Wow, what a weekend! I just got back from a press trip to Franklin County, Iowa where Josh and I spent the weekend with five other incredible bloggers (OhMy!Omaha, The Gingered Whisk, Simplify, Live, Love, Midwest Wanderer, and Corn, Beans, Pigs and Kids) and their families learning more about farming, where our food comes from, and small town living.
It was a great trip and one I’m so excited to share with you. Don’t forget to link up to your weekend snapshots at the bottom of this post!
Franklin County is a little under four hours from Omaha. We called AmericInn home for our weekend away and loved our stay there.
I had never been on an agricultural farm before and was shocked at the sheer size of it. There was corn as far as the eye could see. I learned that the corn harvested on these farms is not the sweet corn that humans like to eat but corn grown to be used for fuel, animal feed, and in processed food products.
I also learned that if left to its own devices the farmland in Iowa would be swampland. Because the land is so flat water sits and has nowhere to run. And when the ground is saturated with too much water it does not grow food. Tiling is what farmers have been doing since the turn of the last century to combat this problem. They run pipes underground to collect the water and run it into a nearby river or reservoir instead of sitting and soaking up into the ground. We got to see a farmer re-tiling the land and learned the entire system works on gravity. You have to lay the pipes to flow with the natural slope of the land so water runs down the hills, into the pipes, and off into the river.
We were also able to ride on tractors and combines and see the land being harvested. It was really cool. I had no idea tractors were so high-tech. They drive themselves and have air conditioning!
I also got to snuggle a farm puppy. I couldn’t handle the cuteness.
While there was plenty of farm time there was also a lot of time for exploration of Franklin County. For only having 10,000 people in the entire county, there were some really fun things to do and explore.
Our first stop was TownsEnd Winery. We got to meet the owners, hear their story of how they came to open a vineyard, and try lots of delicious wines. Their gooseberry wine is fabulous! I also got to try Franklin apples for the first time and absolutely love them. They are one of the tastiest apple breeds I’ve ever eaten.
We were treated to some incredible homemade desserts while we were there. The pumpkin cheesecake and apple almond tare were fabulous. I couldn’t believe the woman who made them was not a professional baker!
We visited Rustic Brew for coffee and treats and I fell in love with the store’s artwork.
Their coffee was great. Josh and I went back for quite a few cups.
While browsing the downtown I stumbled upon Orange Possum. It is a super cute boutique that carries the latest trends for teens and twenty-somethings.
After reaching out to you guys for advice via Twitter and SnapChat I picked up this tartan blanket scarf. It reminds me of Outlander! (Is anyone else dying waiting for the new season to come out in Spring 2016?)
We visited Willie’s Sports Bar for some of the best cheese curds I’ve ever had.
And attended the 5th Annual Vaudeville Show at the local Windsor Theatre.
The theater was beautiful and the event was packed. It was a show dedicated to olden day performances with comedy acts, silent movies, band performances, and singers. It was such a fun event and such a great time.
Our weekend ended with a trip to the Harriman Nielsen Historic Farm. It’s a beautiful old house that we were able to tour and see what life was like in a completely different time period.
It’s beginning to look a lot like fall! One of the amazing things about visiting a farm town is getting to see firsthand the beautiful bounty the land grows. Check out all these incredible looking pumpkins and gourds:
Gigantic Iowa corn for everyone! 😀
This was my first time spending time in a farm town and I learned so much. Life is definitely different but it is so great. I met some of the friendliest people who have so much pride in their community and I can see why. Farms are the backbone of the country and it is incredible getting to live so close to that!
Questions of the Day: Did you grow up around farms? Have you ridden on a tractor or combine before? Do you think you would enjoy small town living?
A big thanks to Franklin County and The Iowa Farm Bureau for covering my lodging and expenses on this trip!
So much fun! Looks like the perfect fall weekend <3
It looks like you guys had a great weekend! That puppy is too cute, and I’m loving that coat. Thanks for hosting the link up! Have a great week!
Erin, you always have the most jam-packed, full of fun weekends! Those teddy graham cupcakes look so cute and yummy. The trip to to the farm looked like such a good time.
Looks like a fun fall trip! I love all the pumpkin photos. Thanks for sharing!
The puppy! The cupcakes! The pumpkins! I want them all.
I grew up in a small farming town in eastern Washington. (Wheat and lentils mostly, My BFF was the Lentil Queen!) I mostly remember how DUSTY it was during harvest! Now I live in a small mountain town in SW Colorado. I love small town life but definitely miss certain things about city life (<–SHOPPING, restaurants, museums/concerts/gardens/live professional sports).
I live about an hour and a half north of you, but ventured into rural Iowa this weekend as well. My allergies and harvesting do NOT get along. Small town Iowa can seem a little boring, but I really think the landscape is breathtaking, and you can’t beat the food in a small town dive bar.
Awww, that puppy is so darn cute. Sounds like you had a great weekend.
I dream of visiting all 50 states and I have yet to experience Iowa. Thank you so much for sharing this post!
IOWA!!!!!
