Chilling in Fairfield Iowa

Fairfield, Iowa is located off of highway 34 in southeast Iowa. On a hosted trip to Fairfield with a group of Midwest Travel Network bloggers. I had a chance to feel the chill atmosphere that resides in this middle-sized Iowa town with a population of around 10,000. As with many college towns, Fairfield is a mecca of art, culture, amazing food choices and some interesting history! The area also offers beautiful countryside where several birds are in the migration flyway, offering unique birding options.

I have traveled this way in the past to Mt. Pleasant to attend the wonderful Thresher’s Reunion event that runs during Labor Day weekend and to tour the beautiful Lincoln Harlan house. What a pleasure to find so many things to experience in Fairfield! Thank you, Terry Baker, and Visit Fairfield, for having us.

History

Supposedly, one of the first settlers to the area, Nancy Bonnifield, saw fair fields when looking at the new land. The name stuck! Fairfield is famous for a couple firsts. Fairfield was the location of the first two Iowa State Fairs. They are also the location of the first endowed Carnegie Library in the US. Built in 1892, the library is now a wonderful history museum. Maasdam Barns is located here, a farm where they raised top breeders of draft horses.

Lodging

During our stay, we were at the comfortable AmericInn Hotel located conveniently just outside of town.

Dining in Fairfield

Our first night we stopped at Fishback & Stephenson Cider House, which was founded by four friends, Clint Stephenson, Hopi James, Annalisa Thompson, and Cole Fishback. Cole is the cofounder along with Clint Stephenson. Starting out in 2014, they began a hobby of trying new Ciders, and today they are one of the premier Cider Houses around! We sampled a few different flavors. My favorite was the Apricot Cider!

Besides the Cider, they are also famous for their burgers. My “Fun Guy” Portabella burger didn’t disappoint! A few city fathers like Josh Laraby, who works for Economic Development shared details about the city, along with a few other visitors like the owner of Sweet & Saucy, a BBQ diner along with her daughter, chef Shannon!

More Dining choices.

Bountiful Bakery offered a wonderful breakfast. While it was hard to pass up the sweeter choices, being diabetic, I found a delectable quiche that fit the bill! Here, food is made from local flour and butter and farm fresh dairy and eggs. Using locally sourced organic ingredients, everything is baked fresh daily in-house in small batches.

Lunch was at the amazing Depot House, a cafe by day, and nightclub by night! This interesting place is in a beautiful old depot building. This is a Dream Creative Project. This was my favorite dining experience! I loved the food and art.

Besides the Depot House, another place that brings amazing talent and entertainment to town is the Sondheim Center for Performing Arts. We had a chance to tour and learn about this amazing treasure in town!

Entertainment and dining.

Our last evening, we went to the Broth Lab, where they say, Slurping is encouraged! They offer Ramen with a twist! I tried a Karaage Chicken choice that chef Camp Boswell described. During our dinner, the Mayor of Fairfield, Connie Boyer stopped by along with city council member Paul Gandy. They shared what they love about their beautiful city!

Our last morning, we stopped at Taco Dreams where they offer wonderful taco selections for breakfast. They also had amazing tea, and homemade bread that I had to bring home to the hubby! The Hungry Camel was a fun stop where I tried falafel for the first time!

Activities, shops and more!

Scarlett & Co. is a great little shop with a lot of heart! This creative space offers a candle bar where you can make your own candle. They also host events and offer the popular permanent, Claspless jewelry that is welded together for an everlasting look!

We created candles with a lot of assistance! Then, last night after arriving home, I lit up my candle and enjoyed the fun, sweet smelling ambience!

One fun activity was birdwatching at Cedar Creek Trail! Local birdwatching enthusiasts shared secrets of how to listen and find birds. We learned that there is an app called Merlin that allows you to identify birdsongs! I loved meeting Michael and Diane Porter and others that volunteered to teach a group of novice bird watchers!

Next, we headed to Radiance Dairy, a wonderful organic dairy farm owned by Francis and Susan Thicke. We met with the couple and farm worker Gabrielle Hathaway. “This is not a typical Iowa farm,” Francis Thicke said. While many cows are raised in confinements, the Thicke’s ensure that their Jersey cows are in open fields. They are moved from one pasture to another keeping the grass fresh and healthy.

“This helps rebuild the soil,” Francis shared. The cows are almost tame, and they allowed us to move among them. At Radiance Dairy, they supply organic cheese, milk and other products locally!

Maasdam Barns was one of my favorite stops. This former Percheron farm is now a tourist, recreation, and educational center. With farming history and equipment on hand, my readers will love this beautiful place!

Somm Wines was a wonderful place to sip your favorite wine and sit outside. We sampled a meat and cheese plate, while the talented, and patient Harriet “Happy” Burbeck taught us the secrets of watercolor! We created postcards to take home and celebrate our creativity!

More Indoor Activities

We moved to the square to discover art and wonderful shops! With a gift card from the CVB, we shopped and browsed. First stop was Icon Gallery. Icon’s collection includes world famous artists such as Sam Francis and Salvador Dali. Then they also profile both known and unknown Fairfield artists.

One of the loveliest artistic scenes I saw was at the Fairfield Art Association!

This stained glass was at the former Parson’s College that is now the Maharishi International University. This university has brought many to the community to learn about Transcendental Meditation and more.

I stopped at Willow & Bright and found a fun outfit. Cindy’s Art Beat was a fun stop. Cindy collaborates with local artists!

I stopped at Hazel & Grey, a wonderful sustainable home product store. The owner makes sure that products are useful and beautiful! At Thymely Solutions they offer herbal apothecary and gifts. The At Home Store offered Gourmet kitchen and imported yarns. I had to bring home a couple cool kitchen towels to spruce up my home!

Loving history, the Carnegie Museum offered an amazing history! The tour provided information about the town, and a variety of wonderful displays sent in cases directly from the Smithsonian. Terry had shared the story of the light tower that once was situated on the Courthouse lawn, and we saw a display on this amazing story as well.

These are a few of the things to see and do while you catch the chill vibe in Fairfield, Iowa!