In the past few years, I’ve become fascinated to learn the geography of my home in north central Illinois. I learned more than twenty years ago that my house sits on the edge of the Driftless Area. Last year, I spent time exploring the Lansing, Iowa-Ferryville, Wisconsin, area, and the Dubuque, Iowa, environs. This year, I made a trip to Decorah, Iowa, and found a marvelous little town with a vibrant business district and a historic hotel.
My intention was to visit a few parks in the area, but I’m a heat wimp. The temperatures rose to the 100’s while I was there. I slowly strolled part of downtown Decorah and gave myself an unplanned writing retreat instead. I’ll have to go back for the parks, but I fell in love with the north central Iowa community.
The Driftless is an area of Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois and Iowa along the Mississippi that was simply missed by the several glaciations eons ago, from 120,000 to 11, 500 years ago. The region’s name comes from the lack of debris — what geologists call drift — throughout this part of the Upper Mississippi. In the flatter lands around it, there are random boulders, gravel, sand and clay brought by the glaciers and left when they receded. You can learn more about Midwest glaciers here.
I enjoyed my room at Hotel Winneshiek, a lodging that has been part of Decorah for more than 100 years. The current hotel was begun in 1904 and opened for customers in 1905. Much of the hotel remains as it was when it opened, although amenities have been upgraded as needed. It holds meeting rooms and an opera house for local theater and other events. I loved the view from my third floor lobby balcony. The skylight is beautiful, and the old portraits and other art in the hallway are lovely touches from the past.
The shops downtown are a mix of what you need and what you might like — grocery, pharmacy, souvenirs, arts, crafts, clothing, books and more. I loved Driftless Botanicals. I was tempted to buy a plant, but it was still pretty hot and I had stops to make before I got home. I didn’t want anything wilting in the car. But I found a great, leafy tote bag there.
And don’t forget the ice cream shops. You could spend an afternoon doing a taste test at the different shops. There are also shaded seating areas along the main street, like the one near the deer sculptures, where you can rest as you roam.
Also downtown, there’s the Vesterheim, the National Norwegian-American Museum. There are also a couple of places to orient tourists. Say hi to the helpful folks at the shared space called the Decorah Visitor Center and Chamber of Commerce. They have lots of take-away maps, brochures and magazines. But if you miss the hours there, there are also plenty of outdoor stands with literature.
You might think a town in the middle of Iowa would have limited restaurant options, but you’d be surprised. In part because it’s also home to Luther College, you get food options that seem to follow the professors who may come from anywhere in the world. I had dinner at Koreana Japanese restaurant one night, and spaghetti at Mabe’s Pizza another. I think my favorite lunch was at Magpie Cafe and Coffee House. I also enjoyed an afternoon snack at Impact Coffee (where the ice tea was not too bad). I was going to try Don Jose Family Mexican Restaurant, but that was the day the heat broke and there was a 40 minute wait. I walked back across the street to the pizza place instead. Next trip I believe I’ll try to get to Don Jose’s, and to the Rubaiyat Restaurant, which bills itself as “modern American fare in a historic place.”
II found the town charming and do hope to go back. But I probably won’t go again in August. Too hot for my taste, although there were a few hardy bikers taking off from near the hotel. In any case, it was a success as a research trip. I have some book characters who will be stopping by Decorah.
If you want to know more about the Driftless, here are a couple of resources:
The Allamakee (Iowa) County Driftless Center
Decorah, Iowa Driftless Information
sharon p. lynn 