These 9 Towns In Iowa Were Ranked Among US Favorites In 2025
Iowa offers outdoor adventure, water sports, arts, history and much more, but these nine towns are ranked among the state’s favorites. Offering visitors a range of options for a quiet getaway, an active vacation or maybe even a new place to call home, these spots delight with charm and hospitality. While big cities offer their own fun, small towns should be on the radar of anyone looking for something different, memorable and away from the hustle of more widely known options.
Audubon
Audubon is not only a great place to call home, but also a town that delights in whimsy, the best example of which might be Albert the Bull, a 45-ton, anatomically correct concrete replica of a "perfect Hereford bull", named “the World’s Largest Bull.” Visitors and residents delight in the 21-mile T-Bone Trail, enjoying the view by bike or on foot. Explore the John James Audubon Center, where the work of the artist and naturalist continues, and visitors can learn about local birds and bird migration, participate in guided nature hikes and walks, tap into the growing popularity of bird watching, and even enjoy a summer canoe trip.
Carroll
Carroll’s picture-perfect downtown is an ideal backdrop for getting away from it all. The town’s charm and access to outdoor recreation are part of why this community was among the state’s Best Places to Call Home in 2025 and a Town Perfect for Retirement in Iowa in 2024. Spend time outdoors on the 33-mile Sauk Rail Trail, which runs between Blackhawk Lake State Park in Lake View and Swan Lake State Park near Carroll. Swan Lake State Park features a 110-acre lake within its 510 acres, with wildlife viewing, camping and more.
Charles City
Charles City combines the charm of an old-fashioned Main Street with the promise of outdoor adventure right nearby. Downtown offers arts and history, like the Floyd County Historical Museum, with more than 20,000 items related to town history, including the history of the local Oliver Tractor Plant. At the Carrie Chapman Catt Girlhood Home, visitors can learn about the political strategist and peace activist who helped women secure the right to vote in the United States. Stop by the Charles City Chamber of Commerce for a map of the public art walking tour that features unique sculptures that are “art you can sit on.”
Clear Lake
Clear Lake is a favorite getaway destination, with the slower pace of a small, off-the-grid town and outdoor charm galore. Music lovers will want to visit the Three Stars Memorial to Buddy Holly, The Big Bopper (J.P. Richardson), and Ritchie Valens (of “La Bamba” fame), rock superstars who died when their plane crashed near Clear Lake. But the town offers much more for visitors, especially those who love the water. The eponymous Clear Lake is more than 3,600 acres and boasts fishing, swimming, boating, and sailing. Stop by the visitor center for a bike map covering trails like the 14-mile stretch around Clear Lake.
Decorah
Decorah has an eclectic list of attributes, which means there truly is something for everyone here. Visitors can explore Norwegian history, and take in the Driftless landscape, a special geological phenomenon that was missed by the flattening glacial drift of eons ago. As a result, the area’s topography is unique, with bluffs, river valleys, and exposed bedrock furrowed amongst miles and miles of flat land. Get outdoors and soak in the opportunities for adventure, from water sports to cycling and even a scenic byway. For something truly spectacular, time your visit to coincide with the nesting activity of bald eagles at the Decorah Fish Hatchery. Fans of the “Little House on the Prairie” books and television series will want to stop at the Laura Ingalls Wilder Park & Museum in nearby Burr Oak.
Dyersville
Among its many accolades, Dyersville is one of the best places to call home in Iowa. Movie fans will likely recognize part of this heavenly landscape. It was the filming site of “Field of Dreams,” which is now open for farmhouse tours and meets with “ghost players” in a family-friendly show. Tournaments are played on site, and this fall it was home to the inaugural DEKALB Children's Fall Festival. Dyersville is also home to the National Farm Toy Museum and the Dyer-Botsford Historical House and Doll Museum, the latter of which is located in a Victorian mansion.
Newton
Among Iowa’s most neighborly towns, Newton welcomes visitors to the Iowa Speedway for NASCAR and IndyCar races and other events throughout the year. Those looking for a slower pace might try the Newton Arboretum & Botanical Gardens, which is celebrating its 30th anniversary in 2025. The nonprofit site offers accessible, hard-surface trails, six acres of cultivated landscape and more than double that amount of seedling prairie. Have a nostalgic night out at The Valle Drive-In, billed as Iowa’s oldest drive-in movie theater. It opened in 1949 and still shows first-run movies.
Pella
Named “The Friendliest Small Town in Iowa,” Pella is renowned for its celebrations of Dutch heritage, its outdoor attractions like Lake Red Rock, and its downtown charm showcased in the community’s Central Park. Visit for unique encounters with history and culture, including one of the tallest working windmills in the United States, the Vermeer Wildmill, where visitors can tour five floors and buy stone-ground whole wheat flour. Check out the rest of the detailed Miniature Dutch Village as well, featuring the boyhood home of Wyatt Earp and several living history spots.
Winterset
Winterset is the county seat of Madison County, home to iconic covered bridges made famous by the book and movie, “The Bridges of Madison County.” The Roseman Covered Bridge is likely the most well-known of those bridges, spanning the Middle River and attracting visitors who want to visit the site of perhaps the most famous of the movie’s namesakes. The Hollywood interest doesn’t stop with bridges, however. The John Wayne Birthplace & Museum extends the town’s movie lore. Among the other spots making Winterset a favorite include the Iowa Quilt Museum, located on the town’s historic square.
For road trips, stargazing, lake life, biking, hiking, and so much more, Iowa offers visitors a chance to explore their own paths. A visit to a small town might be a peaceful, quiet getaway or an adventure-filled journey that prompts a return trip next year or next season. For now, these nine towns have charmed visitors and residents as favorites with their unique things to do and warm welcome.
