STAY IN TOUCH WITH ADAIR COUNTY
Contact The County
Adair County Tourism
PO Box 23
Greenfield, IA 50849
[email protected]
641-221-0034
For Group Tours
Information contact:
641-743-8444
[email protected]
Greenfield Farmer's Market
June-September
Every Thursday 4:00-6:00PM
Historic Downtown Greefield
Stuart Farmer's Market
Late May – October
Wednesday 4:30 – 6:30PM
Lawbaugh Park, Stuart
March 1: St. John’s Annual Shrimp Boil, Greenfield
March 2: Good News Concert, Greenfield
March 7-8: Eskimo Brothers, Greenfield
March 22: Joseph Hall’s Elvis, Greenfield
March 29: Carol Montag, Greenfield
March 30: Lion’s Club Bingo, Greenfield
April 5: Des Moines Metro Opera – Cinderella, Greenfield
April 6: Good News Concert, Greenfield
April 27: Lion’s Club Bingo, Greenfield
May 4: Good News Concert, Greenfield
May 10-11: Traveling Renaissance Faire, Greenfield
May 24: Nodaway-Valley Alumni Banquet, Fontanelle
May 25: Lion’s Club Bingo, Greenfield
June 1: Good News Concert, Greenfield
June 7-8: Free Fishing Weekend, Adair County Lakes
June 13: Pizza on the Prairie, Orient
June 13-14: Good Egg Days, Stuart
June 14: Bridgewater Round-up Day, Bridgewater
June 14: Cover That Band, Greenfield
June 20: Pizza on the Prairie Wallace Farm, Orient
June 20-21: Adair Chuckwagon Days, Adair
June 21: St. John’s Fest, Greenfield
June 27: Pizza on the Prairie, Orient
June 29: Lion’s Club Bingo, Greenfield
July 4-5: Independence Day Celebration, Greenfield, Fontanelle & Massena, Greenfield
July 5: Lake Fest, Greenfield
July 6: Good News Concert, Greenfield
July 11: Pizza on the Prairie, Orient
July 18: Pizza on the Prairie, Orient
July 25: Pizza on the Prairie, Orient
July 26: Simply Seger Tribute, Greenfield
July 27: Lion’s Club Bingo, Greenfield
Aug. 1: Pizza on the Prairie, Orient
Aug. 3: Good News Concert, Greenfield
Aug. 8: Pizza on the Prairie, Orient
Aug. 15: Pizza on the Prairie, Orient
Aug. 22: Orient Pumpkin Days, Orient
Aug. 22: Pizza on the Prairie, Orient
Aug. 23: Orient Pumpkin Days, Orient
Aug. 29: Pizza on the Prairie, Orient
Aug. 31: Lion’s Club Bingo, Greenfield
Sept. 4-5: City Wide Garage Sales, Greenfield
Sept. 5: Greenfield Swap Meet, Greenfield
Sept. 5: Pizza on the Prairie, Orient
Sept. 6: City Wide Garage Sales, Greenfield
Sept. 6-7: Greenfield Swap Meet, Greenfield
Sept. 7: Good News Concert, Greenfield
Sept. 12: Pizza on the Prairie, Orient
Sept. 19: Pizza on the Prairie Wallace Farm, Orient
Sept. 19: Best of the Block BBQ, Stuart
Sept. 20: Best of the Block BBQ, Stuart
Sept. 26: Pizza on the Prairie Wallace Farm, Orient
Sept. 28: Lion’s Club Bingo, Greenfield
Oct. 5: Good News Concert, Greenfield
Oct. 26: Lion’s Club Bingo, Greenfield
Nov. 2: Good News Concert, Greenfield
Nov. 20: Ladies Night, Stuart
Nov. 28: Festival of Lights, Greenfield
Nov. 30: Lion’s Club Bingo, Greenfield
Dec. 6: Chocolate Affair, Greenfield
Dec. 6: Tour of Trees & Luncheon, Greenfield
Dec. 7: Good News Concert, Greenfield
Dec. 29: Lion’s Club Bingo, Greenfield
Monday – Saturday – all year Rotating Exhibits Warren Cultural Center Gallery, Greenfield
