The Dakota County Historical Society will open its historic sites for the tour season starting in May. The LeDuc Historic Estate opens for the tour season on Thursday, May 14. The Sibley Historic Site will open for tours on Friday, May 22.
Admission for tours at each site is $10 for adults, $8 for seniors (60+), $6 for students (ages 5–17) and free for children four years and younger. Members of the Dakota County Historical Society also receive free admission for general tours. Registration for both sites is limited, so please book ahead.
The LeDuc Estate is open for tours Thursday-Sunday. Tours begin at 10 a.m., 11:30 a.m., 1 p.m., 2:30 p.m. and 4 p.m. Each tour will last one hour. The LeDuc Estate is located at 1629 Vermillion Street in Hastings. Tours at the site explore the history of the LeDuc family and their connection to early Minnesota history and the Civil War. Visitors will take a guided tour of an 1866 Gothic Revival Mansion and briefly go outside to discuss the architectural significance of the house and the grounds.
The Sibley Site is open for tours on Friday-Sunday, with tours beginning at 10 a.m., 11:30 a.m., 1 p.m., 2:30 p.m. and 4 p.m. The Sibley Site is located at 1357 Sibley Memorial Highway in Mendota. A guided tour talks about the people whose homes you will explore in relation to Minnesota's fur trade and statehood history.