Die Heimat is more than a place to stay in a tourist area - it is more like being at home with…read morefamily. Parking is located behind the 170 year old building - one of the original buildings of the Amana Colonies. As you drive toward the back you are welcomed by lush greenery: trees, shrubs, grass, and beautiful flowers. You note the fire pits and comfortable chairs arranged around the fire. You enter through a back door. Your eyes note the many historic pictures and artifacts while your nose detects a distinct, faint, pleasant smell - a mixture of bakery and fresh linen. As you enter the living area with the antique furniture you are reminded of your grandmother's home. It even feels like home. We were greeted by the amiable owners, John and Karin who treat you like family and offer you warm hospitality and a peaceful retreat in a setting that melds over 170 years of Amana history, culture, and hospitality. They serve a complimentary breakfast from 8-9 am featuring a variety of savory and sweets such as: fruit compote, fruit juices, yogurt, scrambled and herbed eggs, stuffed French Toast (oh my!), old fashioned oatmeal, sausage, biscuits, homemade southern-style gravy, and more. Our bedroom room was filled with antique furniture and adorned with antique quilts and lace, but the beds... Initially, I thought they may be too soft, but was I in for a surprise. I slept through the night for seven hours both nights. Because of a chronic illness I average 3 1/2 to 4 1/2 hours of sleep per night with multiple trips out of bed. At Die Heimat, I fell asleep, remained asleep, and awakened after seven hours ready to enjoy the many historical sites in the beautiful Amana Colonies. Thank you John and Karin, for a delightful visit. We look forward to visiting with you in a few months on our next visit.

We enjoyed visiting the Amana Colonies and staying at Die Heimat B&B in Homestead, Iowa. We had a…read morevery nice room on the first floor with private bath. Our breakfast was really delicious and plentiful. They even had our favorite mango juice. Marc and June were lovely hosts. I'm very into German Heritage and was interested to find out their background. Marc is very handy and has done a wonderful job of keeping the house in good shape.

This guest suite is located in a house on a backroad right inside the entrance to Amana Village. It…read moreisn't far from town at all and if the weather had been nicer, we could have walked into the entire area. We were met by the innkeeper, who showed us to our room and how to operate a few things. The unit was very nicely decorated, (lots of cat decorations) clean, spacious and comfortable. It was the upstairs unit and the top door was a beautiful stained glass door. Inside, we were treated to a comfortable sitting room with large flat screen tv, coffee table and wicker chairs. There was another beautiful stained glass cabinet with tea pots and saucers in it. It was so beautiful that I had my husband paying attention to this really fine workmanship so he could someday build me something like that. That didn't go over well... The kitchen had everything you could need including a full fridge, stove/oven, dishwasher, nice dining room table, kettle and coffee maker among other things. There was plenty of kitchen items for cooking and once again clean and beautifully decorated. More cat decorations! There were two bedrooms, of which we only used one. And guess what? More cat decorations. Not complaining as we have two cats! I thought they were pretty neat. The unit itself definitely had a feminine touch of decoration without feeling old and like you were at Grandma's house. It was a nice change, as hubby isn't overly fond of the B&Bs that feel like you are at someone's grandparent's house. The second bedroom was very floral, so good thing our son wasn't with us. Ha! The bed was comfortable, the heating system worked well and the bathroom was great since we were only there two nights. No jacuzzi, but fine for our short stay. We opted out of breakfast, since we wanted to try some of the restaurants in the town, so we cannot comment on it. The price was very reasonable at $80 per night. I would definitely recommend this place for a stay close to town. On the way out, we talked to the other innkeeper and he was extremely friendly.

The accommodations were simple, fantastic, and very comfortable. Our room contained several…read moreantique pieces. Our hosts, and owners John, and Ruth were excellent, and Ruth is a fantastic cook. I cannot say that enough. She made us an amazing breakfast, wow! The grounds were nice and rural, and you felt miles from anyplace although you're really a few miles from the city of Homestead, and not much further to Amana. We want to come again.

This was a lovely stay. The room was clean and the hotel quiet. It's a little dated but it's to be…read moreexpected. The water in the shower was hot and had good pressure. The people who work there were very pleasant. The Amish cinnamon rolls were delicious! I really have no complaints about this stay.

Just down the street from Riverside, IA (aka Captain James Tiberius Kirk's Future Birthplace) is…read morethis cozy little motel. It's affordable, it's fairly clean, there is a restaurant nearby, and it has a continental breakfast. What more is there to ask for? Free WiFi? Has that, too. In fact, the only thing I was disappointed about was the fact that I couldn't plug my PS3 into the TV. One more positive thing about this establishment - I had forgotten my toiletries bag, and they were kind enough to ship it back to me once I finally arrived here in California.

We thoroughly enjoyed our afternoon at Calyx last weekend. We tried some yummy lavender treats and…read moredrinks, then joined Dean for a guided tour and lavender picking. The whole experience was relaxing, and the grounds were beautiful. I wish I was planning a wedding because this farm is perfect for one.

This used to be my husband's family in a little town in Iowa. The new owners have added a Lavender…read morefarm and several Airbnb's on the property. We brought three grandsons here to experience the farm that grandpa grew up on. They are big city kids and thoroughly enjoyed running free over the empty cornfields and lovely walking trails. The Lavender suite itself is lovely! High-end appliances fireplace, and fire pit However we came in March and it was pretty cold. I have some mobility problems. I don't use a wheelchair, but I have to have pretty easy access to shower and such. This place was perfect. They also have some tree houses that would be fun, but that would be difficult for me and this place. There's plenty large enough to sleep five or six. The grandkids said they wanna live here. That made me very happy because I was worried that they might be bored. There are no theme parks here. they loved exploring the woods and the frozen creeks along the walking trail. The hosts could not be more perfect. We were responsive. But left us to our family time!

