Ringgold County - Southern Iowa Tourism

Stay in touch with Ringgold County

Contact the Chamber

Karen Bender
Chamber and Tourism
117 S. Fillmore
Mt. Ayr, IA 50854
641-464-3704
[email protected]

View Mount Ayr Website

EVENTS

Ringgold County Fair
Mount Ayr
July 9 – 14

Ringgold County Fair Website

County Fair Facebook Page

March 22-23: High School Spring Play, Mount Ayr

March 29: Diagonal High School Spring Play, Diagonal

March 30: Easter Egg Hunt, Mount Ayr

March 30: Easter Egg Hunt, Tingley

April 17: Ringgold HELP Youth Pod Community Service Day, Mount Ayr

April 20: Mount Ayr Prom, Mount Ayr

April 26-28: Dance Recital, Mount Ayr

May 3: Diagonal Prom, Diagonal

May 10: High School Graduation, Diagonal

May 19: High School Graduation, Mount Ayr

May 25: Alumni Banquet, Diagonal

May 27: Memorial Day Service, Mount Ayr

May 27: Memorial Day Service, Tingley

May 27: Memorial Day Service, Kellerton

May 27: Memorial Day Service, Diagonal

June 1: Road Trip Ringgold, Ringgold County

Aug. 24: Ayr Days Celebration, Mount Ayr

Aug. 25: Ice Cream Social, Tingley

Sept. 1-2: Labor Day Celebration, Diagonal

Sept. 20: Homecoming, Mount Ayr

Sept. 21: School Hall of Fame, Mount Ayr

Sept. 21: Raider Fest, Mount Ayr

Oct. 6: Beggar’s Bash, Mount Ayr

Oct. 18-19, 25-26: ROA Haunted House, Mount Ayr

Oct. 26: Halloween Parade, Tingley

Nov. 2: Ringgold County Development Corp. Annual Event

Dec. 5: Christmas Ladies Night, Mount Ayr

Dec. 7: Lighted Christmas Parade & Festivities, Mount Ayr

Road Trip Ringgold

Road Trip Ringgold is a one-day event aimed at highlighting Ringgold County and all the communities that encompass it. Road Trip Ringgold is held the first Saturday in June annually and will be held June 1, 2024.

Road trip with us through the backroads of Ringgold County discovering hidden treasures and communities along the way! This county-wide rummage sale and shop hop style event will sprawl from community to community and will be highlighted on our Road Trip Ringgold Event Map.

This map along with a list of stops, locations and shopping opportunities will be promoted throughout the Midwest Iowa Region.

Please visit www.intheayr.com/road-trip-ringgold to see how you can participate in the tour and have your business or location promoted!

That's What She Read

Just one block north of the city square is one of Mount Ayr’s newest and unique small businesses. “That’s What She Read” is a boutique romance bookstore that opened its doors on June 3rd, 2023, during the Road Trip Ringgold event. It is Iowa’s ultimate destination for romance book lovers.

This niche boutique bookstore is devoted to providing a diverse selection of books catering to the interests of romance readers. It features a mix of indie-published and traditionally published titles across an array of romance sub-genres, including contemporary, fantasy/paranormal, sports, erotica, mafia, dark, YA, LGBTQ+ romances.

But it is more than just a bookstore. It is a community hub that brings together like-minded bookish people to share their love of romance novels. It is an inclusive, judgement-free safe space for all to come, even if it is just to sit and chat.

“That’s What She Read” is also a chapter of Silent Book Club, a global community of readers and introverts, with more than 500 chapters in 50 countries around the world led by local volunteers. SBC members from the Mount Ayr chapter gather in person to read together in quiet camaraderie at “That’s What She Read.” Everyone is welcome to come!

Owner of “That’s What She Read,” Monica Walters, is a mom of four children. Because of this, she felt it was only right to offer a small selection of quality children’s books for her community. The closest place to get such books is at least a thirty-minute drive to Bedford to visit Hedgie’s, so being able to offer a small selection seems like a great way to bridge that distance.

“That’s What She Read” is open Mondays 4-7pm, Tuesdays and Thursdays 10am-5pm, Wednesdays and Fridays 10am-6pm, and Saturdays from 10am-2pm. Stop by “That’s What She Read” on your next visit to Mount Ayr and Ringgold County!”

ATTRACTIONS

Ringgold County Courthouse
Mount Ayr
641-464-3239

Diagonal Printing Museum & Genealogy Ctr
Diagonal

Ellston Museum & Pioneer Village
Ellston
641-783-2155

First Hy-Vee Store
Beaconsfield

Freedom Rock
Diagonal–Main Street

JR Miller Park
Benton

Judge Lewis Part & Swimming Pool
West Mount Ayr

Loch Ayr Lake
2 miles North of Mount Ayr on West St.

Lucky Lanes Bowling
East side of square, Mount Ayr

Mount Ayr Public Library
(a Carnegie library)
121 W. Monroe, Mount Ayr
641-464-2159

Mt Ayr Restored Depot Museum
N. Taylor Street, Mount Ayr
641-464-2159

Princess Theater
Mount Ayr
641-464-2466

Sun Valley Lake
East of Ellston

Ramsey Farm
Leasonville

Redding City Park
Redding

“Corn King” Mural by Orr Fisher
Mount Ayr Post Office

Peggy Whitson Rock
Courthouse Yard, Mount Ayr Square

Golfing

Mount Ayr Golf & Country Club

3/4 mile south of 169 on Cleveland St., Mount Ayr (9 holes)
641-464-2430

Sun Valley Country Club & Golf Course

Sun Valley Lake
3078 Country Hwy. J20, Ellston
641-772-4380

Biking & Hiking Trails

Mapleleaf Pathway

Northeast side of Diagonal
1.5 mile natural trail on an old Chicago Northwestern railroad bed. This railway system formed an outline of a maple leaf on the rail map.

Ringgold Trailway

East side of Mount Ayr on Hwy 169
25-acre trail system that includes a 2-mile asphalt trail built along an old Burlington Northern railroad bed that extends from Hwy 169 to Poe Hollow Park, with parking access at both ends.

Boone Woods

Southwest of Redding
A vast trail system runs through this rough terrain and provides a challenge for hikers, hunters, and equestrians. A trail and boundry map can be found at a kios in the north parking area.