Iowa and the Amana Colonies

After leaving Missouri, we headed to Iowa.  We wanted to see the Amana Colonies.

 

This is an interesting area consisting of 7 villages, created by some German Settlers in the mid 1800s, they lived in the villages communally, till 1932.  The villages are still mostly taken care of by the Amana Society and the Amana Church. 

 

Many of the buildings and farm area are intact

We enjoyed stopping in each village to see what was there and do a little shopping

I decided not to buy this rocking chair....though, Kevin did rock himself to sleep in it....and besides I wasn't sure where I would put it...

The general stores were very cool.  This one has the original floors, and tin ceiling, and all the original counters etc...

Each Village had its own church, because at the time of building them, the people didn't have a means to get quickly from village to village, now only Middle Amana has church services.  They still do mostly German Services. 

We enjoyed our time there, it was fun, to see a simpler life, and try various treats, pastries, popcorn, jams, honey, gather some recipes, and even some gifts....