AI-assisted summary

The Amana Colonies, seven villages in Iowa, were founded by German settlers in 1855 seeking religious freedom and economic opportunity.

Today, the Amana Colonies are a popular tourist destination, known for their crafts, traditional food, and festivals like Oktoberfest.

Local businesses like Schanz Furniture and the Ox Yoke Inn maintain traditional Amana crafts and recipes, passing them down through generations.

Driving the Iowa Valley Scenic Byway unfolds in familiar Iowa scenes — stretches of prairieland and nature trails, acres of corn and soybeans, trains zipping by.

A billboard interrupts the marvels between Iowa and Johnson Counties with a bold greeting: "Willkommen."

A welcome that may seem out of place, but one that greets hundreds of thousands of touris

See Full Page