Megan & Logan
Things To Do
Echo Valley State Park
A 100 acre natural area, which was originally built by the Civilian Conservation Corps around 1930's. Many hand-built historical structures built by the CCC: Dam - what remains Keystone Archway Lime Kiln Shelter House - Large The park also features: Picnicking Smaller Picnic Shelter Primitive Camping Trout Fishing - in both Glover's and Otter Creek Hiking and Non-motorized Biking Trails Bird Watching Spring Wildflower Watching Echo Valley Environmental Nature Trail: 2 1/2 miles long gravel based running though Echo Valley State Park along the old railway right away
Volga River State Recreation Area
While the Volga River winds its way through town providing unlimited recreational opportunities, the 5,750 acre Volga River State Recreation Area, home of Frog Hollow Lake, offers fishing, canoeing, hiking, cross-country skiing, snowmobiling, boating, camping, hunting and much more. Volga River State Recreation Area is located in one of the most scenic parts of the state. Northeast Iowa is often referred to as "Little Switzerland" because of its rugged topography, rock outcroppings and forest cover - a sharp contrast to the rolling hills, farmland and scattered stands of timber found in the majority of the state. The heavily wooded, rugged area of Volga River is an exciting setting for a variety of outdoor recreation activities throughout the year.
Big Rock Country Club
Carved into the towering Limestone Bluffs and located along the majestic Volga River in Fayette county Iowa. One of the most beautiful and unique golfing experiences anywhere. Big Rock Country Club is the premiere 18 hole Golf course of Northeast Iowa. Offering wide undulating fairways, rolling hills, vast elevation changes, and greens guarded by sand bunkers. Big Rock is great for the average beginner and poses an eye popping challenge even to the avid golfer. With many amenities to offer, including driving range, practice green, full service bar, full lunch menu, in house catering, regular social dining experiences, and amazing hospitality from both our staff and club members.
West Union Aquatic Center
Daily Admission Ages 5 & under: $2 Ages 6 & over: $5 Monday-Sunday 1-7 p.m. Flotation and swim toys are allowed 5-7 p.m. Life Jackets and water wings not allowed at any time. AQUATIC CENTER AMENITIES + 7775 Square Foot Pool + 132 Foot Body Waterslide + 8 Competitive Swim Lanes + Zero Depth Entry + Full Service Concession Area (Usable During Off Season) + Interactive Water Elements + Ample Paved Parking
West Union Recreation Center
The West Union Rec Center is located on North Pine Street, adjacent to the Aquatic Center. This beautiful and functional outdoor recreational and social gathering place is perfectly placed on 40 acres of pristine land. Enjoy peace and quite while relaxing in a scenic green space, complete with playground equipment, 2+ miles of paved walking/biking paths, softball and baseball diamonds, two soccer fields and several ponds for "catch and release" fishing. A completely hand-made bridge crafted and erected by local folks is positioned across one of the larger ponds and is used by visitors of all ages. A gazebo is located in the middle of the bridge where there is seating available to enjoy the view.
Gilbertson Conservation Education Area
Come and explore this fun and exciting hands on nature center. You can see and touch many different wild animals that can be found in Iowa and other area's of our world. * Mavis & Conner Dummermuth Building This building is home to many different kinds of farm tools and antiques from over the last 150 years. * Hart Dummermuth Historical House This home is a showcase of interesting antiques that would have been found in a farm home between 1890's - 1900's. See furniture,household items, cooking utensils in a home setting that shows how a family lived at the turn of the last century. * Petting Zoo Meet a goat face to face, pet a calf and have some fun. You can even adopt a new cute and cuddly kittens, puppies and bunnies. * Trails There are more than 5 miles of trails throughout Gilbertson Park including easements on neighboring private property. You can walk, hike, run, bike and horse back ride. In the winter time you can even cross-country ski or snowshoe.
Pulpit Rock Brewing Company
Since 2015, Pulpit Rock has honored the craft of brewing Built out of an old dairy facility and originally situated next to a laundromat, Pulpit Rock Brewing opened its bay doors during the summer of '15. Founded by four Luther alumni, fueled by two head-brewers and driven by a small taproom team (and the occasional volunteer), this modest brewery embraces the opportunity to produce and serve exciting and innovative beers. With a rotating tap list that balances classic styles, unabashed hop-enthusiasm and adventurous flavor-infusions, we aim to provide our guests with a spectrum of tastes and experiences.
PIVO Brewery
Pivo is the Czech word for beer. Craig’s heritage is Czech, so the PIVO name honors the long history of excellence in Czech brewing. PIVO Brewery grows hops, pears, apples, peaches, cherries, apricots, raspberries, and cucumbers for use in beer and cider. Stop by and see what’s growing on site. Beehives on land farther west turn native prairie flowers into sweet honey, used in some of the beers and ciders. Spent grains are sent to a local farmer who feeds them to his livestock, and we hope to have that meat on the menu, completing the circle of life and deliciousness.
Toppling Goliath Brewing Co
Clark and Barb Lewey founded Toppling Goliath Brewing Company in 2009 here in beautiful Decorah, Iowa after a runaway success in home brewing. In less than a decade TG has become world-renown for IPAs and barrel-aged stouts distributes to over 17 states and brews more than 30 beers. In order to meet overwhelming demand, the Lewey's have build a new 100-barrel system brewery in Decorah, IA which houses our taproom, restaurant, offices and brewery in one location. TG prides itself in crafting truly top shelf beer and is honored to be growing with the support of it's many customers worldwide.
