Amana Colonies
National Historic Landmark · Amana, Iowa
Seven villages in east-central Iowa founded from 1856 by the Community of True Inspiration, a German pietist sect that had already left Europe for New York. They held everything in common for about eighty years — no wages, no private kitchens, meals taken communally — until the Depression forced the reorganisation of 1932 that residents still call the Great Change. Over 450 communal-era buildings survive across the seven villages, which is why the whole area was made a National Historic Landmark in 1965.
622 46th Avenue, Amana, Iowa, 52203, United States
The villages are public and free to walk at any time; individual shops, workshops, restaurants and museums keep their own hours. ⚠ A GOOD NUMBER OF BUSINESSES CLOSE ON SUNDAYS AND MONDAYS, and more close entirely outside the summer season — check before planning a meal or a specific workshop. Most trading is mid-morning to late afternoon. The Museum of Amana History charges a modest admission, roughly $10-$15 for an adult. Free parking throughout. ⚠ THERE ARE SEVEN VILLAGES SPREAD OVER SEVERAL MILES OF COUNTRYSIDE — Main Amana is walkable, the other six are a driving loop with no footpath between them.