Amana Colonies Convention and Visitor Bureau Review

We have been going here for decades, and they are very fun. Food and crafts are the main draw for us. However, it seems that prices have gone up exceedingly.

Lots of antique shops,wineries, gift shops. A beautiful area to walk around and browse.

It's the Amana Colonies! On the Iowa bucket list for myself and my girlfriend, we recently made our first trip here. One could definitely spend multiple days across several of the colonies and never see it all. Redundancy will definitely be seen here so keep that in mind as you begin your adventure.

Checklist: Millstream Brau House, anything pickled, walking the streets and taking in the beauty.

Lots of unique shops. Be sure to check out the wineries and the brewery!!

Wonderful place to visit. All the German history and German food

I grew up going to the Amana's. I have been there a handful of times and look back on those memories fondly. Great shops and food. This was not the case this time. We got there on a Thurs afternoon in February and half of the shops were closed. Looking at the websites for the Amana's it states the hours of the store and they say they are open Monday thru Sunday. Nowhere does it say that they are closed during certain seasons. This was extremely disappointing. We went for lunch and I decided to keep it light because I wanted to save a signature Amana family style meal for dinner. Little did I know that the whole area shuts down with any snow. We tried to go dinner at 6:00 the three restaurants were all closed because of the weather. We had to eat at Casey's instead. I did not come to the Amana's for Casey's (no offense Casey's) I came for German food. We checked in to the Village Guest Suite. It was a nice room with a good price. When I called to make reservations I was told that there would not be breakfast because she could get her pastries from her baker. I told her that was fine because I wanted to get breakfast elsewhere. What she didnt tell me is that this five inches of snow would shut down everything on Friday. So when breakfast came around (which I was looking forward to most) I once again had to eat at Casey's . If she knew I wasn't going to be able to eat breakfast elsewhere and you run an Inn it might be good service to offer some sort of breakfast. I expected better service from a locally owned Inn. If the town can shut down for some snow because of their small town feel then maybe they can make up for that by providing small town service. This is not the first time it has snowed in the Amana's people don't need to overreact so much to that. I was looking forward to reliving some childhood memories, but instead I got very little from the Amana's and don't know when I will be back.

Always a fun trip! Loved all the little shops, some antique vendors where over priced but sometimes they're that way. Tasty treats, only found restrooms in 2 buildings.

It's ok, just not as good as it used to be. Missed the woolen mill.

Our lunch at Ronneburg Restaurant was incredibly delicious, and the service was excellent. I bought jewelry, clothes, artwork and gifts from many of the lovely shops there. This little town is charming and was a highlight for me on my trip to Iowa and Illinois.

Glad I checked it out (just the main area) Didn't have time to drive to any of the outer areas.

A lot of the shops were lackluster. Most of the shop keepers seem less than interested in visitors.

Beautiful village! The homes are well kept as are the grounds. We're ate a traditional setting restaurant and the meal will never be forgotten. I went for the HandTool festival, that coincided with a rare viewing of the Studley Tool Chest nearby, and everyone at the village welcomed the attendees. I definitely want to go back at some point in my life.

Millstream is always a good choice for a Sunday afternoon! Then went to do kinetic sculpture research at the cute shop in the center of town. Bought an ornamental kale and grass plant from some lovely people!!!

Tons of shops and wine. And beer. Some museums and very scenic.

Loved the community. Planning to go back and spend more time.

Interesting area. A lot of little shops. Cool places to see would be the brewery, clock and furniture shop and when blanket factory.

Very interesting community that continues to thrive in a small town environment.

Really nice and historical. Interesting how it started.

Needs to stay open longer in the evening on Fridays and Saturdays .

A short way from Cedar Rapids, and a world away in culture. A wonderful place to experience a real sense of American history.

A former German communal society transitioning to more of an artist community. Great German food and festivals. A fun place to visit for the history, food and the antique shops. Oktoberfest there is great.

Wedding in a barn - fun time. Brunch at Ox Bow - delicious!

