Over the years, I’ve discovered the magic of a weekend getaway away from the city. My kids seem to enjoy it just as much as a raucous trip packed with big city adventures, this slower kind of travel. Rural destinations offer the kinds of fun my family likes (animal encounters for my daughter, history lessons for my son), and it’s a lot more affordable! Here are some of my family’s favorite places in Iowa for fun rural experiences, as well as suggestions from travel writing friends.
Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Evolution of the Heartland. All thoughts, opinions, and typos are my own. This post may contain affiliate links.
For more ideas of rural experiences for families (AKA, agritourism), visit Evolution of the Heartland’s website!
We live in Omaha, so a visit to a farm is, in fact, an adventure for us. Working farms New Day Dairy offer a good mix of education along with memorable experiences. The dairy farm in Clarksville, Iowa, has a three-bedroom GuestBarn where you can stay overnight. It has a window overlooking the dairy barn!
They offer a The Dairy Farmer Challenge, where you can get a tour of the farm and help in some of the day-to-day work. The kids liked seeing the calves. They weren’t fans of sweeping the poop. Ha!
New Day Dairy GuestBarn wasn’t our family’s only farm stay. We tried glamping in a covered wagon at Best Nest Farm in Glenwood, Iowa. We kayaked, fed some alpacas, played with the farm dogs, and enjoyed s’mores.
Speaking of feeding animals on a farm, one of the most memorable experience my family had was at Hawkeye Buffalo Ranch in Fredericksburg, Iowa. There’s nothing quite as thrilling as watching a herd of buffalo run toward you (we were safely in a trailer).
Another working farm I’ve visited was Luna Valley Farm in Decorah, Iowa. What’s special about this farm is their pizza nights. We enjoyed wood-fired pizza with ingredients grown/raised on the farm in a bucolic setting. It didn’t hurt that they also had some local beer on tap. It was perfection!
Scarecrow Farm in Sioux City, Iowa, is a working farm, but it’s great to visit in the fall for the pumpkin patch experience, especially with little ones. Lindsay with SiouxLand Families writes about her family’s visit to Scarecrow Farm, and they did everything from the corn maze and zipline to feeding the goats.
A smaller, low-key pumpkin patch experience can be found at Whitetail Valley Farm in Stanton, Iowa. Each fall, they open Grampaw’s Punkin Patch for families to pick out a pumpkin and walk around the farm’s orchard.
Sticking to the fall farm experiences a little longer, I should add that Iowa has its share of apple orchards like the family-owned Peake Orchards near Waukon in northeastern Iowa. It’s also a dairy farm so while you’re there, you may spot some of the animal residents.
For more of a historical perspective of farms, take the kids to Living History Farms in Urbandale, Iowa, Manning Hausbarn Heritage Park in Manning, Iowa, or Fort Museum and Frontier Village in Fort Dodge, Iowa. They all offer a glimpse into Iowa’s past. I thought the Living History Farm was exceptionally hands-on and immersive for kids. Siouxland Families called Fort Museum and Frontier Village “one of the best kept secrets in Iowa.”
While we’re on the topic of history, here are a few other notable rural places to plan a visit. Outdoor Adventures Made easy recommends a visit to The Pearson House Museum in Van Buren County. It’s a unique home to visit since it gives families a chance to walk through a station on the Underground Railroad. The home has a hidden cellar used to shelter runaway slaves.
One of my favorite historical stops is the Lewis & Clark Interpretive Center in Sioux City, Iowa. It’s interactive and informative, plus it’s free. Kids can even pretend to enlist in the Corps of Discovery. Of the places on this list, the interpretive center is the least rural of them all, though.
Exploring rural destinations in Iowa has been such a rewarding experience for my family. It’s been a chance to slow down and enjoy simple yet meaningful activities. Whether it’s getting hands-on at a working farm, stepping into the past at a historical site, or just soaking up the peace of the countryside, these experiences create lasting memories without breaking the bank. If you’re looking to escape the city and enjoy some fresh air, I encourage you to check out these spots or explore other hidden gems across Iowa!