ATTRACTIONS
Adair County Health & Fitness Center
202 North Townline Road
Greenfield
641-743-2881
www.adaircountyhealthandfitness.com
Adair County Historical Society Complex
May 1-Oct. 1, Mon-Sat 1-4:30 p.m. Or by appointment
2393 S. Lakeview Dr.
Greenfield, IA
641-743-2232
Bridgewater Farm
2409 Brown Avenue
Bridgewater
641-745-5368
www.bfproduce.com
Freedom Rock®
Freedom Rock®
I-80 and Hwy. 25
641-343-7110
www.thefreedomrock.com
Greenfield Public Square Historic District
Public Square
Greenfield, IA
641-743-8444
Ed & Eva's
In the Warren Cultural Center
on the Greenfield Square
641-743-2566
Historic Bandstand
Fontanelle City Park
Purdy Sports Complex
202 N. Townline Road
Greenfield, IA
641-743-2881
Iowa Aviation Museum and Hall of Fame
Iowa Aviation Museum and Hall of Fame
May – October
Monday-Friday 10 a.m.-5 p.m.
Saturday-Sunday 1-5 p.m.
2251 Airport Road, Greenfield
641-343-7184
www.flyingmuseum.com
Neely-Kinyon Research and Demonstration Farm
2557 Norfolk Avenue
Greenfield
farms.ag.iastate.edu
Jesse James Historical Site
1156 Anita-Adair Road
Adair
Restored Rock Island Depot
204 East Front Street, Stuart
515-205-0081
www.traveliowa.com/places/rock-island-railroad-depot/7528/
Saints Center for Culture and the Arts
320 N. Fremont Street
Stuart, IA
515-523-2921
www.saintscenter.com
Schildberg Antique Car Collection
E Iowa & NE 2nd Street
Greenfield
515-327-9213
Sixteen Oaks Event Center
1308 Main Street
Fontanelle
641-745-5271
www.16oaks.com
Slayton's Rock
1174 Fontanelle Road
Casey
641-746-2693
Veterans Memorial
Adair County Courthouse Courtyard
Greenfield
Warren Cultural Center
156 Public Square
Greenfield, IA
641-343-7337
www.warrenculturalcenter.com
Wallace Farm
2773 290th St.,
Orient
641-337-5019
www.wallace.org
White Pole Road Scenic Byway
PLACES TO STAY
Adair Budget Inn
I-80 Exit 76, Adair
641-742-5553
AmericInn Lodge & Suites
I-80 Exit 93, Stuart
515-523-9000 | 1-800-634-3444
www.americinn.com
Armstrong Guest House
307 NE Elm, Greenfield
641-743-2888
Country Blooms Guest Barn and Hunting Lodge
1875 Fontanelle Road, Fontanelle
641-745-4486
www.countryblooms.com
Economy Inn
I-80 Exit 93, Stuart
515-523-1122
Elm Street Dreams Guest House
409 NE Elm, Greenfield
641-221-9043
www.elmstreetdreams.com
Historic Hotel Greenfield
110 East Iowa Street, Greenfield
641-343-7323 or 641-221-0034
[email protected]
www.visithotelgreenfield.com
Huckleberry House
316 Harrison Street, Stuart
[email protected]
http://stuartia.com/chamber/listing/huckleberry-house/
Motel 6
I-80 Exit 93, Stuart
515-523-2888
www.motel6.com
Orient Lofts
101 W 1st Street, Orient
515-971-7008
Relax Inn and Suites
I-80 Exit 76, Adair
641-742-5251
Stuart Motor Lodge
I-80 Exit 93, Stuart
515-523-8045
Facebook.com/stuartmotorlodge
Travelers Guesthouse
306 Jefferson Street, Fontanelle
515-351-7479
Warren Cultural Center Guest Suite
154 Public Square, Greenfield
641-343-7337
Airbnb
www.warrenculturalcenter.com
PARKS/CAMPGROUNDS
Mormon Trail Lake & Park
1 1⁄2 miles east of Bridgewater. Follow signs south from Hwy 92.
Rex Sullivan Wildlife Area
1453 330th Street, 8 miles southeast of Bridgewater.
Lake Orient Recreation Area
Just west of Orient on Hwy 25.
Cornell Wildlife Area
1 mile east and 1 mile north of Adair.
