Some 80 miles west of the Quad Cities via I-80, the Amana Colonies were a utopian agricultural community established by German immigrants in the 1850s. Many of the original homes, churches, barns, and communal kitchen buildings still stand in a series of small villages sprinkled around the original 20,000-acre site. The community ended its collective economy in the 1930s, and is now a bevy of private enterprise (one of which developed the Amana brand of home appliances and in 1967 introduced the Radarange, the first domestic microwave oven).
Though attracting and catering to tourists is now the major industry, most of the 1,700-or-so Amana residents are descended from the original utopian colonists, and Amana communities still share a rather austere religious approach to life. However, as in the better-known Amish communities of the Pennsylvania Dutch Country, the Amana Colonies have become best known for hearty, family-style German meals (all the sauerkraut and strudel you can eat!), served up at shared tables in restaurants like the Colony Inn (319/622-6270) at 741 47th Avenue. Aficionados of German-style beers should keep an eye out for local products of the Millstream Brewing Company, brewed in Amana and available both at the Old Colony and many other fine establishments.