What a 100% improvement over Casa Loma in Davenport. Room as described perfectly on hotels.com but…read morethis is American Inn not Super 8. Check in was easy as I prepaid. The room was very clean. Yelp please change this to American Inn.

Just finished our second stay at the Periwinkle!!! The first trip was just my wife and I and we had…read moresuch a blast with everyone there. We had such a blast we invited 4 couples to join us the second time and we had the whole house booked. The place is full of neat decorations and history about the place. We stayed upstairs both stays which the upstairs rooms share a bathroom at the end of the hall. Dinner is fun especially when everyone is in character!!! That is the point of dinner to me, dress up a bit let loose and have fun. After dinner you will go out back and sing karaoke and drink. Such a cool bar to hang out and have fun in with friends or whoever is staying with you at the time. We will be back I'm sure! My wife and her friends are already planning a girls night!

(This review is for their Murder Mystery Dinner Theater BnB stay)…read more We booked our stay at this BnB in early November. I will admit that I had reservations about this place, as the reviews I could find swung wildly from 5 stars to 1 star. After experiencing it myself, I would not hesitate to go back in a heartbeat! Make sure you look at their book as well, as the sheer amount of work they have done on the place is awe inspiring. There were 4 of us, and only two of us could get off work early on Friday. My husband and I made it to the BnB around 4:20 pm, and had no problem checking in. We chose our room, and Jodi (the owner) even let us reserve a room for our friends who were coming later. There were light appetizers available on the porch, and people sat around and got to know each other. You have to understand, this a rural, small town Iowa BnB. If you go in expecting artisan appetizers, dinner, and breakfast, you will be disappointed. However, the food was NOT bad. For appetizers, they had three types of cubed cheese, crackers, carrots, chips, and a spicy dip. It was a pretty decent spread, considering we didn't expect to have anything! Jodi does a great job of greeting people, and getting to know them so she can assign murder mystery parts. In this event, YOU are acting out the parts in between your dinner courses. As in any event where you are an active participant, you get out of it what you put into it. We had an EXCELLENT time, as we allowed ourselves to have fun with the roles, as did the other guests. Food: The food was decent. I was expecting something way worse based on some reviews I had read. Some people are just too picky I think. We started with some really good bread rolls and butter, and small dishes of salad. The main course was a stuffed pork loin, sauce, rice and broccoli. It was good and we all cleaned our plates. Dessert was simple cookies and cupcakes. Is it a five star meal? No, but it was good! After the dinner theater, we were invited out to the coach house for karaoke and games. We didn't really know what to expect, but it was a blast! There were some fun lights, and Jodi has just about any song you could ever want to sing. We were all up on stage belting songs out for a few hours before we finally settled into our rooms for the night. The rooms upstairs are a bit cold, but I used one of the robes they provided and was perfectly comfortable. In the morning, we all got up and had breakfast. Jodi had some scrambled eggs made up and ready to go, and even offered to cook eggs to order for us. We were fine with the scrambled eggs and toast, and the huge variety of packaged sweets, and a few locally baked breakfast goods. It was a decent spread! My favorite part of the morning was Jodi showing us all the body elevator, and their third floor, which is still a work in progress. We all discussed that we want to come back when the third floor is finished and rent it out. It is GORGEOUS. We had an excellent time here and really look forward to coming back. There are a few small changes I would make that I think would elevate the experience even more! Suggestions: -Upgrade toilet paper in bathrooms -Have "real" plates and silverware for appetizers and breakfast -Ice cream or pie as dessrt for dinner -Cupcake or Tea Stands on tables for breakfast to help clean up/organize the breakfast bar -Eye masks available in rooms with lots of windows However, these are all so little that I this place definitely still deserves a 5 star review. Come have some fun!

We visited Sugar Bottom for a beach day. The area was beautiful! It has a number of paths and what…read moreseems like a nice camping area (although we weren't there for that). The beach area was spacious--lots of room to spread out on the sand. The beach also has a couple of good shady spots, which is helpful on a hot day. However, we ended up heading over to the Lake MacBride beach because the Sugar Bottom area was a little less lively. Could have just been the day, but we were looking for somewhere more high energy on a summer weekend afternoon. They also don't have the boat rental options that MacBride beach has. If you do like quiet spaces then this would be the place! It also seems great if you have kids (which we don't) because there is just more space to run around. Just be prepared to bring all of your own entertainment.

Beautifully maintained campground. Several spaces with a lake view! Great for families and anyone…read morewho likes outdoor recreation. Boat dock available, and honors system firewood available in the evening. We did reservations through Recreation.gov and that made check in super easy! We brought our 2 Yorkies, and about 1/3 or more of the campers also brought dogs. Lots of trees, but also well mowed green spaces. This is now on our top 10 for Iowa campgrounds! Several spots right next to the bathroom / shower house, and great areas for larger camping groups. Would like to see a couple more updates to the shower facility. The water temp was fully adjustable-a knob rather than a button type, so you could have water the full duration of your shower. The water pressure was great, temperature great, but tile could use some updating. That may be in the works because the lighting was motion sensor and LED. There was also a ceiling fan which helped discourage bugs in the bathhouse!