Select a comfortable pace in Kalona, Iowa

Kalona is a small Iowa town with much to offer residents wanting to get away from it all for the day.

This Amish and Mennonite area offers good food, historic surroundings, and antique stores. One of them, the Kalona Antique Co. on Fourth Street and C Avenue, is in a former church. The store has a wide variety of antiques placed throughout the old building, which is worth a visit if only to see the structure itself.

The Millses ate lunch at the Kalona Bakery, which specializes in cinnamon rolls, pies, and sandwiches. It’s a popular place at noon. Food is ordered at the front counter and can be eaten at one of the tables surrounding it. There’s a good view of downtown Fifth Street, which makes a comfortable spot to watch a horse and buggy going by.

For a more in-depth look at what’s going on in the food industry, the bakery and the Kalona Cheese Factory offer windows into their work spaces.

Set aside some time to tour the Kalona Historical Village. Guided tours are the norm here, so visitors won’t be able to make a quick run-through visit. Among the buildings are a train depot, a log house built in 1842, and several other houses, including a grandpa house. Grandpa houses provided retirement living for older Amish when younger family members took over management of the farm.

Along with houses, the Kempftown store, an Amish country store; the Richmond Post Office; Straw College, a one-room schoolhouse which got its name from straw bales used to keep in the heat during winter; Grout Church, the home of South Sharon Methodists; line shaft building using wooden pegs; and Miller’s Buggy Barn, where  buggies, built on the main floor and painted on the second, compete for attention.

Within the complex are five museums: the Quilt and Textile Museum (two galleries, one of Amish quilts and one of English quilts – made by those not of the Amish faith, the Reif Family Rock and Mineral Display, the Mennonite Museum and Archives, the Wahl Museum, and the Agriculture Museum.

Those who like quilts and barns can combine their interests in the Kalona countryside of Washington County. A local group has been placing 8-by-8 folk art pieces on the barns. There are several driving loops to view both barns and “quilts” – the Amish Quilt Loop, the Liberty Loop, Agricultural Loop, and the Nature Loop (to be finished in 2010). Visit barnquiltsiowa.com for information.