🚜 OLD BARNS. BIG STORIES. AND THIS WEEKEND, THE BARN DOORS ARE OPEN!

There’s just something about an old Iowa barn.

The weathered boards. The giant beams. The hayloft. The old doors that have opened and closed through generations of chores, harvests, livestock, kids growing up and families making a living from the land.

And this weekend, some of those old barns are opening their doors for us.

The Iowa Barn Foundation All-State Barn Tour returns Saturday and Sunday, September 19~20, giving folks a chance to take the back roads and step inside pieces of Iowa’s agricultural history.

9:00 a.m.~5:00 p.m. both days
FREE and open to the public
Self~guided, choose the barns you’d like to visit and make your own route

And there are plenty of stops right here in our corner of Iowa.

Around Northeast Iowa, the official tour includes barns in communities such as Waverly, Readlyn, New Hampton, Guttenberg, Volga, Farmersburg, West Union, Aurora, Cresco and Decorah.

There are some pretty interesting ones among them, too.

Waverly ~ Johnson Round Barn and Miller Barn
Readlyn ~ Koschmeder Wooden Silo
New Hampton ~ Burgart Barn
Guttenberg ~ Burr Round Barn and Friedlein Round Barn
Volga ~ Clear View Farm Barn
Farmersburg ~ Hardt Pioneer Barn and Ruff Barn
West Union ~ Bruns Octagon Barn, along with historic buildings at the Fayette County Fairgrounds
Cresco ~ Borlaug Barn
Decorah ~ Boeding Barn/Milk House, Emery Bridge Barn, Seed Savers Exchange Barn and Steve Mikesh Barn

There are also participating barns nearby in Waterloo, Parkersburg and Osage.

The Iowa Barn Foundation works to preserve Iowa’s rural agricultural buildings and help people understand why these structures still matter. Some of the barns on the tour have received Foundation restoration grants, while others have been preserved by owners who invested in saving a piece of Iowa history themselves.

Because an old barn really is more than boards, nails and a roof.

It may be where Grandpa milked cows before school.

Where somebody learned how to pitch hay.

Where calves were born during snowstorms.

Where tractors were parked, kittens were discovered in the hay and farm kids learned that chores didn’t disappear just because it was Saturday.

Those buildings hold stories.

And this weekend is a chance to go hear a few of them.

So grab the camera, pick out a handful of barns and take the scenic route.

Sometimes one of the best ways to appreciate where Iowa is going is to spend a little time remembering where we came from. 🚜🌾❤️

For the complete list of participating barns, addresses and tour information, visit the Iowa Barn Foundation website.

Deliverance Hope ~ word-round-town.com

Tour information is subject to change. Please check the official Iowa Barn Foundation tour information before traveling.