Hoskins Wildlife Area
2009 Adair-Adams Street, 6 miles southwest of Orient.
Meadow Lake
13 miles northeast of Greenfield on Hwy 25.
Jensen-Butler Wildlife Area:
9 miles southeast of Stuart at the corner of Trenton Avenue and 200th Street.
Lake Greenfield - Nodaway Lake - Ken Sidey Nature Area
A multi-park complex just southwest of Greenfield.
Wright Timber Wildlife Area
3202 190th Street, 9 miles south and 3 miles east of Stuart.
Middle River Forest Area
3234 200th Street, 10 miles southeast of Stuart and 13 miles northeast of Greenfield.
Middle River Water Trail
Begins in the Middle River Forest Area in northeastern Adair County and ends at the historic Holliwell Covered Bridge in Madison County.
For more information on Adair County
Lakes and Parks: www.mycountyparks.com
641-743-6450 | [email protected]
Golfing
5x80 Golf & Country Club
I-80 Exit 86, Menlo
641-524-2345
Greenfield Golf & Country Club
2116 State Hwy. 92 W., Greenfield
641-743-2113
Hiking & Biking Trails
Ken Sidey Nature Area
2521 Lewis Ave., Greenfield
3 miles of trails through 107 acres of pristine timber
Lake Orient Recreation Area
3103 Orange Ave., Orient
2 miles of mowed grass hiking trails through an 86-acre park. The trail also wraps around the 24-acre lake with 22 modern campsites.
Mormon Trail Park
2828 Delta Ave., Bridgewater
1 mile of mowed grass hiking trails though tall grass prairie. The park also offers a 25-acre lake with 18 modern and primitive campsites.
Corell Wildlife Area
1 mile east of Adair
1.5 miles of mowed grass hiking trails through tall grass prairie.
Lake Greenfield
1 mile southwest of Greenfield
2-mile paved walking trail around Lake Greenfield.
Information at Adair County Conservation Board
641-743-6450
www.mycountyparks.com
Why You Should Visit Adair County
With its 5 lakes, Middle River Water Trail, 2 golf courses, walking trails, numerous options for camping, hunting and fishing, and the beauty of the Iowa countryside, Adair County more than earns its designation as Iowa’s Garden County.
You can drive in and make a stop at the original Freedom Rock® just off Interstate 80. Several murals by artist Ray Sorensen can be found throughout the county as well. You can traverse the county east-west on the historic White Pole Road catching the sights and history of Adair and Stuart. Or trace the Mormon Trail through the southern part of the county.
Coming in from the west you will find the Jesse James Historical Site, marking the first train robbery west of the Mississippi River.
Or you can fly into the Greenfield Municipal Airport, seeing Adair County’s bounty from the air. While at the airport, you can experience the golden years of aviation at the Iowa Aviation Museum and Iowa Aviation Hall of Fame.
Lodging options range from your camper, to traditional motels, to historic boutique establishments like Hotel Greenfield, to isolated hunting lodges, to B&Bs or the one-of-a-kind Warren Cultural Center Guest Suite with its auditorium balcony access and turret room overlooking the Greenfield Historic Downtown District and its unique Lancaster square.
At the Wallace Farm you will find a 40-acre celebration of native prairie, home-grown produce, outdoor art, wide-open space and rural Iowa peace. Gardens and orchards provide stuffs for dining experiences at Wallace Centers of Iowa locations and outlets. The multi-site network is devoted to the history and natural philosophies of Henry A. Wallace, Adair County native, founder of Pioneer Hi-Bred and vice-president of the United States under Franklin Deleno Roosevelt. At the farm site near Orient, guests will find walking trials through the prairie and artwork, the Gathering Barn event center, produce and gift shop, and a historic corn plot. Throughout the summer the Wallace Farm is host to the Prairie Art Exhibit and Pizza on the Prairie – pizza made from onsite-grown ingredients and cooked in at outdoor oven to the backdrop of live music and a warm summer Iowa evening.
Farmers Markets in Adair County communities and Long’s Market in Greenfield provide plenty of fresh Iowa goodness as well.
If you’re more of an indoorsy type, there’s plenty to do. Live music is a regular happening in several venues including the Warren Cultural Center. They also have a Lobby Gallery featuring professional and student artwork.
