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Fairfield Arts & Convention Center
Located downtown Fairfield, the Fairfield Arts & Convention Center is a hub for arts, culture and community events. The facility includes the 522-seat Stephen Sondheim Theater, an art gallery, exposition hall and flexible meeting spaces totaling more than 12,000 square feet. It hosts performances, exhibitions, meetings and special events year-round in a versatile downtown setting. Events can be found at fairfieldacc. com.
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Pella Historical Society & Museums
Pella Historical Society & Museums is a Dutch-American heritage village museum with 22 buildings and collections, the Vermeer Mill Museum and Interpretive Center and the Scholte House Museum. Pella Historical is also home to the tallest working windmill in the United States, the boyhood home of Wyatt Earp and Maria’ s Tea Room. The nonprofit is in charge of planning Pella’ s annual Tulip Time Festival in May.
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Pioneer Ridge
Located on 995 acres of land on U. S. Highway 63 between Ottumwa and Bloomfield, this nature center offers interpretive displays and programming. The site features an extensive trail system for foot, bike or horseback. It also features four fishing ponds, a bird observation blind, open grass ridge tops and oak and hickory timber rentals for special events are available, as are primitive and electrical campsites and modern camping log cabins. Pioneer Ridge recently tripled the size of its campground from nine spots to almost 30 through Destination Iowa grant funding. For a complete list of rules, regulations, and amenities please visit mycountyparks. com.
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Richardson’ s Point
The migration of Mormon faithful from Nauvoo, Illinois to Salt Lake City passed through Southern Iowa and the traces are still there. At Richardson’ s Point, a wooden location in Van Buren County, a wood fence and a sign mark out the spot where two pioneers from the Mormon Trail are buried. The camp was created when progress stalled out after heavy rain made travel too difficult. It came early in the trek, a bit more than 50 miles from Nauvoo. The graves themselves are among the first along the trail. Archaeologists are still trying to pin down precisely where the boundaries of the extended camp were. The site has been protected by the Klodt family for decades.
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Rock Island Train Depot
This former depot located at 405 KD Ave. in Eldon houses a railroad museum. It last saw passengers in 1968 with freight traffic continuing to 1980. Weekend hours of 1-4 p. m. Saturday and Sunday run May through September, and tours are offered by appointment, with reservations in advance available. For more information, visit eldoniadepotmuseum. org.
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Tuttle Cabin
The Tuttle Log Cabin in Pella is named for the first pioneers to settle in northern Marion County and is believed to be the oldest remaining structure in Marion County. The cabin is located at 608 Lincoln St. and is open during the annual Tulip Time festival the first Thursday, Friday and Saturday in May. Tours are also available by appointment by emailing office @ historicpellatrust. org.
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Welcome Home Soldier Monument
Located west of Albia at 6451 US-34 in Albia, IA, the Welcome Home Soldier Monument is a public memorial dedicated to honoring all United States veterans— past, present and future. Established by a veteran-led organization on land donated by Monroe County, the site provides a place of reflection and remembrance in the heartland. The monument features marble crosses representing the 21-gun salute, a granite memorial wall and an engraved tribute book honoring those who have served.
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