7 charming and historic places to stay in Iowa

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Over the years, my husband, Keith, and I have traveled extensively in Iowa. During our travels we have come across some wonderful places to stay, different from the typical variety of hotels / motels. While some stays only require a clean room and a bed, others require a little more. Below are a few of the places we’ve found the convenience of a place you want to linger and sit and sip a bit before you go! These stops were found through research and the opportunities others shared along the way. Enjoy a little luxury in beautiful Iowa the next time you head in that direction!

Cindy ladage

1. Millwright Hotel

the Amana Colonies are some of our favorite destinations, and a few of our favorite stops are in the Amana area. Our last stay in Amana, Iowa, was at Millwright Hotel. Hosted by the Amana Colonies Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB), the Millwright is in the heart of Amana, where you can walk almost anywhere in town!

This hotel is a former woolen mill converted into a historic hotel. The mill helped immigrants who fled Germany because of religious persecution to earn money once they arrived in the United States, where they found land and opportunities. The equipment for the mill was shipped from Germany, first to New York, and finally to the Amana colonies. There are seven villages in Amana where settlers lived in community until 1932.

Elise Heitman, executive director of Amana Colonies CVB, said Hotel Millwright is owned by the Amana Society, but is managed by a hotel management company IDM. Elise added: “I think they did a great job.”

The partnership successfully creates a combination of the historic elements of the factory and adds industrial design to create a one-of-a-kind hotel experience. The hotel has two floors and offers 65 rooms, all different due to the historical nature of the building. Shelby Foster, the events coordinator, explained, “This campus was a wool-spinning process that had been going on from the very beginning. This building became part of the Mill Race-based power company. Electricity carried a lot of electricity, the woolen mill and the flour mill across the stream.

In each room, visitors will find images provided by the Amana Society showing what happened in that area. Our room was a King Suite. Woolen equipment is strategically placed everywhere, and items that were not functional have become furniture, tables, etc.

Cindy ladage

There is a signature restaurant, on-site whiskey bar, and 8,000 square feet of meeting and event space. During our stay, we had breakfast in the Indigo Room, the old boiler room, and enjoyed the selections. An eco-friendly hotel, the building’s electricity is generated by methane from the Amana Farms digester from cattle breeding!

Rates vary depending on the event, but the average room is between $ 130 and $ 140 a night. There are elevators to make the hotel accessible, and ADA rooms are also available.

Pro tip: Be sure to dine at one of the two family-style restaurants, the Ronneburg or the Ox Yoke Inn.

2. Zuber’s Homestead Hotel

We frequently stay at Zuber’s Homestead Hotel during the Christmas prelude, a wonderful holiday event in the Amana settlements. Zuber’s is a historic property located in Homestead, Iowa.

Zuber is one of the original buildings. It started as a stagecoach stop and then spread to a hotel. The hotel served the settlers until 1938 when it was sold to Bill and Connie Zuber. The Zubers transformed the inn into Bill Zuber’s Dugout restaurant. Bill Zuber is famous for his career as a baseball player, having played for the Cleveland Indians, Washington Senators, Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees. In 2004 the hotel was sold and renovated. Today the hotel is owned by Brian and Bonnie James and offers 15 rooms with private bathroom.

We love the community dining room where friends and family can get together. The breakfast is amazing and is included with the stay. Room rates are between $ 100 and $ 120 and may vary during events.

If you have accessibility issues, book a room downstairs; there is no elevator and the stairs to the second floor are steep.

Pro tip: If you’re attending Prelude over Christmas, check out the house tour on Saturday.

3. Blackhawk Hotel

the Blackhawk Hotel Davenport is part of the Marriott Autograph Collection. We usually stay there during a John Deere event called Rally of the Greens. The Blackhawk was built in 1915 and renovated in 2010.

In 1923, the hotel went from seven floors to 11. It was at this time that the bar and bowling alley on the ground floor were added. We tried it and it was a lot of fun!

