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.

First time I visited the Amana Colonies, since moving to Midwest and stopped in this winery around…read more11:45am on a Saturday, we walked up to the counter were barely greeted and everyone was busy stocking and checking the orders. Once they noticed we were there, we said it was our first time, so we just read the menu and did a wine tasting with cheese for $14. The lady said okay, sit wherever. We sat in the back of the tasting room, there was no-one else in the place, she brought the wine and cheese to the table and left. No explanation, no entry into their wines, nothing. First off the glasses were thick, like used for beer tasting? no ability to see the legs on the wine. But what was I thinking? I had my doubts just given the names of the wines... Ember wine? Dandelion wine? Marquette rose? I proceeded to start with the ember - a red-ish wine... not full body, lacked depth. The rose, had an after finish of water that just ran off my tongue, a good rose has a crisp refreshing taste with balanced acidity and fruit notes... this was horrible. Next up the dandelion? I'm only to assume it's supposed to be like a chard, but honestly I left it on the table. Should it be warm like a mead? Confusing. I'm from the PNW and we are known for exceptional 90+point wines and family estates, so I know wines, and whatever I drank today, was not it. On my way out, other folks entered and were at the check in and the staff was more than willing to walk them through selections of wines for tastings. Wish I had that!

Cute little store with lots of snack type cheeses and some wine. The lady who was there was very…read morehelpful and friendly. She asked us what kind of wines we liked, explained that this store specialized in grape wine, while the other one next door was fruit. She let us sample a couple of different wines and made recommendations based on the things we said we liked. She also gave a list of all their wines with descriptions to look at. I wish we would have gone here first instead of the winery next door because their was a night and day difference in experience.

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.

Besides rocks and chocolate, my other Amana must see is Catiri's. The shop is fairly small, but…read moreoverflowing with a variety of mostly local made artwork from jewelry to ceramics to oil paintings. It's easy to get lost in time while looking through everything. Pricing is in line with other galleries I've been to and handmade art I see online, but there seems to be a decent range suitable for most budgets. I last visited during this year's Wurst Fest and the highlight of my day was making my first purchases here. I scored a horsehair raku vase and a neat architectural etching, both of which I am super excited about. Highly recommend even just to window shop!

A must-see in Amana. This shop has been here for many years. Beautiful and wide selection of…read morecreations from Midwest artists. You'll find jewelry, pottery, blown glass, wall art and much more here. This is a shop that exudes 'if you break it, you buy it,' so maybe not appropriate for little ones. Moderate-high prices, but affordable (if that makes sense). 4/5 stars because the customer service was non existent. A friendly 'hello' goes a long way, especially when no one else is in your shop.

Another great time in Amana for Oktoberfest…read more We were here all week but spent the most time in town on Friday. The weather was great. We did quite a bit of shopping at the quaint shops in town, then had lunch under the Oktoberfest tent. The Trotter (smoked pork shank) was excellent! We made our way into Festhall and sat with our friends and was entertained by Barefoot Becky and her band. Saturday brought the rain to Oktoberfest but there were still a lot of people in town. We look forward to our next time here in Amana at a future Oktoberfest.

I went to Amana Oktoberfest while going to the Amana Wurst Festival. I met up with some friends and…read morewe went and explored the Festival. I loved getting the Amana Wurst Festival pint mug that was made out of silicone and tie-dyed in color; however, I feel like it was way overpriced, as it cost $17 and then I had to pay for the beer inside of it and it was $5 per fill. The Festival was kind of a disappointment with the disorganization of events hosted during the Festival and with the long lines that you had to wait in just to taste a piece of what they were selling. And oh boy if you were in the wrong line, or if you wanted to try more than one item, then you pretty much had to be there all day with the slow-moving lines. It seemed like the whole event could have been planned out better with the landscaping available. I will probably not be making it back to this event.

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.

My parents went when I was a child and now I've introduced my adult children to our favorite…read morewinery! The staff are helpful and the wines are sweet and delicious. What more can I say? Visit Amana on your next trip and stock up for the holidays.

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.

I attended my first event here 4/11/26. I can guarantee that it will not be my last! From the time…read moreI walked in, the owners and staff were very attentive, friendly and professional. The venue itself is beautiful and immaculate. I am a person with a disability and rely on a mobility aid. I had absolutely no problem navigating this venue. On another note, the food was exceptional and worth making a return trip for. Thank you Price Creek Event Center for an amazing evening.

Price Creek Event Center does things right!…read more I attended a wedding here a few weeks ago and I thought the staff was fabulous-- they truly went above and beyond. The wedding itself was held upstairs in a light and bright room. The reception was downstairs-- there was a separate area for the food buffet and an actual bar for drinks. It accommodated under 150 people no problem. I will say that besides having excellent staff, Price Creek Event Center also serves up some tasty food- which isn't always the case at weddings! Nearly all attendees were clean plate club members. The only glaring negative-- is the decor and whole vibe is kind of dated. The entire time I felt like I was in a 1980s movie. Price Creek Event Center is definitely worth considering if you're throwing an event in Amana -- it is just a stones throw away from the Hotel Millwright, the brewery and more!

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 !