Next on the agenda was “The Barn Museum.” I was excited to visit this museum of “Rural America in Miniatures.” These miniatures were all built by one man, Henry Moore. There are a number of themes, including Amana, Iowa farmsteads, a Plains Indian village, a California logging camp, and even Abraham Lincoln’s village of New Salem, Illinois which I visited growing up.

However, it was not to be.

As we pulled into the parking lot of The Barn Museum, we noticed not one car was there. Now I know not everyone is as enthusiastic about miniatures as I am, but there should be some cars here, I thought. I walked up to the entrance while Dan, not quite as optimistic, waited in the car. There was a small handwritten sign on the door which said, “Closed. Multiple doctor appointments. Open Wednesday 9 am.”

Disappointed, we went back to Amana. There we walked around the shops for a bit. We went to The General Store which features an “International Christmas Market.” All that Christmas was a bit overwhelming for me, but I am sure many will love it. We also visited an outdoor metal art store and an antique shop. A little shopping goes a long way with me, so before too long, we were done.

We had planned to eat our dinner in Amana at The Ox Yoke Inn, but since we didn’t spend time at the museum, we weren’t quite ready to eat just yet. We headed back to North Liberty. There, we found a park and played Scrabble until we were ready to eat.

We ate our dinner at The Tin Roost in North Liberty. The food was delicious, and the service was top notch. It looks to be a popular place.

Now, there’s way more to The Amana Colonies than what I’ve written about. There are all kinds of festivals. There’s a golf course. And a future disc golf course. There’s places to hike. There’s a theater. There’s a paved bike trail which connects some of the villages. There’s even an RV park with an event center.

We hope to return and stay at the Amana RV park. While it looks more utilitarian (as it caters to large events), it does offer full hook ups, and it connects to the bike trail system. This would allow us to explore more of Amana while on our e-bikes.

I’d like to visit the Amana Heritage Museum more thoroughly. I’d like to visit more of the shops, especially those that are run by the Amana Society – including Amana Furniture & Clock Shop, Amana Meat Shop & Smokehouse, and the Amana Woolen Mill.

Maybe I could even go into The Chocolate Haus or the Bakery and Cafe if I rode my bike enough. It’d be nice to take in a play or attend one of the festivals. We’d like to eat at The Ox Yoke Inn and the Ronneburg Restaurants. And you know I’m going back to that Barn Museum with all the miniatures.

When I look at this second post about the Amana Colonies, it seems like a post of things we didn’t see and do. But hopefully, my two posts about The Amana Colonies has given you a flavor of all that is there, and, if you should ever visit, would be helpful to you as you are making your plans.

Now, I assure you, my next post is 100% experience. We did everything we went to do and a bit more. And should you ever want to visit where we went, it would behoove you to read my next post.