The Warren Cultural Center is the restored E.E. Warren Opera House, one of many historic features of Adair County, along with the Adair County Historical Museum, the Fontanelle City Park Bandstand, Stuart Railroad Depot and the Saints Center for Culture and the Arts that showcases the Byzantine architecture of the former church.
Shopping is plentiful. Ed & Eva’s in the Warren Cultural Center features the work of nearly 100 Iowa artists. Throughout the county you will find florists, gifts, jewelry, antiques, apparel, live edge furniture, and decorator items.
And don’t forget the automotive supplies. You can also see the Schildberg and Foster antique car collections, catch a Spook the Loop event in Stuart or Greenfield, or take in a race at the Stuart Speedway.
Of course, no trip is complete without memorable eats. Mexican, Greek, traditional Midwest, ice cream treats, homemade pie, coffee shop fare – it’s all here. So is Iowa staple Casey’s Pizza. Grab a Best Burger in Iowa winning sandwich at Chuckwagon in Adair, dine on Best Pizza in Iowa winner Zipp’s Pizza truck, or find the yellow truck and let Soulshine Food Truck feed your soul. Moe’s RBF will feed you breakfast and sweet treats. And Wreckers or Checkers Bar in Fontanelle boasts the coldest beer in Southwest Iowa.
You’ll find details on all this and more at VisitAdairCounty.org, or on Facebook at Adair County Iowa Tourism.
Adair County Museum Highlights the Golden Age of Aviation
Good food is mobile in Adair County. A growing fleet of food trucks service the area, appearing at community events, private parties, business parking lots or just on the street. Corndogs, tacos, pizza or just plain good homestyle cooking can be had by bellying up to the window.
You don’t have to drive to Adair County. You can fly in.
The Greenfield Municipal Airport is available for single and twin engine planes. You can refuel your plane on site and refuel yourself with a trip into Greenfield via the airport’s courtesy car, available during museum hours. Hotel Greenfield, the Warren Cultural Center Guest Suite (Airbnb) in Greenfield, and various motels near Stuart and Adair are available for overnight accommodations.
The Iowa Aviation Museum and Iowa Aviation Hall of Fame are housed at the airport. The museum is open Monday-Saturday 10 a.m.-5 p.m. and Sundays 1-5 p.m., May-October. Closed holidays. It’s the perfect place to start your Adair County fly-in adventure.
The Iowa Aviation Museum is dedicated to preserving Iowa’s aviation heritage. Vintage aircraft and aviation artifacts celebrate the early days of flight in Iowa through the Museum’s collection of civil and military aircraft including early gliders and rare examples of the early flying machines from the 1920s, 1930s and 1940s.
Outdoor exhibits include an Iowa Air National Guard A-7D Corsair II plane and a AH-1 Huey Cobra Gunship helicopter.
The main showroom’s displays of donated memorabilia portray the vast history of Iowa aviation in chronological order from balloons to the space program. You’ll find wreckage from the 1959 crash that killed musician Buddy Holly and others, WWII aerial surveillance maps and the story of the first airline stewardesses. There’s aviation artwork, news stories and headlines, and model planes.
The heart of the museum, the hangar, consists of numerous rare and unique aircraft as well as stories of rich aviation history. Among the planes on exhibit are a 1929 Stearman, a 1931 Kari Keen, a 1941 DeHavilland Tiger Moth, and a 1928 Curtiss Robin, the oldest Curtiss Robin known to exist.
There’s a conference room and a library where you can put your feet up and settle in with a good aviation book. There is a catalogue with information on Iowa pilots past and present, and displays honoring various servicemen and women.
You can even try your hand at a flight simulator.
The Iowa Aviation Museum conference room is home to the Iowa Aviation Hall of Fame, which honors Iowa’s aviation pioneers by bringing to life the stories of the men and women who have made significant contributions to the world of aviation. New inductees are honored annually. Notable members include Neta Snook Southern, who taught Amelia Earhart to fly; Clarence Chamberlain, first pilot to fly a passenger across the Atlantic Ocean; the Wright Brothers and their Iowa roots; the 12 Iowa Tuskegee Airmen; Iowa’s Doolittle Raiders, NASA Astronaut Peggy Whitson. The Annual Fly-in and Hall of Fame induction ceremony are held each summer.
