The last stop on our tour of the Villages of Van Buren was the Bentonsport historic district, first developed by Mormon craftsmen as they migrated west along the Mormon trail in the mid-1800s. Steamboats no longer ply the nearby Des Moines River, but the historic district is still bustling. Refurbished buildings are now home to galleries, a candy shop, and a haunted bed and breakfast. Read more
Villages of Van Buren
Villages Folk School: Art Class Getaways
![Villages Folk School: Art Class Getaways Villages Folk School: Art Class Getaways](https://midwestwanderer.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/150617_IA_VillagesFolkSchool-5471-230x230.jpg)
Continuing our tour of southeast Iowa’s Villages of Van Buren, our next stop was an 1800s restored stone building. This is where we would learn about the Villages Folk School and try our hands at a printing press. Read more
Bonaparte Retreat: Dining in an Old Grist Mill
![Bonaparte Retreat: Dining in an Old Grist Mill Bonaparte Retreat: Dining in an Old Grist Mill](https://midwestwanderer.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/150617_IA_BonaparteRetreat-133808-230x230.jpg)
I knew we were in for a great lunch at the Bonaparte Retreat based on our morning visits to the Milton Creamery and Dutchman’s Store. I couldn’t have been more right. Read more
Dutchman’s Store: Old-Fashioned Shop in Amish Community
![Dutchman’s Store: Old-Fashioned Shop in Amish Community Dutchman’s Store: Old-Fashioned Shop in Amish Community](https://midwestwanderer.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/150617_IA_DutchmansStore-5388-230x230.jpg)
In 1985 Clair Zimmerman and his wife, Virginia, opened a small general store in Cantril, Iowa, a town that serves the surrounding Amish community. They expanded…and expanded…and expanded. Today Dutchman’s Store occupies an entire block on Cantril’s main street, and it’s as much a tourist attraction as it is a grocery store…or a fabric shop…or a gift shop. Read more