Amana Colonies in Iowa City

November 1st, beautiful fall day, Amana is a great place to visit We enjoyed stopping in all the stores, chatting with the staff. This is really a great time, a bit off season, no crowds, great time chatting with other visitors as well. Come visit for your gift buying and seasonal decor, lots to choose from.

Maybe Im jaded because I lived here for so long but there really isnt much for younger lads to do but drink booze at the brewery and eat food at the few, but very nice restaurants in the area. Thats fine and all but how long can one drink and eat for? Older folks can enjoy antiquing and shopping for sovineirs. 5/5 stars when Oktoberfest and Mayfest come rolling around but even thoes are a once every year thing.

I live next to Amana and I never get tired of it. They are constantly changing in the most subtle and interesting ways.

Fun day at Oktoberfest! Everyone was pleasant and friendly!

The Amanas were an excellent experience. At least it was for my mother being that we visited for her birthday. The Ox Yoke Inn was a really great place for a meal as well. If youre looking for a family style meal then make sure to the restaurant. If youre looking for a days worth of old time experiences then give the Amana Colonies try. Definitely a good place to visit.

My sons & I really enjoyed the Colonies! It was their 1st visit and my first in 30 years. We visited several shops on the main road including The Noble Stone which is filled with beautiful rocks, fossils, & gemstones. They even have a sluice for mining your own treasures! There is a fun toy shop, chocolate & coffee shop, specialty popcorn store, as well as the enormous General Store which is overflowing with fun finds. Half the building is dedicated to all things Christmas! There is also a small section with Irish gifts :)I also enjoyed shopping directly at the Millstream Brewery and mix and matching individual varieties :)There was a lot more to see and we could easily have spent a couple more days there.

I have been going to the wonderful Oktoberfest at the Amana Colonies for many years and this year was no exception. The only thing that couldve made it better is if the Oktoberfest included plant-based ("veggie"brats. Last year by the time I found the little out-of-the-way tent that was supposed to have veggie brats, I was told they had only cooked 50 and sold out right away. I dont know if they were offered at all this year. Yes, there was cheese pizza and a tofu rice bowl at the food trucks. But at Oktoberfest, I want a brat. The State Fair always has veggie corn dogs. Cant Oktoberfest provide veggie brats? Thanks.

Amana Octoberfest is always fun, but very crowded....lots of walking, but lots of things for looking at, pretty goods in stores as well as all the outside stuff going on, lots of new additions and re-dos of older ones..a good place to spend the day any time, but great in the fall for sure!!.

Recommend for the various events: Tannenbaum Forest, Oktoberfest. Lovely small shops and great food.

Only passed through. Had lunch at Bier Haus, which was excellent and went to Christmas Market. Really a unique area. Will have to come back

Tons of shops for most people. Was great for our girls weekend! Visit the Lily Pond when your there. Plate and small bowel hand painted bought at one of the shops!

We happened upon this because we were traveling through and needed a campsite for the night. Wonderful area full of history. We will return when we have more time to explore!

Really enjoy the small town atmosphere and visiting all the shops. There are coffee shops, candy shops, meat markets, dressy clothing stores. Many antique shops. Nice restaurants ,several wineries. Just a fun place for a day trip.

We had a great time exploring the colonies. Being of German heritage I found the travels and founding of Amana really interesting, especially the fact that it’s the home of Amana refrigeration because of some smart Germans!

These communities are beautiful. People there are so polite There is a lot of memory in their minds And they might tell you a story or 2. So many things to do from dining to walking, antiques, history You name it. Most definitely a must see and wonderful place to visit.

Beautiful community. Not extremely pricey but it will add up fast. 100% worth every penny. The food and shops is amazing!!! 90% of everything there is local made or produced.

After a 3-year hiatus, we finally made it back. Everything was great, even better. New businesses. We ate at the ox yoke Inn, it was fantastic! Stocked up on our jams,sausages, and wine. The weather was perfect! The flowers everywhere were just beautiful!

