Barn tours offer unique experiences

   If you are looking for something different to do on a September weekend, consider taking a self-guided tour of Iowa’s historic barns.

   The Iowa Barn Foundation is holding its annual All-State Tour on Saturday and Sunday, September 14-15, featuring a record 92 barns across the state that will be available for visiting inside and out from 9-5 both days. It is billed as the largest barn tour the country.

   Barns closest to the Monticello area include the Dighton round barn in Coggon, the Pineda barn in Dubuque, and the Kaufman barn in Bellevue.

   The fall tour highlights barns that have received a restoration grant from the foundation and those that have received an Award of Distinction or Preservation Award for restoration funded by the owner. Many of the owners will be on hand to share their memories and regard for the structures and answer questions.

   The Foundation is especially excited to have a record 11 round barns included in the tour this year, six of which are on the fall tour for the first time. Of the approximately 200,000 barns built in the late 1800s and early 1900s, only 250 were round – including some octagonal and multi-sided. These barns feature some of the most amazing design and architecture you will find in any building in the state of Iowa.

   The self-guided fall tour is free and open to the public, made possible by member donors. An online tour guide can be found on at iowabarnfoundation.org/barn-tours. 

   Member donors receive the foundation’s spring and fall magazines in their mailboxes filled with barn photos and stories as well as a printed guide to our spring and fall barn tours. Learn more about membership at iowabarnfoundation.org/product/membership.

   Questions can be emailed to iowabarnfoundation@gmail.com. As a volunteer-led non-profit, the Iowa Barn Foundation’s goal is to maximize member donations to provide restoration grants to save the state’s historic barns.

   Since being founded in 1997, the foundation has given out $2.3 million dollars in grants to help save nearly 300 barns. Member donors receive the organization’s spring and fall magazines in their mailboxes filled with barn photos and stories as well as a printed guide to our spring and fall barn tours.