historic forestville

I was kind of excited about checking out Forestville as we came into the park, as it is very beautiful and full of a huge variety of trees and natural wheat and grass fields. However, the village was not what I was expecting.We stopped into the park office to get our permit and the man working there was very helpful. He knew quite a bit about the area and some geology. He even pointed out a couple geographic spots that he found interesting in the area to stop at and gave us some great information.The bridge is closed up next to the historic village, which was no big deal. (In fact, it kind of made it look more like a zombie village.) There are only a few buildings in Forestville left, which was a little misleading considering all the paintings depicted a larger town. No big deal I thought, so we went on our way to look at some of the markers that memorialized the former buildings. Of which, only a couple of them remain in their foundations.However, I did really enjoy the walk, and the park was very serene and well maintained, which was nice. It may be a better place to visit for kids when they do reenactments I would imagine.

Go back to 1899 with people dressed appropriately. You even get a treat in the kitchen! Feed chickens, tour the garden, and take time to browse the old store: many interesting items.

When we visited they were re-enacting a civil war era time. They were even shooting off the cannons. Everyone was wearing classic union uniforms with classic flags and such. When we crossed the bridge from the parking lot it was like stepping into another world. It felt like going back in time. All of the buildings are perfectly preserved and really neat to see. You can really lose yourself out here and get into that 1880s state of mind.

Forestville is one of those unique places that you might not think of visiting. The whole town, which consists of a Store, one home, and a few barns is exactly as it was in 1899. When you take the tour you meet the towns "residents" (actors) that take you through the bulidings and tell you all about life in the 1800's. Most of the things that you see inside the store and house are original....not just period but the original items!!! If you ask one of the towns people a modern question the will just look at you like your crazy!!! The tour is 7.00/person, well worth it!!!

Tours run continuously throughout the day, led by costumed characters from the town. You can also take a look around without a tour, but you wouldn't be able to go into any of the buildings.The store and house were interesting with lots of items from the time period. It's nice to remind yourself of the way things used to be.

We went to the park not knowing what to expect and were delighted with the entire program of guides, historical settings and of course, learning how to make apple butter. From watching bread being baked in wood fired ovens to stirring the apple "stew" in a bubbling copper pot over an open fire was to get some idea of life in the 1800's. Not to mention the pay off at the end and getting to taste everything. I would have eaten a lot more if no one was looking! Fun to see all of the horses and riders as the trails are quite extensive. A hike up to the Zumbro cemetery is very interesting - but it IS an uphill hike. Great family outing and a beautiful drive.

We are staunch supporters of the MN Historical Society and we were not disappointed with our first visit to this location. The docents were very knowledgable and able to effectively communicate a lot about life in Forestville in 1899.

The historic site has tour guides operating as town residents from1899. It is fun to hear about their life and work, lots of work. It was still too hot to hike beyond the historic buildings, but there would be more to explore. I would have liked to visit the old Zumbro cemetery. Great combo to also Tour nearby Mystery cave.

We visited Forestville with our 5 year old grandson. He really enjoyed the outdoor setting under the big trees. He was somewhat interested in learning about all the items in the old General store and the family home (too much he couldn't touch), but loved walking through the big kitchen garden. He helped grind corn and then fed the many chickens which were wandering through the little old town. It was a hot day but the huge old trees kept the area shady and beautiful. We had a great time.

go try it, you will be surprised. bring your family and friends there. they will love it

Check ahead to see whether the buildings are open.

The special events are always a good way to experience life in 1899. It's worth checking out, especially for those kids who can't imagine life before electronics.

This was a beautiful historic village. You can pay a fee to tour through the buildings. Guides are dressed in historic costume and talk to you as if it was the 1800s. There are a lot of antiques and other artifacts to see in the house, store and stables. Walk down the road and you will see signs marking the site of other buildings that are no longer standing. Not to mention this is an absolutely beautiful area of Minnesota.

Planned to stop at Forestville to see what it was. SURPRISE !! What a great place! Wonderful historical buidlings, bridge, farm, store, barn. Guides dressed in authentic historical period clothing and "acted" the era, too. The store is amazing. The original owner just closed the doors in early 1900's and all items were left intact. Fascinating. The house is in tremendous condition and the kitchen is always in working order. They had just finished canning pickles the day before and had fresh cake that day to sample. We were very impressed and would recommend it.

I stopped here with my two children ages 9 & 11.  I thought it would be ok....but it was awesome!  I love to stop at museums with my children when we go on vacation.  This was like a "live" museum that really caught their attention.  The drive through the park is beautiful.  After you get to the parking spot you need to walk across this old bridge to the town.  You are guided though Forestville by very friendly and informaive guides who talk to you like you are living in the 1800's.  The general store had tons of items left in it from that time era.  The guide offered to cut us some plug tobacco...my children asked many questions as to what the different items were in the store.....they were never rushed or talked down to....this I really appreciated!  They learned alot in the general store alone.Then we proceeded to the house, again, lots of items that my children were really interested in knowing about. There was even an old pump organ....and they let the kids play it!!!  In the kitchen was an old wood stove....hot...made you realize what it was like in those days.  The poor guide had a long dress on....but it made you realize what women went through in that time era. Tons of original items in there and the guide was very nice and answered all questions without feeling rushed or that any question was"dumb".It was nice to get outside and look at the flowers and huge garden guided by the "hired hand".  It made my children realize what it was like to grow food in those days.  They had a summer garden AND winter garden!We then toured the granery, chicken coop and blacksmith shop....we had to leave the tour at that point so we could get to the cave on the other side of the park because the last tour was a 4:00.We expected to spend a short time at Forestville....but ended up staying over an hour-and-a-half.  We would have stayed longer, but wanted to tour the cave.  The next morning we came back and my son went trout fishing in the river.  Forestville was great!  HIGHLY recommened!!!