Visiting Northeast Iowa: One of America's Best Kept Secrets

Northeast Iowa is one of America's best kept secrets when it comes to scenic beauty and an atmosphere densley steeped in culture.

The Vesterheim Norwegian American Museum, Decorah, Seed Savers Heritage Farm, Decorah, Dairy Foundation of Northeast Iowa, Calmar, and Bily Clocks Museum including Antonin Dvorak Exhibit, make for a day of Nordic and Bohemiam delights, suitable for the whole family, and a picturesque drive through the hills of Northeast Iowa's Bluff country.

The Vesterheim, 523 West Water St., in downtown Decorah can be accessed at the intersection of U.S. Highway 9, and U.S. Highway 52. It has 24,000 artifacts from the heritage of Norwegian immigrants to America, such as early tools and machinery, and agricultural, fine and folk decorative art items.

According to the museum's literature, it is the most comprehensive museum in America dedicated to a single immigrant group.

It has 16 buildings and the story of the immigrants is told through traditional dress and textiles, rosemaling furniture, housewares and art.

The museum buildings include a pioneer restored Stone Mill, three pioneer log houses, a log parochial school, a stabbor or Norwegian storage building, and a Lutheran Church.

In charge of outreach for the museum is Becky Idstrom, who says that you will need at least an hour to wander around the museum's main building and two hours to really see it all at your leisure.

"During the summer, there are scheduled guided tours of the museum's Open Air Division, which last about an hour," Idstrom said. "People are amazed at the scope of the folk art in the museum, such as the rosemaling, woodwordking, and textiles from both Norway and America," she added.

Idstrom also said that the most popular item in the museum is the boat, Tradewind, a 25-foot sailboat, housed in a 3-story room.

"It was sailed across the Atlantic in 1933 by Harold and Hans Hamran, two Norwegian brothers. It is the smallest known vessel to cross the Atlantic, but it's quite large here in the museum," Idstrom said.