Experience life on a real 1850s farm at the Oliver Kelley Farm in Elk River. Meet heritage animals, pitch in with daily chores, and dig into the story of Oliver Kelley. Wander through heirloom gardens, explore fields in full bloom, and follow scenic trails along the Mississippi River. With costumed guides and hands-on fun around every corner, the farm invites visitors of all ages to step into the sights, sounds, and stories of Minnesota’s rural past.
Scroll through the gallery below for a preview of a day at Oliver Kelley Farm.
1. Historic Farmstead
Your family can meet farm animals, interact with staff as they work in the house, barn, garden, and fields, and participate in a wide variety of activities that follow the farming cycle and change with the season. Photos Courtesy of Minnesota Historical Society
2. Barnyard Fun
The farm is filled with opportunities for interactive fun. You can try your hand at pumping water, assist with fieldwork, meet farm animals of all kinds and so much more.
3. Visitor Center
Need a break? Step inside the visitor center and enjoy informative exhibits, shop the museum store, and view an immersive film on a 30-foot screen with a fresh take on food, farming, and Oliver Kelley, an innovator who changed farming forever.
4. Animals Galore
Cattle, horses, hogs, sheep, chickens—there are so many barnyard animals here to meet. Many are 19th-century breeds you won’t see on the farms of today.
5. Fields and Gardens
See many of the same plants the Kelleys grew in the 1800s. And don’t miss the Farm Lab to discover many new hybrids and varieties that have developed since Kelley’s time.
mnhs.org/kelleyfarm | 763-441-6896 | kelley.farm@mnhs.org
