Last weekend we took a trip to visit family in Iowa to celebrate retirement! The weather was wonderful and on our way home, we decided to spend some time in the Amana Colonies. Now, we have been through there many times over the years and even spent a few hours exploring one day. But we had never really looked into the history of the colonies. It was fascinating! The group originally began in Germany in 1714 and emigrated to the US around 1843.
They first settled in New York, but outgrew the area and moved to this beautiful valley in Iowa! It was a true communal society with strong Christian faith foundations!
About 1932 the community made a change in their tenets and constitution, accepting the change to become a free market group of artisans, winemakers, bakers, craftsmen and so on.
The main Amana Colony (where we spent the day) is filled with quaint clapboard buildings, beautiful workmanship in almost any medium you can think of, lovely gardens in front of homes and shops alike. The people are friendly and the prices of goods are very reasonable.
If you have an opportunity, take a drive to the Amana Colonies and spend a few hours enjoying a slower pace in a beautiful area! You won’t be disappointed!
Fun at the Amana Colonies
