One such place are the Amana Colonies in east-central Iowa which love to display their German roots. These towns are great to visit year round as they present a form of living history, but visiting them during the holidays provides a special treat. In november and December they have a Tannenbaum Forest which is full of beautiful Christmas trees to see, after which you can visit Santa Claus. An extra special reason to visit during this time of year is that they have the nation's tallest Weihnacht pyramid. This is a hand-crafted carousal-like pyramid that is made out of wood. On it there are depictions of Christmas motifs such as mangers, shepards, and angels. These are several levels tall and they spin in a circle for all to see. Christmas time tourism not what your looking for, visit them a couple months earlier for Oktoberfest as people in the area brew their own beers and then hold a contest to discover who has the best. Interested in this event or others that they may have, visit: http://www.amanacolonies.com/
Looking for something to do when its a little warmer out, visit one of the Dutch communities for their Tulip Festival. Both Orange City and Pella host one every year which lasts for three days. There are parades where people are in costume complete with wooden shoes and street washing. The food is traditional and great, there is dancing, however the reason to go is to look at the beautiful displays of tulips that the towns grow every year. But beware, even though the flowers are beautiful and in colors that you did not think possible DO NOT pick one as the community is very proud and protective of these plants; they will run you out of town. Both festival are in early May with Pella's occurring the weekend before the one in Orange City. When choosing which festival to visit location is the major decisions to make, Pella is in central Iowa near Des Moines while Orange City is in northwest Iowa near Sioux City. To plan a visit to them visit these websites: Orange City http://www.octulipfestival.com/ and Pella http://www.pellatuliptime.com/
3 comments:
One of my best friends from college is from Iowa City, and I've been there to visit her several times. On my last trip, we visited the Amana Colonies, which was quite interesting. We went in one of the furniture shops there; they create some really beautiful pieces!
They do create some of the most beautiful furntiure in the Amanas. The Amish have wonderful craftsmanship and very sturdy products.
The tulips are absolutely beautiful. I visited Holland about two years ago, the tulips were gorgeous! I went inside a windmill and climbed to the top, amazing. Of course I bought glass replica's of Dutch wooden shoes, even climbed inside one huge wooden shoe. Yep did all the touristy things that tourist do. Who knew I could have visited Iowa and done the same things? The Orange City and Pella Festivals seem like one big party and lots of fun. Two daily parades and a windmill too! Nice introduction and information about Iowa.
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