The Blackhawk has hosted Presidents and more. During Gathering of the Green, this luxury hotel is quite a spectacle with John Deere amenities in the lobby! My favorite thing about this hotel is the large tub.

Fares hover around $ 200 or more, unless you get a break on a fare.

4. The Black Hawk Hotel (Cedar Falls)

The second Black Hawk Hotel it was quite nice to stay in downtown Cedar Falls. I was hosted by Cedar Falls Tourism Few years ago. The Black Hawk was not the hotel’s first name. Built in 1853, it was originally known as “Winslow House”. The hotel started out as a wood-frame stagecoach hotel. The hotel has had several other names over the years and has even been destroyed by fire. It was rebuilt in the Second Empire style in the 1870s, then received another upgrade in 1914, leading to the current combination of Second Empire and Mission style architecture.

Prices vary between approximately $ 130 and $ 160. A European-style breakfast is included. Located in a historic district, we loved our stay at this beautiful, quaint hotel! Elevators are available at the Black Hawk.

Pro tip: If you are interested in the history of tractors, the John Deere Tractor and Engine Museum can be found in nearby Waterloo!

5. The hotel at Kirkwood Center

Located on the Kirkwood campus in Cedar Rapids, I was hosted by the Cedar Rapids CVB at The hotel at Kirkwood Center, a fascinating educational hotel. The hotel is an educational laboratory and is the largest and most comprehensive community college educational hotel in the United States.

All aspects of hotel hospitality relate to education, including catering. According to their website, “over 100 pieces of local art and crafts are dotted around our homes and public spaces,” adding another wonderful aspect to this urban setting. Depending on the time of year, room rates average $ 149 to $ 189. This modern hotel is easy to navigate and has elevators and other modern amenities.

This interior photo of the Cheesemaker Inn B&B is part of the original house.
Cindy ladage

6. Cheesemaker’s Inn Bed and Breakfast

Visit Pella welcomed my stay at Auberge du Fromager. Kim and Rob Bandstra own the beautiful inn which was once located in the heart of a dairy farm. The Bandstra’s nephew, Mike Bandstra, who grew up milking cows on the farm, became a cheesemaker and today owns Frisian Farms cheese dairy.

The Cheesemaker’s Inn is located on the outskirts of Pella and is an artisan style house from 1918 which has been turned into a B & B. The rooms are quite charming and the morning meal is Danish inspired. We had Kim’s amazing fruit soup as part of our selection. Each breakfast also includes a selection of Gouda cheeses made on Frisian farms. Each bedroom has its own bathroom, and there is plenty of seating space on the porch and in the back. For a relaxed country vibe, this is a great place to visit while visiting the many sights of Pella.

Note that all bedrooms are upstairs and there is no elevator. The rates are currently $ 140 per night for each room.

Pro tip: Visit the Vermeer mill and historic village in the city !

This is the magnificent staircase of the McNeil Stone Mansion.
Cindy ladage

7. McNeill Stone Mansion B&B

the B&B McNeill Stone Mansion in Oskaloosa is a true luxury stay. Hosted by Oskaloosa Main Street, this magnificent mansion left me speechless! Virginia Walker, the owner, said this stone mansion built between 1908 and 1909 is fire retardant and has lasted over the years due to the use of steel and concrete building materials. Originally built by Wilbur McNeil, this home is a combination of Colonial Revival and Spanish Mission style. A beautiful limestone covers the mansion on the outside.

The mansion is full of antiques and memorabilia from Virginia’s travels with her late husband, Gary. The floors in the living room and dining room are Mexican Tabasco hardwood.

Our room was quite nice and included a four poster bed and a huge bathroom. Again, I was fortunate enough to have a huge whirlpool to relax after playing tourist all day. In the morning we had a wonderful breakfast at the huge dining room table. Luxury mixed with a wonderful hostess make this an amazing stay! Room rates vary between $ 115 and $ 170.

There are so many places to stay in Iowa, but these offer a few of our favorites over the years!

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