Category: Travel Adventures

Iowa is full of so many great places to explore. One of the great ways to see the state is to conduct your own Freedom Rock Tour. The Freedom Rocks are something truly unique to Iowa and are great for kids and adults of all ages and backgrounds. We have created this North Central Iowa Freedom Rock Tour (and Other Great Stops) to have a great time this summer seeing a great part of the state!

The Freedom Rock Development

Back in 1999, Ray “Bubba” Sorensen II painted the first Freedom Rock in Adair County near Menlo, IA. He was moved to do so after watching “Saving Private Ryan” and wanted to honor veterans and soldiers in some way. Not long after that, the Freedom Rock Tour was formed and he began painting rocks in all of Iowa’s 99 counties. Originally, Sorensen painted the Freedom Rock as a thank you and was not paid to do so. Once the Tour was formed, he began this as his full-time job (as well as serving as a representative in the Iowa House). Now, communities raise funds to have the murals commissioned.

I’m a true Iowa girl and I still loved sleeping with the cows at the New Day Dairy Guest Barn outside Clarksville, Iowa. 

There isn’t anything much more “Iowa” than staying on a farm and the Bolin’s, who have opened their Guest Barn (adjacent to their milking barn), have done an amazing job of letting you experience life as a dairy farmer while also providing modern and updated amenities for a fantastic stay!  

New Day Dairy Guest Barn

The Bolin’s have made it super easy to make a reservation to sleep with the cows! Their website make booking a room super easy and they also accept bookings via Airbnb. Both spots easily share all their amenities too! On their website, you can check out their several deals, specials, and add on’s to make your trip just that much better!

By Victoria Anders

As more and more coffee shops pop up in the small towns of West-Central Iowa, it’s good to know which option is worth the drive. It’s good to know which shop is better for grab-and-go coffee. I like to know where you can grab a solid lunch with your coffee or where is most comfortable for getting some work done or reading a book. Finally, I like to know which is best equipped for friend gatherings or meetings.

I always prefer to support a locally-owned caffeine source than Starbucks or Casey’s coffee, and I have tried many! My drink of choice is a latte with dairy-free milk. I rate the quality of this drink and various other elements on a “happy coffee cups” scale of 1 to 5. This rating includes the variety on the menu, non-coffee drinks and food options available, ambiance and seating availability, Wi-Fi connection, and customer service. Check out this feature on the coffee shops of West-Central Iowa