“If you build it, they will come. . . .” Ever since the movie Field of Dreams came out in 1989, some 60,000 people have flocked each year to Dyersville (27 miles west of Dubuque) to reenact the fairy tale baseball movie, major scenes from which were filmed just outside of town. Acres of cornfield surround the rather municipal-looking diamond, where people can play for free. Though privately owned, the attraction is “open” daily April–November; to get there, take Hwy-136 north from US-20, then follow signs northeast along 3rd Avenue and Field of Dreams Road for about 3.5 miles from US-20. Alongside the playing field, there are two rival souvenir stands: one along the right field line, one along the left.
Considering it’s such a small town, Dyersville has a lot in store. Besides the Field of Dreams, the town boasts one of only 36 Catholic basilicas in the United States (St. Francis Xavier, that can’t-miss gothic pile in the center of town). The National Farm Toy Museum (daily; $4), right off US-20 at 1110 16th Avenue, has over 30,000 miniature tractors and plows showcasing 100 years of toys—from horse-drawn wooden ones to die-cast modern ones—many of them made here in Dyersville by the Ertl Toy Company, which has recently moved its factory overseas.
Dubuque marks the junction with our road trip along the Great River Road.
