2024's 7 Most Beautiful Small Towns In Iowa

Summer’s here, but it’s never too late to plan your 2024 travel bucket list. Forget over-crowded destinations, exhausting city breaks, and pricey resorts. This year, get away from it all in one of Iowa’s beautiful small towns where the most stressful activity is picking the perfect backdrop for your vacation snapshots. Here in the heartland of America, you will see the country at its best. Welcoming communities, historic architecture, scenic backcountry roads, and midwestern charm. Visit the Hawkeye State in 2024, and you will find yourself coming back year after year.

Dyersville

Named one of America’s best small towns by the Smithsonian, Dyersville was founded by English entrepreneur James Dyers, who arrived in the area in 1847 and decided to turn the small Bavarian farming settlement into a thriving town. Modern-day Dyersville is a testament to Dyer’s vision with a thriving downtown, unique attractions, and beautiful scenery. It’s also a familiar pilgrimage for fans of the iconic 1989 movie, Field of Dreams, which was filmed in town. The site is open to the public and baseball fans can also get their fix at the nearby Baseball Hall of Dreams.

Dyersville is also home to one of Iowa’s two basilicas. Open daily and offering group tours, the imposing Basilica of St Francis Xavier is a gorgeous example of medieval Gothic architecture. To enjoy the best of Dyersville’s natural attractions, take the 26-mile Heritage Trail, which follows the old railroad into the deep valley of Dubuque County, meandering through old mining and mill towns.

Pella

Pella is a one-of-a-kind community in central Iowa that owes a lot to its original inhabitants. Founded by immigrants from the Netherlands, you’d be forgiven for thinking you’d been miraculously transported over the Atlantic to Europe. Home to North America’s largest working windmill, this beautiful town is heavily influenced by its Dutch heritage, which is on full display at the Pella Historical Village and Vermeer Mill, a cute recreation of a miniature Holland village.

Get more Dutch flavor on Main Street, you will find the Pella Klokkenspel, a traditional clock framed in an old-world courtyard. Mechanical figures appear and perform a spirited dance when the clock chimes. Stroll around the Molengracht Plaza, a replica of a Dutch canal, for more photo-worthy scenes and finish up with a bite from the Jaarsma Bakery, family-owned and operated since 1898 and home of the best Dutch pastries in Iowa (probably).

Winterset

Don’t be fooled by the name, Winterset is a beautiful destination all year-round. This small midwest town is famous for its stunning covered bridges and was the inspiration for the film, The Bridges of Madison County. You can see the bridges for yourself with a short self-guided tour on the Covered Bridges Scenic Byway. But Winterset is more than pretty bridges. It’s also the birthplace of America’s favorite cowboy, John Wayne. Learn about the actor’s life on and off screen at the John Wayne Birthplace and Museum downtown. Also downtown, you’ll find the Madison County Historical Complex, a historic village consisting of the 1856 Bevington Mansion, blacksmith shop, log post office, school, and other 1800s structures.

Eldora

Founded in 1853, Eldora’s beautiful downtown is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Check out the Hardin County Historical House for a stunning example of Victorian architecture. This family home was built in 1891 and includes a carriage house and historical library. You’ll also want to see the 1913 Grand Theatre, which has been restored since its heyday and still has the original canopy and marquee. Located on the Iowa River, Eldora also has plenty of scenic riverside trails and pathways to tempt nature-loving visitors. Visit the Sac and Fox Wildlife just outside town for incredible views over the Iowa River Valley.

Okoboji

Explore Iowa’s Great Lakes from the beautiful town of Okoboji on West Lake Okoboji’s eastern shore. Enjoy these stunning glacially-carved lakes from Okoboji’s busy waterfront, where you can pick up the Iowa Great Lakes Trail that winds over 40 miles around the lakes, past sandy beaches, green city parks, blooming wildlife preserves, and tranquil creeks. Also, on the water, you’ll find the world’s largest ice fishing house, the Fish House. This floating restaurant takes weekly cruises around the lake in the summer and is a great spot to enjoy a sundowner on the water.

For a glimpse into Okoboji’s long history as a lakeside settlement, visit the Westport Schoolhouse. Built in 1896 and used until 1952, this tiny museum is located in the sprawling 70-acre Kenue Park, where you’ll also find the Dickinson County Nature Center.

Bentonsport

The entire village of Bentonsport is designated a National Historic District, making it a must-see on any Iowa itinerary. Located on the Des Moines River, Bentonsport was once a steamboat town. Now, it’s a small community with a quaint downtown full of antique shops, craft boutiques, and perfectly preserved historic buildings from the mid-1800s. You’ll get a great shot for your vacation scrapbook at the old truss bridge, restored and opened to the public as a pedestrian walkway with beautiful views over the river. Bentonsport’s former locks are now a blooming rose garden.

From there, it’s a short stroll to the Indian Artifacts Museum, which houses over 5,000 Native American artifacts. For a truly unique shopping experience, visit the Iron and Lace Shop. This fascinating pottery and blacksmith shop was built using 100-year-old posts and beams salvaged from old barns. Browse the store’s collection of ironwork, hand-woven rugs, and pottery to pick up a one-of-a-kind gift.

Clear Lake

If relaxing on the shores of a spring-fed lake, toes in the sand sounds like the perfect vacation, head to Clear Lake, Iowa. This beautiful small town is made for long summer breaks with perfect fishing, water-skiing, and boating. Keen anglers can catch Walleye, Yellow Bass, or Catfish in the 3,684-acre natural lake. Or you can take it easy with a lazy ride on the Lady of the Lake, an authentic paddle wheel excursion boat that offers regular cruises and narrated tours. It’s not just the water that draws tourists to Clear Lake. The town has a more somber claim to fame — it’s the site of the 1959 plane crash that killed legendary musicians Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and J.P. Richardson. Today the crash site is memorialized with a poignant glasses marker.

Idyllic Iowa

Don’t underestimate Iowa. This isn’t a flyover state, it’s a stop-and-stay-a-while state where beautiful small towns nestle against sprawling glacier-carved lakes, amid rolling farmland, and in lush river valleys. Historic mill towns, European-inspired settlements, steamboat ports — you never know quite what to expect from an Iowa vacation. Visit in summer to enjoy stunning hikes, fun on the water, and sunny strolls downtown. Plan a winter break to try snowmobiling, cross-country skiing, and cozy holiday markets. Iowa is idyllic all year round!