A lovely peaceful place. Feels like gong back in time. Quaint stores, antiques, great German style food. Do visit!

Very nice European like quality product all around town. 👍

Never actually taken the time to stop before. The main settlement was a lot of fun and had a lot of cute shops. Looking forward to going back someday.

The Amanas are well worth a trip to see, especially Amana with the most shops, events, and restaurants. However, the bike trails advertised (Routes A & Bare ridiculous. They are highways with no shoulder, so basically just biking with traffic. The small 3 mile loop around the pond is fun and has an actual bike-safe trail.

Amana colonies has been there for many many years but covid is definitely taken its toll. Many of the shops were closed due to lack of visitors we did go through the ones that were open the furniture store was fabulous highly recommend beautiful handmade furniture crafted by the Craftsman right there on the premise. Had dinner at the ox yoke restaurant it was okay the Cherry strudel was amazing the yeagerschnitzel was good sauerkraut was okay as well as the Spätzle.

First time visiting the colonies! Definitely recommend coming! Next time I come, I will need to get a place to stay in town for the night. There is a lot of history, a lot of the food, beautiful sites, and this is a perfect place to get away. I found myself here because I was missing my family from Dustin Iowa. I chose to drive two hours to come on my way to another destination. The amount of colonies are great for a midday pick up, or a whole day venture, or a long weekend! Definitely worth every bit.

Must see to appreciate the organized shops and restaurants in a small clean community. You get decorative items made of natural stones, gems, rings, necklaces. Yummy cookies and ice cream. Micro brewary is the icing on the cake. Lodging is available with few motels in the Colony.

Was heading back home from visiting Nebraska and some friends suggested we swing by here and give it a try. A little bit of walking from home to home in this small tiwn to see the crafts and taste some good treats. We tried the Millstream Brau Haus and went for traditional German food loved it. Will visit again if in the area.

Lots of history BUT!! Food options very limited as were hours for restaurants. Stores open at 10 am and close at 5 pm. German food mostly. Nice meat shoppe but the dont offer fresh made sandwiches. Theyd have a gold mine if they did.

The atmosphere is very laid back here. Food is great and so were the people.

Nice place to check things out, many shops to visit

Its well designed for tourism thats for sure. There are numerous shops from ice cream too knitting goods to knives and everything in between. On the upside, you can get delicious German food, authentic, from several restaurants in the area. The area. I didnt encourage you to go there to eat German food.

A little more commercialized than previous visits, but still a nice weekend. German food, live music, beautiful scenery for cycling, and neat atmosphere.

It is a great place to visit. I enjoyed learning about the history of German villages.

Great place to walk around. Lots of small shops to look around. The Millstream Brau Haus is a great place to stop for some good pints of beer. The General store is another good stop, it has something for everyone. The Ox is a great place to eat.

Cool little village to stop by for a few hours if you’re passing through the area

We spent the afternoon in Main Amana on June 11. It was fun, and really enjoyed the little shops. (The Christmas shop was especially fantastic! I wish we had been in town earlier in the day so we could have spent more time because there was a lot to see. My only disappointment was that the wineries closed between 5:00 and 6:00, which I thought was early for a summertime Saturday night.At the end of town was an event venue which looked nice, but we didnt go in (there was a wedding going on). Across the street from the venue was a cute biergarten too.Im definitely coming back again.

Thoroughly enjoyed it. Hotel Millright was excellent. Super clean and and nice. Room was large, clean, and well appointed. Big shower, nice beds, big screen TV, and more. Not cheap, but worth the money. We plan to be back for OctoberFest.

Fun and friendly destination for awesome B&B in Homestead, IA. Fantastic breakfast that is totally delicious and awesome. Very beautiful antiqued home and sleeping bedrooms. Prices very reasonable. WOW!

Amana Colonies never disappoints! Just a few minutes off of I-80 and they have food, snacks, antiques, giftables, and so much more. Its fun to stroll down the streets to see the unique architecture and enjoy all the fun perks of the culture there. The German food from the meatshop/smokehouse is so good and the many artisans in the colonies make some of the most beautiful pieces. Whether you just have an hour or a couple days - this is worth the stop!

