Elk Horn celebrates its vibrant Danish origins with this windmill and adjacent gift shop. Elk Horn is the largest Danish settlement in the United States, brought to the community in the late 1800s by immigrants. Thankful for staffer Phyllis, who was kind, friendly, and informative. She made our visit way better! They have fun items all over their spacious gift shop, which focuses on their Danish history. There is a $5 tour of the windmill too. Plenty of parking, a cute park immediately south, and downtown Elk Horn a walk to the north. Located less than 10 minutes north of I-80. Cap this visit off with a stop at The Kringleman Pastry Shop two blocks north, and you'll fully immerse yourself in Danish culture. read more

Danish Windmill Gift Shop - Gift Shops Near Me - Elk Horn, Iowa

Excellent stop in Elkhorn, IA. This windmill was dismantled in Denmark and shipped to IA where it was restored and reconstructed. Definitely pay the five dollar entry (adults) to go inside! Beside the windmill, the grounds include a Danish Viking smithy and home along with historic Viking information and milling information. There is also a tiny church moved here after being donated by the builders family. Models of Danish homes created by a man in MA who based them on the Danish village his grandparents lived in are on display behind the building in a small fenced area. A bust to Hans Christian Andersen is in their lovely garden area and picnic tables are under the trees near the Viking home. Community bulletin boards are near their private dirt parking lot. The gift shop has so many treasures! Be sure to sign the guest book. At the time of this review, tariffs on goods imported from Europe have increased some prices, but there are plenty of Danish kitchen items, holiday decor, candles, mugs, wonderful toys, candy, mead, glassware and on and on. Definitely plan time to wander around. Purchases support mill upkeep and restoration. The gift shop also serves as an Iowa tourist information point where you will find brochures of other Iowa sights. Very clean restrooms at the back of the gift shop. The windmill is just six minutes south of the Little Mermaid Fountain which is another stop worth seeing. Happy motoring! read more

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Just the cutest little gift shop about 2 miles north of I 80. It's a worthwhile stop while you stretch your legs. The windmill is actually originally from Denmark. You can take a tour for a minor fee. The shop itself has Scandinavian books, trinkets, ornaments, and even a little food section that has a taste of Scandinavia. I always check out the sales rack in the hallway towards the back for clearance sales. Some of the designer Christmas ornaments are as much as 20% off from previous years if you are a fan. The folks that work there are very pleasant and the shop is very quaint. read more

Danish Windmill Gift Shop - Gift Shops Near Me - Elk Horn, Iowa

If I could give this place a million stars I would. It is an oasis in Iowa. Here you find an authentic 1848 Danish windmill brought over from Denmark and lot of interesting Danish and Viking cultural items, a fantastic gift shop with a huge selection and things you can't find anywhere else (like Aebelskiver cast iron pans!) and a friendly and knowledgeable staff. What more could you ask for? It's really worth it to make a stop here! read more

Danish Windmill Gift Shop - Danish windmill - Gift Shops Near Me - Elk Horn, Iowa

On the way home from a road trip I kept seeing signs that said "come see the Danish windmill" so I said "why not?" and took a little detour to check this out since it was on our way! I'm so glad we stopped. This was so cool! The windmill outside was beautiful in a really cute town. We stopped into the gift shop and found these beautiful Christmas birth year plates. They were normally $40 each and we happened to get ours for $5 due to overstock. We bought some Danish candy and signed the guest book that was placed near the front door. They had so many beautiful things for sale but we were on a time crunch so had a quick look and grabbed our items and headed out. The woman working was so sweet and kind. They also had one of those leave a book take a book boxes outside of the store! We were able to grab a picture in front of the windmill but weren't able to take a tour of it at the time. They offer tours! We will definitely be back to check it out again. read more

