1. Folks In Burlington May Be On The Straight And Narrow, But Their Roads… Not So Much
Snake Alley is an extremely windy street in Burlington, Iowa built on Heritage Hill in 1894. It was called the most crooked street in the world by Robert Ripley and was soon added to his Ripley’s Believe It Or Not! column. To this day, traffic only flows downhill, dating back to when horse drawn carriages couldn’t handle the uphill pull.
2. Hobos Get Mad Love In Iowa
Britt, Iowa holds a hobo convention every year in which they elect a hobo king and hobo queen. The town also has a hobo museum and a hobo cemetery.
3. They Built It And Now People In the Know Come
The field from the popular baseball movie, “Field Of Dreams” Is in Dyersville, Iowa. The baseball diamond was built for the movie and is on two separate farms in order to ensure that sunsets would look beautiful all of the time.
4. Iowa Can We Talk? We Think You Might Have A Bit Of A Caffeine Addiction
Stanton, Iowa has a water tower looks like a giant coffee pot. In fact, it’s been called the world’s largest coffee pot, with some estimates guessing it is capable of holding 800,000 cups of coffee.
5. No It’s Not An Urban Legend And Yes It Happened Here In Iowa
In 1982, Ozzy Osbourne bit the head off of a bat on stage in front of thousands of crazed fans at the Veterans Memorial Auditorium in Des Moines, Iowa. It has since been renovated but can still be visited.
6. In Iowa There’s Only One Metal God—It’s Jesus
Down the street from Sioux City at Trinity Heights, there’s a huge Jesus statue that stretches 33 ft. into the sky. He is accompanied by a statue of Virgin Mary, which is three feet shorter at 30 ft. Both weight 5 tons each. In between the two, there’s a life size depiction of the famous “Last Supper” scene carved entirely out of wood, along with other religious statues.
7. Your Faith Might Be Big But These Iowan Churches Are Small
Three churches in Iowa make the cut for the short list of the smallest churches in the world. The Chapel of Memories in Waukon is the smallest at only 6 x 6 ft. There’s also Morning Star Chapel at 6 x 8 ft. and St. Anthony of Padua Chapel at 12 by 16 ft., as well as an impressive 40 ft. steeple.
8. Iowa Has A Massive Amount Of Love For Strawberries
Mounted on a building, Strawberry Point, Iowa is home to the world’s largest strawberry. Made of fiberglass, the massive strawberry is 15ft. tall and pays homage to the town’s origins.
9. No It’s Not A KHAAAAAAAN, Riverside Is The Future Birthplace Of Captain Kirk
It’s not a famous place yet, but it could be in a few hundred years. By the slim chance that Star Trek ends up coming true, the savior of the universe, Captain Kirk, will be born in the small town of Riverside, Iowa.
10. You May Have An Axe To Grind With This Local Secret
In the small town of Villisca, Iowa, travellers can visit the site of an unsolved ax murderer case dating back to 1912. Legend has it that an unknown butcher crept into the house and killed all eight people in the house before escaping. The case is still unsolved.
11. You’ll Wonder How Anyone Missed The Eighth Wonder Of The World Here In Iowa
West Bend, Iowa is home to the Grotto Of Redemption. Often referred to as the “Eighth Wonder Of The World,” the grotto is the world’s largest collection of minerals and petrified material. Father Paul Dobberstein built the shrine to Virgin Mary after he recovered from a critical illness.
12. One Thing Abundantly Clear About Clear Lake—It’s Where The Music Died
Buddy Holly’s plane crashed shortly after leaving a concert in Clear Lake, Iowa, killing all aboard, coined as “the day the music died.” His last concert was held in the Surf Ballroom, which has since been redone and is open for visitors.
13. Not To Be Cheesy But Algona Is Home To A National Junk Food Treasure
One lucky soul in Algona, Iowa found the world’s largest Cheeto. Weighing in at roughly half an ounce, the cheese flavored treat is the size of a lemon, some even claim it’s bigger. Visitors to the town can see it in Sister Sarah’s Restaurant presented like royalty behind a glass case.
14. No You’re Not In Denmark, And Yes That Is A Working Windmill
Elk Horn, Iowa holds the largest population of Danish people in America. Not only is there a museum, but Elk Horn is also home to the country’s only old-style Danish windmill.
15. This Dubuque Attraction Will Really Raise Your Spirits—Also Your Body
Fenelon Place Elevator in Dubuque, Iowa is the shortest and steepest railway in the world. Originally built in 1882 for private use, it was eventually opened for paying public passengers. Less than a football field long and only 98 feet high, this small attraction is definitely worth the visit.
Even though Iowa is over 90 percent farmland, there are still a ton of unique things in Iowa the state that make it unlike any other.
Did we miss anything? Tell us your favorite secret spot in Iowa in the comments below!