My husband used to be a farmer in West Texas and it is so cool hearing his stories about life out there. It is a completely different world in farming towns. We are actually going to visit in a couple of weeks and I am super excited to put images to all of his stories!
Oh my gosh THOSE PUMPKINS!!! And I (being a performer myself) am SO jealous of you seeing the Vaudeville show. This just sounds like the most lovely weekend. Wow. Thanks for the link up!
Looks like such a great week! And yum! I love cheese curds 🙂 It’s hard to find them in Chicago but whenever I’m in Wisconsin or anywhere else that has them I am so happy haha
Looks like you had such a fun trip!! And I am so happy you picked up that blanket scarf! When I saw it on Snapchat I knew you had to buy it!
What a fun weekend! Can I have that pup?! 🙂
Fall sounds lovely in a farm town and in the midwest! I love all the gourds and pumpkins.
This looks like it was a wonderful experience. I was raised on a farm and I feel it was really beneficial to me in so many ways. I love you got to get this experience and learn so many different things.
The puppy is adorable! Growing up our neighbor had a kennel and bred German shepherds so we got to play with puppies a lot!
Loved the farm puppy! Farms make me nervous. My cousin fell in the nack of a combine harvester years ago. He was in hospital for 2 years and he made a full revovery but they still make me nervous
It was so nice meeting you and Josh, Erin! I really enjoyed our weekend together. 🙂
I grew up in a farm town of a few hundred people, and I always thought it was boring. I think it’s more of a place to visit for me.Of course some people hate the city, and that’s what’s great–we can all live the way we want to!
That puppy is so adorable! Thanks for sharing the picture of the combine in action, too. My son loved it.
Thanks for hosting the linkup! Looks like you had a great weekend, I am a city girl now but my parents do live closer to the country (nothing like this though). It must’ve been so refreshing to spend an early fall weekend out in the country, and those desserts look divine!
Laura
http://www.lauraaimevous.com
What a fun time!! The food looks delicious, especially those cheese curds! Also, you’d be shocked to find out just how much that high-tech farm equipment costs! 😉
I grew up just outside of Des Moines, IA and many of my friends grew up on farms. I always found it fun to stay with them and help with chores, likely because I didn’t have to do it all the time! I have a great appreciation for farmers though.
Looks like you had an amazing weekend and learned a good bit about farming. That puppy is just so cute and your photos are gorgeous!
Looks like a lovely weekend with some delicious food! What fall is all about 🙂
Emily
http://www.threadsandblooms.com
What a cool opportunity! Got any more adorable blanket scarves and farm puppies to share?!
Those are some great pictures… I had to pin the rustic kitchen.
Those are great photos! It looks like you had a fun weekend.
What a great time. I have family in Oelwein, Iowa I have never seen. Just wondering if it was close.
Looks like a great time had by all. I love the picture of the cheesecake most. Signed Cheesecake addict. 🙂
I never would have thought that about farmland being at risk for swamp-like conditions. That’s fascinating! Your whole weekend really looked like a blast!
Looks like you had a great weekend. I would love a great weekend like that.
You get to go to such interesting places! Another great post.
I’ve never been to IOWA. I think my kids will love the Harriman Nielsen Historic Farm.
Looks that you have a fun fall trip. i love all the pictures and the places was really interesting.
This looks like such an interesting trip, thanks for the informative post! I hope you had a blast!
http://www.vanitycapital.com
I can imagine why you had a great time thanks to the pictures. The place you stayed in looks nice and so do the other places you went to. I love the house that you toured. And that’s a lot of pumpkins! Lol.
I grew up nowhere near any farms or small towns – pretty much the opposite! I’ve never ridden a tractor either. It looks like you had a great time and got to experience a lot of cool things.
Looks like such a beautiful fall weekend! Have fun! I actually grew up in New York City, and I moved upstate, so no farm experience here. I think I would enjoy it for maybe a weekend, haha but I’m not much of a nature person so I don’t know I was I would like it more than that.
Looks like you had one awesome weekend! Sure beats my weekend of dealing with a cold, lol!
Ahhh, the farm pup is SO cute! What a fun weekend!
-Ashley
Le Stylo Rouge
Looks like a fun trip. My son would go nuts over all of that farm equipment!
I love the snaps…. Seems like nice small town to explore
Oh, what a fun weekend you had at the farm. There’s so much to see and do. I haven’t been on a farm in a long time.
We are overdue for a family getaway. This spot would be a perfect destination.
How lovely that you got connect with other bloggers and their families on a holiday outing that was to do with your shared interests. What was your favorite part of the trip?
I love all those warty pumpkins and gourds! That’s so fun that you were able to hang out and learn so much with outer bloggers!
Thanks so much for visiting our wonderful community and sharing your pics and thoughts. It was a delight to have your whole group spend the weekend with us.
Looks like you had a great weekend on the agriculture farm and in town.
Those cupcakes! So cute! This looks like a great weekend, I love all the things you saw — thanks for sharing them with all of us!
The Nielsen Historic Farm is gorgeous!
It was great to meet you guys and welcome you to a taste of the Iowa rural farm life! Thanks for sharing about our exquisite little community 🙂