My family came by here because it was recommended by a number of people and we kept seeing the signs along the highway on the way to Omaha from Des Moines. After you exit, you will travel about 6 miles off the highway and find this treasure. The drive there is beautiful as you wind your way through beautiful corn and soybean fields that are picturesque and scenes I have only seen in movies. There is a cute windmill, bust of Hans Christian Andersen, and tiny chapel outside of this place. The store has lots of fun Danish finds. Everything from dishes, Danish candies, and fun toys for the kids. Nothing here seemed overpriced. The woman working here was very sweet. They even have a small welcome center here. If you are looking for fun roadside attractions and a fun place to take pictures, exit off the highway and take the relaxing drive to this wonderful spot. read more

Danish Windmill Gift Shop - The back of windmill that you can take tours of. - Gift Shops Near Me - Elk Horn, Iowa

This was a great stop in Iowa! A small little town, with lots of Danish culture. This Danish windmill was brought over from Denmark in the 70's lots of history, as long as a Viking house, tiny church and the BEST gift shop. I spent most of my time here shopping. They have everything! Royal Copenhagen to Carlsburg øle!! read more

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Interesting place in the middle of middle America. Definitely worth a side quest to see. Friendly staff as well.

Family road trip vacation 2021....bringing the California variant of COVID-19 to a town near you... It was going to be a 7 hour drive from Omaha to Chicago. But, the Danish Windmill Gift Shop messed up our plans an hour into the drive. I saw the signs. I knew we had to stop. The Danish Windmill was much more than a gift shop. It was a real windmill and museum. In addition to the windmill, they also had a small chapel, and a VikingHjem (Blacksmith shop). They had plenty of gifts and souvenirs in their gift shop. The people working there were nice and friendly. They do require guests to wear a mask upon entry at the time of my visit in early June 2021. The mask requirement was easy for us Californians. I would've stayed there longer if I didn't have a long drive ahead of me. They aren't too far off I-80. The Windmill Gift Shop was a great place to stop, stretch your legs, and explore. They also have clean restrooms! It's worth a visit if in the area. read more

Danish Windmill Gift Shop - Gift Shops Near Me - Elk Horn, Iowa

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The Danish Windmill Museum Gift Store in Elkhorn, Iowa is a fun place to look around for gifts. We were on a Sunday drive and decided to go there to buy a package of kringle as we were only a few miles away. There's a lot to look at--Danish food and drink like stroopwafels, candy, and wine; pottery, table linens, candles, and games to name just a few items. The windmill outside is posted with historical information. You can also take a tour of the windmill itself. The place is small but packed with interesting stuff. Christmas time is an especially good to to visit. read more

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What a cute shop and welcome center a few minutes off I80. If you're Danish or know anyone who is Danish, this store is out of this world! There are so many gifts wish Danish flags and symbols emblazoned on them. Clean bathrooms, too. Don't forget to sign the guest book! read more

Danish Windmill Gift Shop - Checking out the windmill and welcome center - Gift Shops Near Me - Elk Horn, Iowa

A true gem in Elk Horn! Well-maintained windmill supporting the local history. The gift shop has a huge variety of Danish crafts and the staff are incredibly helpful. It hosts a number of events throughout the year, including Tivoli Fest and Julefest. read more

This is the second time we ordered their amazing jam online. The Lingonberry Jam product is delicious, natural, and healthy. The service and delivery (to California) were excellent and fast. Warmly recommended. read more

We had to stop in Elk Horn after seeing the sigsn about a little Danish village in Iowa. I'm so glad we did. The detour is beautiful and post-card perfect ... little barns and farm house, rolling hills, corn fields ... and then you end up in a little town with a Danish windmill. The gift shop is attached. I was happy to find authentic pastries, candies, Christmas decorations, and other food and pantry items from Denmark. Unlike Solvang in CA, this is not Dutch passing for Danish, but it is a good representation of Danish food and products. If you have the time, go! read more

This is a must see if you are passing through the area. The windmill is even more impressive in person and the shop is full of danish gifts. read more

