Amana Colonies

Amana Colonies

The Amana Colonies are a group of settlements of German Pietists. They lived a communal life until the mid 1930s. Today, Amana is a major tourist attraction known mainly for its restaurants and craft shops.

The Amana Colony is seven villages on 26,000 acres (11,000 ha): Amana (or Main Amana), East Amana, High Amana, Middle Amana, South Amana, West Amana, and Homestead.

For eighty years, the Amana Colony maintained an almost completely self-sufficient local economy, importing very little from the industrializing American economy. The Amanians were able to achieve this independence and lifestyle by adhering to the specialized crafting and farming occupations that they had brought with them from Europe.

Craftsmen passed their skills and techniques on from one generation to the next. They used hand, horse, wind, and water power, and made their own furniture, clothes, and other goods. The community voted to form a for-profit organization during the Great Depression, the Amana Society, which included the Amana Corporation.

Today, The Seven Villages of Amana are a tourist attraction known for its restaurants and craft shops. The colony was listed as a National Historic Landmark in 1965.

Location

Amana, Iowa County
Iowa, USA

Getting There

To get to the Amana Colonies in Iowa, you can drive or take a bus. The Amana Colonies are located about 20 miles west of Iowa City, and about 120 miles east of Des Moines.

If you are driving, you can take Interstate 80 to exit 225 and follow the signs for the Amana Colonies. The drive takes about 2.5 hours from Des Moines and 30 minutes from Iowa City.

If you prefer to take the bus, there are several options available. Greyhound has a bus that goes to Cedar Rapids, which is about 30 miles north of the Amana Colonies. You can then take a local bus or taxi to the Amana Colonies. Alternatively, there are several shuttle services that provide transportation to the Amana Colonies from nearby cities such as Cedar Rapids and Iowa City.

Nearby Airports

This is a list of primary airports in Iowa that have scheduled passenger service on commercial airlines.