I went to the Festival of Iowa Beers in Amana, Iowa with my boyfriend and we met up with some…read morefriends while we were there. The line was really long to get in, but the people working came down the line and checked our tickets and gave us wrist bands before the gates opened; so, when the gates did open, the line moved super fast, which was awesome! There were so many different beer vendors set up with booths all around lined up in the field where the event was taking place. Also, there was a live band called, "Dogs On Skis," playing nearby in the field of the event, which was very awesome. It was a hot day, but most of the booths had shelter to provide shade to both those working at the event and those who were enjoying the event. There were also 3 food trucks nearby for people to eat as they tried all if their different beers. The food wasn't bad; my boyfriend got a pizza from a food truck and liked it a lot, and the price of food wasn't too bad either. Overall, great event! Can't wait until next year!

i know i'm writing a review for an event that occurs just once a year, but this is gotta be one of…read morethe better kept secrets of eastern iowa. for $15 entry, you can taste all the beer you can handle. a few local brewers and a few that have traveled a few more miles. ipa's, various flavor inspired beers, a hat contest, live music, and just an area to lounge around and enjoy a lazy afternoon. look forward to going back for more.

We love coming up to the Tannenbaum forest each December and this year was no exception. It's held…read morein the festival barn and is generally open for around 5 weeks a year. The tree offerings are from local merchants and are always a delight! The giant windmill tree is a constant and a kid favorite. The number of trees has increased steadily over the last six years, with this year having 25 + trees present. Santa, reindeer and other Christmas pleasantries are often seen and give you a good reason to go check things out - do check the times however as the aforementioned pleasantries are not always present. All in all, this is a great place to kill a little bit of time during the holidays, a great way to check out a few local businesses and see how they support the community, and a good chance to donate a little bit of money to the Children's Hospital, who tends to be the recipient of most of the donations. It doesn't take a long time to get through, but it's always worth going to.

Beautiful trees set up my local businesses and organizations. Great photo ops set up as well. Easy…read moreparking right outside.

Surprised no photos until now…read more Growing up in Iowa one of my favorite areas to visit. Amana Historical Museum you will learn so much. Wonderful place walk around have lunch, shop, then have a pastry or go for a short hike near a pond.

Such a lovely visitors center. The elderly lady working explained the history of the town to me…read more The lady at the coffee shop was very interesting. I was very pleased with our experience !

White Cross Cellars is the most recent addition to multiple wineries in the Amana area. They have…read moregone away from the flavored wines and instead are establishing themselves as the place to go when you're looking for more standard wine selections. They've got a solid number of both whites and reds, as well as a delightful port that's a great ending to any evening. The red's largely have a medeival theme (Knight's red, Monk's red and Stormy Knight) that we assume has something to do with the cellar story, but whatever the reason, Knight's are cool, the wine is good, 'nuf said! Whites weres solid with our favorite being the Oktoberfest - a sweet white that's available, you guessed it, in October and until they run out! We've been very impressed with the folks that work here. They know the wine well, love to help you sample the libations and make some great food recs to go with the wines! Another fun thing that we're excited to try are the dinner's the have throughout the year. They pair wines with a local establishment and serve up a delicious evening. They've also become active with many of festivals that occur in Amana throughout the year making it always a good time to drop by. Our favorite wines have been the Monk's red - fuller red that's really smooth, the Knight's red - little dryer with a big of kick - good with steak!, Cranberry Bog was different and a good lighter wine and we really like the the Stormy knight as a way to end an evening - it's a delicious heavy port that's basically dessert in a bottle. Great spot with some really good wines! Better selection of "normal" wines that many of the other Amana shops (though you won't find any dandelion wine here) and certainly worth stopping in for. They'll treat you right and likely introduce you to a wine you didn't know you loved - now back ot the Monk's red!

If you find yourself in the Amanas don't forget to stop by and taste the real German wine. White…read morecross cellars will lead you thru their whole tasting. Dave and Mary will fill you in on their passion of all the Amana history. I can't leave the Amanas without saying hello and grabbing a mitler for me and a cranberry bog. I highly suggest you look into their wine dinners it's Such a treat. Thanks for all you do for the Amanas !