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Pretty standard little shop with all things Danish. The windmill is the big selling point and as long as you get your pic outside, you're good! read more

Danish Windmill Gift Shop - Gift Shops Near Me - Elk Horn, Iowa

Love it. My favorite place to shop for christmas Especially the nissas. So cute and all sizes. The clerks ate so helpful. read more

I am reviewing the gift shop and the windmill it's attached to together. NPR panned the windmill, but show up when it's open (9-5 weekdays) and it's worth a look. Heck, admission is two bucks and presumably you're not stopping unless you're interested in windmills. You have to watch a 15 minute video about the windmill and how it got here before they'll let you go up in it. The windmill itself features a couple of model windmills, including the 1/10 scale model that helped them reassemble it after it was shipped to the US in pieces. The second story features a small glass case with some dogeared bibles and personal Danish mementoes. The gift shop itself features some very nice amber jewelry (including clip earrings), blueware, jellies, cookbooks, miscellaneous smart sayings, and caramels from a nearby monastery, in addition to books by Isak Dinesen, fairy tales by Hans Christian Andersen, and plastic viking helmets. It's larger than the windmill. Also on the grounds is a bronze bust of Hans Christian Andersen and a viking house, which wasn't done yet when we visited, though you could walk around the outside. On your way out get directions to the nearest place selling Dutch pastries and consider hitting the Danish Immigrants Museum. read more

I went on a 14 day road trip with my parents from West Virginia to Wyoming and we saw a sign or billboard advertising this Large Volkommen Danish Windmill in Elk Horn so we got off the interstate to track it down and BOY AM I GLAD we did....in fact later my daddy said it was on the top three of his favorite sites on this trip. We were celebrating their 52nd Wedding Anniversary. History of the Windmill from their website: Velkommen! The Danish Windmill Museum is for all people interested in Denmark, Danish Customs, Scandinavian traditions and, of course, windmills. Elk Horn's Danish Windmill is America's only authentic working Danish Windmill. The Mill, originally built in Norre Snede, Denmark in 1848, was brought to the United States in November 1975 and rebuilt in Elk Horn by community volunteers in 1976. The Danish Windmill Corporation's members are dedicated to preserving and bringing the Mill to life to stand as a valuable historical resource and a tribute to America's rural cultural ethnic heritage. Please stop in and take a tour of our special Mill and browse a bit--you will enjoy it! While at the mill, visit the new VikingHjem depicting the life of a Viking Smithy in 900 A.D. HOURS: Monday through Saturday 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Sundays 12-Noon to 5:00 p.m. I wish we had more time to visit other sites in this lovely little town, maybe next time when we are in the area. read more

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I thought this place was really cute! We were on the road and decided to just stop in for the hell of it. The Windmill was brought over from Denmark and they put it together piece by piece. They have a video you can watch and I know, educational videos don't sound like fun, but it's 15 minutes and it's interesting to see what the community did to get that windmill. The shop is full of little souvenirs and they have their own things from Denmark, I though it was cute and homey. read more

Danish Windmill Gift Shop - The Danish Windmill - Gift Shops Near Me - Elk Horn, Iowa

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This was a very educational stop. The lady that works there is a local, and has been there for 30 years. This is a very cute little place to stop by to learn some history on Danish/Scandinavian culture. I am glad I took the time to do a short tour. The end of May they always have a festival. If you are around during that time I would definitely take the time to attend. read more

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Kind of a neat little shop. We didn't get to go on the tour but it was still a neat photo opportunity. There was many neat items in the gift shop, they were a little pricy but considering they were from Denmark, I can understand. It is definitely a worthwhile stop for an hour or so in this cute little town and this little shop on your way through Iowa/interstate 80. Perfect to stretch your legs and get some photos!! read more

Open 7 days a week, 363 days a year. Great merchandise, helpful Iowa tourism center! Ooh and free wireless internet.