Good places to eat and plenty of "bored husband seating"

The natural beauty and historical natural of this settlement.

On the way home from a family vacation we stopped for lunch with intention of browsing around. With preschooler and dog we were expecting to grab take out lunch and eat in a city park, which we often do on such trips. But, surprising for a small town in the heartland, there was no charming city park with picnic tables, playground, etc. And it took fifty minutes to get take away lunch, which used up all our patience and energy. Definitely not a family friend stop.

Loved the Noble stone store the winery and cheese shops. Great little shop and walk experience.

This place fit in with part of my heritage, being German. I walked into, with my mask on of course, several different shops that were selling local, quality handmade products from Iowa. I enjoyed being in the Woolen Mill because of the history and high quality fabrics made into blankets, dish towels, scarves, etc.

We love to come to the Amana Colonies. Awesome food at Oxbow Inn and fun shopping.

The history and traditions are amazing! I first came here with my parents. A great place for any age and taste!

I've grown up around here but still enjoy coming for the seasonal events every year or just to walk around the stores on the weekend. Maifest, Wurstfest & Oktoberfest are the best.

There wasn't a lot of places open. But the shops that we were able to get in were very good

The people are all very helpful and want to make it good. Lots of things to see and most reasonably priced.

This is a fun place. Many Asian type stores. Great craftsmanship, great food, fun atmosphere.

Ken

So much fun! The kids and I had a wonderful adventure.

It had been literally decades since I had visited here. The shops, sights, smells and foods were a very welcome reminder of the past
We had a great visit.

When friends come from out of state they always want to go to Amana. Lots to see and do, and the food is always great.

Love to visit the Amana Colonies. Good shops, nice people. Be sure to see the General Stores, Quilt Store, and Meat Market. And the Chocolate Shop is a must for chocolate and lattes.

Beautiful place. Love all those gorgeous shops. Couldnt get enough of the soap shop.

Stopped and had lunch and walked around. Quick trip from the hiway. Some beautiful artwork, great food, worth the trip. We are planning to go back and stay and spend more time!

Lots of games to play for Winterfest. Great place to take the kids.

A great tourist destination with enormous amounts of history and culture and places to shop and experience. Highly recommend.

Same crappy tourist shops you will find anywhere in the US

A lot of the old shops closed and have new shops now, but the Smoke Shop is still there with great Amana meats. And the bakery seems to be making a comeback. The sweets shop across the street is good too.

Millstream Brau Haus meal of Bratwurst, Cuban sandwich, sweet potato fries with cinnamon honey butter, and their Octoberfest brew was excellent! Friendly service too! We'll be back!

Lodging, food, and the service were excellent. Possibly a little pricey but well worth it. Enjoy the experience.

Great place to visit and great shops even for a disabled vet

Really interesting and fun place to visit. Quality products especially from the woolen mill

Always a great place to visit. Lots to see & plenty of variety to eat & drink.

Nice place to spend a day with the family. Great wines variety at reasonable prices and a few restaurants.

Great place to stop and see. If there is one thing you should know ahead of time, is give yourself time. I wish we could of stayed longer to see more, but just didn't have the time. This is for sure not a quick stop, unless you're just stopping in for popcorn.. YUM!!! You will defiantly need a few hours to take the beauty of the Colonies in and all they have to offer!!

Was there for Hand Works 2017(Hand Tool woodworking show)

Do not miss out on this place while traveling through. I've been through 3 times now, always worth it.

Clean...friendly...great shopping especially if you love fine artisan goods. Also relatively inexpensive dining both traditional German fare as well as more contemporary choices. See pictures.

Always like perusing the stores and walking around several of the communities - each with something unique. A lot of places to eat a meal, or snack. Their live theatre has enjoyable shows. Let the kids explore at Edelstein's for rocks and fossils.

Quint little town. Because of the virus some of the attractions were closed, but also could have been because it was a Tuesday. Eat lunch at Ox Yoke and it was very good but the 4% charge for using your credit card was a little weird. Really, $1.20. We were very happy with the experience and wish things weren't so affected by the virus.