Take a Tour of Amana
An insiders look at what makes us unique
Visiting the Amana Colonies in Iowa? Need a handy app that will help you get around the 7 villages of this National Historic Landmark? You can take a driving tour and learn about the historic sites in the 7 villages or a walking tour of the largest village, Amana. This is the official app provided by the Amana Colonies Convention and Visitors Bureau and includes a listing and description of the major businesses and visitor attractions.
Our FREE app has interesting photos and information about the Amana Colonies’ communal past along with current photos and information. Take a tour or search for business/attraction information. When you are in the Amana Colonies you’ll want to be connected with this app.
If you are on your smartphone, click the links below to find the app on Google Play or the App Store! If you are on a computer, you can click this link and use your smartphone to scan the QR codes on the PDF to download the Amana Colonies App.
When tours are not running we encourage you to check out our mobile app to take a walking or driving tour, or to visit our Visitors Center to gather maps and information about the Colonies!
You’ll discover many interesting things when visiting the Colonies, but the most fascinating is our unique history. The best way to learn and understand this history is to take our 2-2.5 hour Village Voyage Tour.
- The first stop is at the main campus of the Amana Heritage Society. An award-winning video that helps explain our history and the communal era (1842-1932) will set the tone for the tour. You will have some questions about life during this time or how things have changed or not change and your guide will gladly explain.
- The second stop is in Middle Amana at the only surviving intact communal kitchen. Here you’ll learn about shop street and then enter the kitchen and discover how 40 people were fed 5 times a day, what the meals were like, and how nothing was wasted. It is a fascinating look at something we all take for granted, dinner time. A special sampling tour is available on Friday’s (11 am only) that includes a light sampling lunch of traditional Colony foods.
- Our third stop is to the High Amana General Store. This is a trip down memory lane. The store seems frozen in time, tin ceilings, old display cases, in fact, it’s like walking back in time 100 years. Everything is original except the products that are sold and the clerk.
- The final stop is at the old Homestead Church. Each village had its own church but today the Homestead Church is no longer used for services and has been given to the Amana Heritage Society. You’ll be able to enter the church and learn about the Amana Church Society religion. Sit on the plain pine benches that are still used today and learn about the beliefs of the church members and how it is different or similar to your religion.
Village Voyage tours are $25/person, group rates are available for groups of 8+. Reservations are recommended as seating is limited. Call 319-622-7622. Tours are available at 10am & 2pm from May through October.