What a fun place to visit! A short drive from Iowa City/UIowa (by Midwest standards). Great family owned restaurants. Wineries and breweries featuring local fare. Cute shops for all ages. Plenty of well marked parking area in Amana! Be ready to ‘get your steps’ though.

We visited this lovely little town Sunday afternoon, and there were not too many visitors. So we took our time to visit each of the stores, each of which has its own uniqueness and is fun to explore.Unlike many other historical places, this place has not become a tour trap but still pretty much keeps an atmosphere that is one of the kind. We really enjoyed it!

Do you like buying unique furniture, crafts, Christmas decorations, meats and cheeses German food or checking out seasonal displays, nature trails, German buildings, wollen mills and farmland? This is the place for you!

My first time visiting during October fest. I loved all the fall colors, the music, food and beer of course!

Most people were nice. Was working from camper and didnt have much time to get into places during the week because they close by 5 pm for the most part. Winery we liked best was Fireside. Did a tasting there with a small plate of nibbles. People knew..gluten free and were able to work with me on that. Liked Firefly wine and Dolche St Croix... think it was called. Another winery... felt like the guy was being a little rude... because I liked sweeter wines.. sent me across the street where the wine was so sweet it was like syrup... not for me. That was the White Cross Cellars winery. Go to Fireside instead!!

We went to Amana Colonies for the Oktoberfest. This is about the 4th time weve gone and each time we have enjoyed it. I enjoy the Music, the food and my wife enjoys all the little shops. The parade is always fun too. I would recommend visiting if you have never been before, it seems like there is always something going on.

Such an adorable little town with a little bit of something for everyone! Stay all day, walk around, enjoy the shops and the beauty. Or stay a weekend at the millwright! They have an amazing event venue that is breathtaking too. Its well worth the drive. Dont even question it!

We showed up at 4pm in Amana and went to dinner first at Ronneburg. By the time we got out of dinner at 5 almost all the shops were closed. Luckily the toy store was open until 5:30 and the general store until 7. So we headed back out after breakfast the next morning. Most things opened at 10. There is tons of character to see here as well as beautiful flowers and landscaping. We liked that the buildings were the original ones not replicas like a lot of places . So much history was preserved here. Pretty much anything you could want to buy you can find here . The general store alone you could spend hours in.

For many years I thought this was an Amish place but I soon learned the truth. This is a German settlement and Im kicking myself for not going earlier or bringing more money. The chocolates, the popcorn all worth the trip. Go see this place, you wont be sorry.

We had heard good things about Amana and the visit was wonderful. Coffee, chocolates, furniture, visitors center, woolen mill, and gorgeous scenery! Prices were reasonable, people welcoming, and overall a great day!

This is a cute little town that you could visit. It has a good history of how settlers lived here. Cute coffee shops, art galleries, and other shopping places make it modern while preserving the history.

The Amana Colonies are made up of 7 villages and are a wonderful place to visit that is full of old world charm and friendly people. Main Amana is where most of the shops and restaurants are to be found though we also enjoyed driving through and seeing the other villages where there are a few scattered shops. In main Amana everything is walkable and public parking is free. The village is beautifully clean and serene. The shops are full of handmade goods as well as antiques and a smaller number of items that are more mass produced. They host regular festivals throughout the year that are always a good time. There is also a brewery and a handful of wine shops. We have visited several times and will definitely return. Fair warning that during these times of Covid-19, mask wearing is taken lightly here, with some places requiring them indoors and some not mentioning it at all. Based on personal observations Id say a little more than half the people in the village and shops were wearing masks.

We visited on a Weekday.Most stores are still closed. Of the shops that are open some require you to wear a face mask. Pictures from a couple of nice shops. The bakery has fresh pastries that are delicious. The other is Iron Horizon. It has some cool yard art. The owner was super friendly.