Winneshiek Wildberry Winery
Winneshiek Wildberry Winery in Decorah is family owned and operated by Ken and Yvonne Barnes and their two daughters Darla Jones and Beth Guzman. The farm has been in Yvonne’s family for 150 years, tracing back to her great-grandmother. Ken and Yvonne have lived on the farm since 1969. During this time they have raised dairy cows, beef cows, and farrowed pigs. With the decline of farming visible all around them as well as their own firsthand experience, they decided to keep the farm viable by producing grapes. Ken planted the first grape varieties in 2001. Darla, our winemaker, completed classes to increase her wine making knowledge and improve her craft. During this time Ken began drawing up plans to rebuild the barn into a winery. The winery was built on the original foundation of the dairy barn. It was built by the Amish, Henry Miller a.k.a. “Barefoot Henry” and his crew in 2004-2005. It all came together in the fall of 2005 with the opening of the winery’s doors in October.
Empty Nest Winery
Empty Nest Winery opened its doors in 2011 with 8 different wines, mainly berry and fruit wines. We are located in rural northeast Iowa on our century family farm. Family-owned & operated, we produce handcrafted wines made in small batches from mainly locally grown handpicked berries. We ferment whole real fruit not just the juice & real sugar; this gives our unfiltered wine more flavor, color, and body for the best tasting ‘TRUE TO THE FRUIT’ wine. We now offer over 50 varieties of wines, ports, ciders & sangrias.
Vesterheim The National Norwegian-American Museum & Heritage Center
Vesterheim is the national Norwegian-American museum and heritage center, with over 33,000 artifacts, 12 historic buildings, a Folk Art School, and a library and archives. This treasure showcases the most extensive collection of Norwegian-American artifacts in the world. Vesterheim’s exhibitions explore the diversity of American immigration through the lens of the Norwegian-American experience and highlight the best in historic and contemporary Norwegian folk and fine arts. USA Today named Vesterheim one of “ten great places in the nation to admire American folk art.” But you don’t have to be Norwegian-American to enjoy all the beauty and wonder Vesterheim has to offer. We invite you to explore the ongoing story of all immigrants to the United States. In our differences we discover our similarities. Vesterheim welcomes you and encourages you to enjoy the objects and exhibitions through your own lens, your own story.
Bily Clocks Museum
The Bily Clocks Museum & Antonin Dvorak Exhibit has been a favorite attraction of young and old for many years. Visitors return year after year to the enchanting town of Spillville, Iowa, (located thirteen miles southwest of the town of Decorah), to marvel at the unique clocks that two brothers, Frank and Joseph Bily (bee-lee) hand-carved. The clocks depict history, art, religion and culture and are covered with hundreds of expertly carved figures. Some stand over nine feet tall. Also housed in the museum on the second floor is an exhibit in memory of the famous Czech composer, Antonin Dvorak. In the summer of 1893, he along with his family, occupied the second floor of the building.
Fort Atkinson State Preserve
The story of Fort Atkinson is not the stuff of which legends are made. No famous battles were fought here. No glorious victories or ignoble defeats occurred in its vicinity. No great decisions were made within its walls. In this way, the story of Fort Atkinson is like that of most of the army posts in the upper Mississippi Valley. Fort Atkinson Fort Atkinson was built to keep the Winnebago Indians on Neutral Ground (a 40-mile-wide strip of land established by the Treaty of 1830) after their removal from Wisconsin in 1840, and to provide protection for them from the Sioux, Sauk, Fox and from white intruders on Indian land.
Hawkeye Buffalo Ranch & Store
Hawkeye Buffalo is a small family farm located on 500 acres in northeast Iowa. We raise grassfed bison and sell meat directly to the public. Our heritage dates back to 1854 when our great, great grandparents settled in a sod house just over the hill from our store. Now bison have returned, and we invite you to connect with the land, our family, and our farm. As Iowa's agricultural land is consolidated and small family farms become fewer and farther between, it is a special thing indeed to visit a farm that has been owned and cared for by the same family for over 150 years. Designated as Heritage Farms by the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship, these farms are rooted in history, rich with story and steeped with hard work. Hawkeye Buffalo Ranch is one such farm.
Decorah Fish Hatchery
The Decorah Fish hatchery is a production rearing station for growing Shasta strain rainbow and St. Croix strain brook trout. About 130,000 catchable size rainbow and 20,000 catchable brook trout are raised each year. All streams stocked are posted on a calendar available on the Iowa DNR website, although some streams are unannounced. Thirteen streams are stocked once a week and two every other week. Because some streams get too warm during late June, July and August stressing fish, these streams are not stocked. Stocking is done from April through October. The Decorah Fish Hatchery is located one mile south of Decorah in Winneshiek County. The picturesque limestone office and residence date back to the 1930s as a project of the Civilian Conservation Corps. The hatchery has 24 cement flow-through raceways and three rubber lined earthen ponds. The fish hatchery is open to the public 365 days a year from sunrise to sunset.
Chapel of Saint Anthony Padua
This chapel is known as the “world’s smallest church.” It was built in 1885 and measures fourteen feet by twenty feet. The belfry is forty feet high. The chapel proper is 14′ by 20′, the belfry is 40 feet high, and it seats 8 people. The F. J. Huber family maintained it until the summer of 1924, when St. Anthony’s Chapel Association, composed of 65 grandchildren of Marie Anna Huber, was formed for the purpose of maintaining it.
Trails and Hiking
The Decorah Parks and Recreation Department is responsible for overseeing nearly 664 acres of land which encompasses 23 parks and recreational areas, a municipal pool and campground, 20 miles of off-road trails, and segments of the 11 mile paved Trout Run Trail. Parks and Recreation staff and volunteers host dozens of community events each year and provide safe recreational opportunities for children year round. In partnership with the community, Decorah Parks and Recreation takes great pride in enriching the lives of others through quality parks and programs that people of all ages, abilities and income levels have the chance to participate in.