The museum is located at the Greenfield Municipal Airport one mile north of Greenfield at 2251
Airport Road and is open May – October. Call ahead for large tour groups.
Admission prices are $10 for adults, $9 for seniors, $5 for students grades 1-12, and kids Kindergarten and under FREE.
More information can be found at flyingmuseum.com
Ellen Church Marshall is a member of the Iowa Aviation Hall of Fame. Born in 1904 on a farm near Cresco, Iowa, Ellen Church graduated from Cresco High School and became a registered nurse.
Interested in aviation, she took flying lessons. In 1930, Ellen approached the president of Boeing Air Transport for a position as a pilot. He wouldn’t hire her in that capacity, but did think one of her ideas had merit, that of placing nurses onboard planes to help the public feel more comfortable while flying. On May 15, 1930, Ellen Church became the world’s first stewardess. She later became a captain in the Army Nurse Corps during World War II, where she earned the Air Medal for her work during numerous evacuation missions. Ellen Church Marshall is only one of the many interesting aviation pioneers you will find in the Hall of Fame.
Fun Isn’t Just a Summer Thing
Step outside. Look around. Soak it all in.
Adair County outdoes itself earning its designation as Iowa’s Garden County.
In the early 2000s, Adair County Tourism hosted “The Gardens of Adair County” a self-guided tour of gardens across the county. As part of that effort, the group applied to the state for, and was granted, the official designation of Iowa’s Garden County.
From native wildflowers blooming at will as is their birthright, to crops grown to burst food bins around the world, to razor straight rows of vegetables and finely honed flower gardens, we’re proud to live up to that reputation.
If you’ve been to a 4th of July parade, one of our local libraries, or the Adair County Fair, you had a chance to pick up a packet of seeds courtesy of Adair County Tourism. It’s our way of keeping Adair County growing and promoting the tourism website with the attached sticker.
The website VisitAdairCounty.org provides listings of upcoming events and entertainment, lodging and dining options, tourist and historical attractions and other tourism related information.
Both the website and our Facebook page Adair County Iowa Tourism will help you find ways to get out and enjoy Adair County every season of the year.
Adair County is full of summer fun. Live music at the Warren Cultural Center and local bars. WCC is hosting an All Iowa series that highlights Iowa musicians ranging from singer songwriters to the Des Moines Ballet. Pizza on the Prairie at the Wallace Farm offers live music and warm summer nights along with outdoor oven pizza made from grown-on-site ingredients.
Both WCC and the Wallace Farm have ongoing art exhibits. The Wallace Farm is host to Pairie Art Exhibit every day dawn to dusk throughout the summer. Walk the native prairie trails and see local artists’ renditions on a theme, along with the permanent outdoor sculptures. The WCC gallery hosts rotating exhibits all year round. Both are free and open to the public.
The Good News Concert Series takes place at the Gathering Place in Greenfield, usually the first Sunday of the month, as does Lion’s Club Bingo the last Sunday of every month.
And then there’s camping, swimming, fishing and kayaking. How about a trip down the Middle River Water Trail, starting in the northern part of the county and ending in Madison County?
Community celebrations will be easy to find, filled with parades, food, beer gardens, games and entertainment. Bridgewater Roundup, Adair Chuckwagon Days, Stuart Good Egg Days, and Orient Pumpkin Days welcome all comers. Fontanelle, Greenfield and Massena will hold their annual joint 4th of July celebration in Greenfield.
Fall and Winter bring a multitude of indoor happenings, along with pheasant and deer hunting.
There are multiple craft and vendor fairs planned for the season, as well as the annual swap meet and garage sales. The Hawkeye State Archaeological Society of Iowa will host its annual Artifact Show at the Adair County Fair Grounds, and the Greenfield Swap Meet will be held there as well in September.
While all that is going on, the trees will turn marvelous shades of yellow and orange, and pumpkins, gourds and mums of all colors will dot the landscape. Harvest will hit full swing, with machines rolling and grain flowing reminding us how much bounty Iowa’s Garden County can produce.
We will give thanks, break out the hoodies, maybe light up a bon fire or two.
And then we will get ready for Christmas activities. There will be a lighted parade in Greenfield, special shopping nights in Greenfield and Stuart, and the Adair County Health System Auxiliary’s 42nd Annual Tour of Trees and Luncheon.
