If you’ve heard of Iowa’s Amana Colonies, you’ve probably always wanted to go. However, you’ve probably noticed it’s a bit out in the boonies. Its location, more than 20 miles from either Cedar Rapids or Iowa City, means it’s a genuine rural paradise, and that’s precisely what makes it so great.
I grew up nearby and can attest that the Amana Colonies are one of the best day trip destinations in the state. Of course, it’s always great to stay for the weekend and spread the local love, but if you can’t manage to fit that in, please delight in a day trip instead.
From the moment you arrive in the Amana Colonies, you’ll be taken by the overwhelming desire to slow down. It’s the culture here to wander aimlessly and land wherever the trail—or sidewalk—takes you. One of my favorite ways to take advantage of this vibe is to show up without a plan and let a handful of shops lure me in.
Looking back on several decades of afternoons spent in the Amana Colonies, there’s no doubt a rhythm that guides me through town now. It always starts at the Amana Colonies Bakery and Coffee Cafe. A walk through Main Amana simply is not complete without a frothy coffee in one hand and a buttery pastry in the other. I can’t resist the traditional European treats like Bavarian cream puffs and apple strudel, plus a loaf of fresh-baked pumpernickel rye to take home.
Effectively armed with a hearty dose of nostalgia (my own Oma was once a baker in the Amana Colonies), I trot on over to a newish shop in town—newish, as in it wasn’t here when I was a kid. That, however, was a long time ago, and The Noble Stone has indeed been here well over a decade. It etched itself onto my must-visit list via my own kids, now the fourth generation of my family making tracks here…