An outhouse is set back a bit, nothing fancy, a little worn for time. There are various farm implements out in the yard. I found the big kettle, complete with firebox, to be interesting to investigate. They used it to render slaughtered animals, and also for washing clothes. A sign along the pathway displayed typical Midwestern humor. Words to the effect: The government put up 160 acres to your $16, betting that you'd starve to death before 5 years had passed. All in all, a decent display of how the settlers in the area lived in bygone days. A helpful addition would be guided tours vs. the self-guided tours. I recommend. read more

Prairie Homestead - Historical Marker - Souvenir Shops Near Me - Philip, South Dakota

The woman with short black hair that works there was extremely rude. We asked what kind of goats they were she said 'I don't know and I don't care. I don't keep up with those goats. They are boys.' We saw the door said not an exit so we said wait this one says not and exit (you can't see out the door so you really can't tell) she said 'I don't care what's on the door. I said to go out it.' Besides the woman, we had a great time. The house was neat, but we are huge animal people so the goats were our favorite! read more

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Walked in 15 mins before closing. Barely stepped in the facility...This lady stopped me and says "NOPE" Short brown hair lady is rude! Don't recommend! read more

Yes! Just yes! It's magical and so fun. I could've spent the whole day here! A hidden gem for sure!

Homestead prairie $7 too see an old shack! The family who owns it lives in long beach, ca! This is just an old shack I was not really impressed! Any old farm has the same things! read more

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I was impressed to visit the historical site of homestead. other than that, I wasn't happy the customer service at the counter. There were two ladies working today, everything were fine until I started asking questions about the admission fee. $7 per person (adult) & $19 for a family. "How many people you count as a family?" I asked. A lady with short hair dye in black answered "4 in a group", another lady with gray hair answered but I forgot what she said, "5 of us in a group so do I need to pay $7 for extra person?" I asked again, the short black hair lady started becoming impatient, she said "total of $20.14; $19 plus tax" then she turned her face away and sighed never look at me again. Her co-worker didn't say much but nice was trying to help me. I wasn't sure what was the problem with the short black hair lady, maybe she had a bad day or I irritated her but she seemed to be nice to other customers who before me and after... smiling and chatting. Is she being racist?!!! i don't deserve to be treated like this! I spent 7 minutes at the historical site then left, no bye no thank you behind the door. I didn't feel welcome to this place, So I will not return to this shop ever again. read more

Fascinating restoration that gives a realistic look at the hardscrabble lifestyle of prairie pioneers. The soddy and outbuildings are lovingly and authentically restored. The staff is friendly and knowledgeable. read more

Interesting to see how the homesteaders lived. The short film and the handout could use a good editor (there were continuity issues) - but reasonably informative. My favorite part was the resident prairie dog colony. The prairie dogs are adorable and not shy. We saw more of them, and more up close, here than in Roberts Prairie Dog Town in Badlands National Park. Admission was $19 for a "family" - a little pricey relative to what you get, IMO. read more