What a treasure. Great info about the amanas. Love to see the history. I really appreciate the…read moreinfo and antiques

We dropped in to expand our knowledge on the Amana Colonies. The first area is a room with cook…read morebooks and small displays. To go beyond , you agree to the 20 minute Video and a museum visit. The hitch is 8.00 per person to go deeper. I just couldn't see the value for 16.00. He was very nice and explained the process to the next people arriving after us. But we decided to hold on to our cash. I would have done it for half. I was already inside. I learned more in the woolen store later from the sales ladies. They loved to tell the history.

TLDR: history weirdo gives bonus star for old flavor wines and hopes they update their website…read more I'm the survivor of a late 1980s childhood transplant to Texas. Over the last few years when my parents have visited Iowa family they habitually hit the Amanas for themselves and have picked up wine for me. Ackerman is one of the now-familiar labels they have kindly brought back multiple times. At home in Tx, it's usually Pinot Grigio or Texas viognier/drier local mead by my plate or on the porch. I can do the sweets like port or moscato, and the Ackerman bottles I've gotten tend to hit closer to that spot. Not as bad as my friend S's dad's homemade fruit wine with sugar crust sealing the lid, but make no mistake. *Sweet* I usually ask my parents to find something unusual (their mango would qualify here, definitely not an endemic Iowa flavor) or local/historic like the dandelion wine I discovered probably two decades ago when I stopped at the Ox Yoke for lunch. Part of my heart belongs to throwback flavors like dandelion; not that long ago we as a nation were eating the greens in salads and the blossoms went into wines or jellies. This wine is great with friends or a book, I think the only thing I paired with it at any point was a handful of salted almonds. The only thing harder to find than dandelion in any form is rhubarb. PLAIN rhubarb, not half cut with strawberry. And my goodness, this rhubarb wine was the surprise gift because it was not as sweet as expected. Or perhaps misremembered or from another label. This rhubarb was comparatively pert and I loved it. The blueberry was lovely, an amazing deep garnet and as sweet as a moscato. Again, nice for dessert or sitting in the sunshine. Not really to pair with any sandwich or pasta but you do you--I started enjoying wine much more when I threw the pairing wheel away. The online site isn't navigable, frankly, and I hope they get someone to update it because they're missing sales. I didn't have the patience to call the listed phone number to see if I could even order for shipment (cross fingers, Tx has bent a lot of -OH rules already for the shutdown). I'll just say to Iowans who drive outside their state that 1. stashing a bottle or two for your weird foodie friends will probably prove rewarding for them, and 2. thanks very much for sharing.

Ackerman has a nice little tasting room serving kind of the first stop for many who visit the Amana…read moreColonies. They offer a wide variety of wines that are characteristic of the region. They don't hide much and try to be creative. Hardy grapes are exemplified here such as Le Crescent, Marquette, and Edelweiss. They can be characterized by an overly sweet profile and may seem like dessert wines. Some folks may even think they are producing late harvest or ice wines. Unfortunately, the use of little plastic cups for sampling was far from the norm and I couldn't take the free tasting seriously. Maybe they'll mature to using wine glasses soon.

This is a great gallery with a variety of mediums to capture your creative interests. From clay…read morepottery and glass blown art to paintings and stonework, there is something for everyone. I also found prices to be reasonable and affordable. The owner, Mark, is a delight, and the artists are quite personable. I had the pleasure of meeting a few of them and even walking away with a beautiful piece from one of them, Chris Sell. There is a parking lot right outside the door and a ramp to support accessibility. They make good use of the space they have, displaying pieces at every turn without making you feel like you are going to bump into something. I recommend checking it out if you haven't yet.

From the owner: 22+ Regional artists displaying all medias of art from oils, acrylic and metals to glass, stone and…read morewood. Owner Deb has a working studio. Classes are taught from age 4 to advanced. We do all styles of art parties/events for kids to teen classes to adults. We help with family therapy and team-building for businesses. We also do limited restorations. On Saturdays 2-5PM, we have an Artist Forum open to all artist, all mediums, all levels. A free for all chat session for motivation and sharing of spirit and ideas. No program, no fee, just camaraderie and fun for anyone.