Uniquely Iowa
Some call them wacky. We call them wonderful. They’re our biggest, smallest, tallest, crookedest attractions! And they’re the stuff dreams – and road trips – are made of. Hop in your car and head out to see some of the best attractions you’ll ever lay your eyes on.
ALBERT THE BULL
Audubon: No trip to Audubon would be complete without stopping by to say hi to Albert. He won’t say hi back, but he’s definitely a sight to see. After all, Albert is the world’s LARGEST bull. He was constructed in 1964 and weighs 45 tons, stands 30 feet tall and spans 15 feet from horn to horn.
INDIAN MAIDEN
Pocahontas: At 25 feet tall, the world’s LARGEST Indian maiden watches over the town of
Pocahontas. In 1954 the Shaw family started creating the statue. Two years later it was completed. The Shaw family still maintains the statue.
VERMEER MILL
Pella: Wowza – that’s one mammoth windmill! The Vermeer Mill is the TALLEST working grain windmill (koren molen) in the United States. The authentic Dutch windmill towers 124 feet from the street to the tip of the sail.
SNAKE ALLEY
Burlington: You’ll have a blast twisting and turning down Snake Alley in Burlington. That’s because this is the alley that Ripley’s Believe It or Not named "UNBELIEVEABLY crooked.” Which means you have to see it to believe it!
CEDAR RAPIDS MUSEUM OF ART
Cedar Rapids: One of Iowa’s most famous artists is Grant Wood. And at the Cedar Rapids Museum of Art, you can see the LARGEST collection of Grant Wood paintings. The museum also owns the property at 5 Turner Alley that Wood used for a home and studio from 1924-1934. It was in this studio that he painted one of the world’s most famous works of art, American Gothic, a work shown at and purchased by the Art Institute of Chicago in 1930 for $300.
FENELON PLACE ELEVATOR
Dubuque: When you get to the top of the Fenelon Place Elevator, you’ll be able to see not one…not two…but THREE states! Which makes the trip to this SHORTEST and STEEPEST scenic railway in the world a must-see. It’s 296 feet in length and rises 189 feet from Fourth Street to Fenelon Place.
LARGEST STRAWBERRY
Strawberry Point: Sweet, succulent strawberry! That might just be what you exclaim when you visit the world’s LARGEST strawberry in Strawberry Point. This 15-foot tall fiberglass sculpture was designed by a local ad agency and dedicated in the late 1960s.
ST. ANTHONY OF PADUA CHAPEL
Festina: If you go to the St. Anthony of Padua Chapel with a large group, you’ll have to take turns getting in. The world’s SMALLEST church is only 12 x 16 feet and has seating for just eight people. But trust us, the wait will be totally worth it.
VESTERHEIM NORWEGIAN-AMERICAN MUSEUM
Decorah: Even if you’re not of Norwegian heritage, you’ll enjoy touring the Vesterheim Norwegian-American Museum in Decorah. It’s the LARGEST and OLDEST ethnic museum in the United States.
ART DECO ARCHITECTURE
Spencer: Architecture aficionados won’t want to miss Spencer’s downtown business district. The area was rebuilt after a fire in 1931, resulting in the LARGEST and most diverse collection of 1930s Art Deco architecture in the Midwest.