North Central Iowa Voyage Tips and guide

Contents

Map of North Central Iowa

• 43.070278-94.2297221 Algona
• 43.395833-94.4808332 Armstrong (Iowa)
• 43.096389-93.8011113 Britt
• 43.136389-93.384 Clear Lake
• 42.506667-94.1802785 Fort Dodge
• 43.148611-93.2019446 Mason City

This largely rural region includes the counties of Kossuth, Winnebago, Worth, Mitchell, Hancock, Cerro Gordo, Floyd, Humboldt, Wright, Franklin, Butler, Calhoun, Webster, Hamilton, Hardin, and Grundy. The most populated areas are Mason City in Cerro Gordo County and Fort Dodge in Webster County.

Although there are airports, most people get here by car. Interstate 35 runs through the center of this region, leading south to the state capital city of Des Moines in Central Iowa and north to Minnesota. US highway 20 runs along the lower edge of this region, connecting the region to Sioux City in the west and Waterloo and Dubuque in the east.

• Nashua. The "Little Brown Church in the Vale" of 19th-century hymn fame is found in the ghost town of Bradford, along the highway across the Cedar River to the east of Nashua. It is attracts large numbers of weddings because of its quaint setting.

• Clarion. Heartland Museum, 119 9th Street S.W (Hwy 3 West & 9th Street S.W.), ☏ +1 515 602-6000. W & Sat 130-400. Heartland Museum is located on the western edge of Clarion on Highway 3. Features include the large agriculture hall with lots of antique farm equipment, balcony level farm toy displays, and displays from other communities in Wright County. One of the newest exhibits is the Early Farming display. The museum is home to Alvina Sellers' Iowa Hat Lady collection of over 6,000 hats. Alvina was from Clarion and gave 5,636 programs including an appearance in the David Letterman Show. The Artist Teddy Bear Museum was completed in 2005 to accommodate the fourth Teddy Bear Reunion in the Heartland in Clarion. The celebration has been held every 5 years since 1990. Another feature of the museum is the period streetscapes that recreate businesses in Clarion from years gone by. The Wright County Historical Library in the museum is a history and research library of information all about Wright County located in the 1920s-1930s streetscape. The Heartland Museum also has a newly renovated community room available for rent and is home to the Clarion Historical Society and Clarion Arts Council. $6.00.