Day 1: Our first stop is in Concordia, KS, at their tourism and travel information office. Right away we notice the brick mural on the side of the building. Our hosts tell us about the mural which is the largest hand sculpted brick mural in the U.S. We also learn about the other stops that are planned for us in Concordia. First is the site of the WWll German POW camp just north of town. This camp held as many as 4,000 German prisoners of war from mid 1943 until the end of 1945. Next we visit the Brown Grand Theater. Built in 1907 and restored to its original grandeur the theater is a prized gem in this community. Lunch is included as we visit the theater. Our last stop is at the National Orphan Train Museum which is dedicated to the preservation of stories and artifacts related to the thousands of orphans that were sent by train from the east coast to the midwest to be adopted by loving families. We travel on to Omaha for the night.

2: This morning we travel north into Iowa to Ida Grove. One of the first things we notice as we enter the town is buildings with facades that look like castles. These facades were the inspiration of one of the two Godberson brothers who were local entreprenuers and philanthropists who contributed much to the community. After time the community embraced the idea and now calls itself Castletown USA. As we visit Ida Grove we find that there is more to the town than just castles. One of the unique industries in town is the Gomaco Trolley Company that restores trolleys from all over the world. A tour of the Trolley factory helps us to better understand what they do. We also have the opportunity to ride one of their trolleys on a brief tour of the town. Also in town is the newly refurbished King Theater where we visit and see a short video and a car and wooden boat museum with many unique vehicles. After an included lunch we travel to Le Mars, home of Blue Bunny ice cream. At the Wells Visitor Center we enjoy our favorite flavor as we watch video of the founding of this famous ice cream company. Next a local guide gives us a short tour through the alleys of Le Mars where local artists have been encouraged to use the backs of buildings for their art. This evening we attend a performance by the Brown Family in their small downtown theater. Night in Le Mars.

3: This is our day at the Orange City Tulip Festival in Orange City, IA. We begin with a tour of the town to hear not only about the town but also about this three day festival. Next we attend a performance by the Dutch Dozen. These high school aged young ladies and men take us on a light-hearted and melodious journey through Old Holland. Dutch Dozen members wear traditional Volendam costumes complete with wooden shoes. Next we have time to visit the other activities the festival has to offer and view the tulips in the park and along the streets. By 1:00pm we are in our reserved seats as the street activities begin. First is the Straat Feest or street festival that includes a type of fashion show, showcasing authentic, distinct and varied Dutch attire from the Netherlands. There is also dutch dancing and school children playing traditional Dutch games. This is followed by the Street Scrubbing in preparation for the Volksparade. The final event this afternoon is the parade which includes many area marching bands. Later we travel to Sioux City for the night.

4: As we begin our journey home we have one last stop at Master’s Hand in Tekama, NE. This interesting boutique grew from making candles to chocolate making and many other things. Our stop will include coffee and one of their “world’s best” cinnamon rolls. We also have an opportunity to dip a chocolate pretzel and hear about different types of chocolate. A box lunch from Master’s Hand will allow us a timely arrival back home.