Add a day to your Iowa City stay by visiting the Amana Colonies just 20 miles to the west. Visit the Amana Woolen Mill, Iowa’s only operating woolen mill and one that has been running for over a century and a half. Stop inside the Amana Furniture & Clock Shop’s viewing gallery and see how the experience of craftsmen using methods passed through generations results in such high-quality pieces. Eat lunch family style at Ox Yoke Inn with food true to the community’s German heritage. Then stop into both the Meat Shop and General Store for food staples or gifts to take home.

Kalona lies just 15 miles southwest of Iowa City and offers another unique Iowa experience. Its local shops offer antiques and locally made products that stay true to tradition established by a large Amish settlement in the 1840s. This tradition blends with growing new businesses, including Kalona Brewery, which offers craft beer and food, part of a thriving industry in the region and beyond. Kalona Creamery, a few miles north of the main city center, has a long history of cheese making. It is a newly reopened deli and cheese shop with future plans to begin small-batch cheese production.