The Amana Colonies

We are here for the Iowa State Winnebago Rally at the Amana RV Park.  It has over 400 sites and several large meeting buildings. Since we have toured the colonies in 2010, we are enjoying our time just visiting with friends.

Yesterday, we took a group tour of Middle Amana with a guide who was born here and is a descendent of  members who settled here in the mid 1800's  He provided a very entertaining history of the community as we walked the streets.  It is a very interesting story and can be seen here. At the end of the tour, we experienced the communal dining that all members took part in until the great change of 1932 took place, abandoning the communal lifestyle and rules of the colony. All of the homes are now owned by individuals, many of them having no direct connection to the colony. 

Hannibal, MO

Our next stop heading north was Hannibal, MO.  This is our third visit here.  The first time was 37 years ago, when we were taking a single engine plane flight to Oklahoma from Cleveland, OH.  We landed in Hannibal for the night and bad weather set in so we stayed there for three days waiting for better weather.  Fast forward to three years ago, we dropped in on an RV trip.  It was early Sunday and there was absolutely no one around.  We noticed that there were some improvements to the historic area but everything was closed and we quickly moved on.

This time, we camped at the Mark Twain and Cave campground about two miles out of town. On site is a cave available for tours and a winery where you can sample and purchase wines.

The next morning we went on a river tour aboard the Mark Twain, enjoying a narrated tour of the Mississippi River.

We then visited the historic sites devoted to Samuel Clemens I.E. Mark Twain. With one admission ticket you can visit five sites devoted to the town's most renown resident.

                                                    Huck Finn's house

                                                           Mark Twain's home

                                               Historic street

                                               Mark Twain Museum

We spent the rest of the day exploring the historic district, eating lunch and visiting numerous businesses.  If you have not been here, it is definitely worth a visit.