(43) Delaware County 6.28.2024

To celebrate our 17^th anniversary weekend, we decided to do an extended county trip weekend which includes Delaware, Allamakee and Clayton Counties. Although we devoted Friday to Delaware, Saturday and Monday to Clayton and Saturday to Allamakee, there was a wee-bit of overlap where it made since 😊

 

Unfortunately, Friday was very rainy for the start of Delaware County. We did a drive through Ryan’s main street and would have stopped for a photo outside of this random helicopter, but the rain stopped us, so here stands the lone helicopter.

 

We then made our way to Manchester where we donned our umbrellas to brave walking the main street. We went into a few shops

Got some coffee and cupcakes at Aunt Emmy’s

 

Went inside the courthouse. This was one of the most unique courthouses we’ve seen. It looked more like a church than a courthouse.

We were hoping to maybe do some tubing at the Manchester Water Park, but that definitely wasn’t going to happen☹

The rain finally started to let up in time for us to go to the trout hatchery to feed the fish. Although we’ve done a few trout hatcheries, they never get old!

 

We attempted to visit the Delaware County Conservation, but it was closed even though we went during their “open” hours (that ends up becoming a theme of this weekend ☹).

 

Another site that was supposed to be open that we were super bummed it was closed was the Delaware County Historical Museum Complex and Lenox College in Hopkinton. Although we’ve visited way too many county museums since the start of our county trip adventure, we were really looking forward to this one because it is housed within Lenox College, a college that operated from 1859-1944. It was such a beautiful campus.

And has the previous Reformed Presbyterian Church across the street

 

And has the first Civil War monument on a campus dedicated to the American Civil War that was dedicated in 1865. 

After strolling through campus, we drove down the Hopkinton main street and stopped in the library that had an awesome sensory room- definitely worth the stop :D

Just driving through northeast Iowa is worth it—it’s such different landscape than central Iowa—so beautiful!

 

We ended our time on Friday in Delaware County with our main attraction—Backbone State Park—where we did some hiking.

 

We headed back to Delaware County on Saturday to go to the ProRodeo Days parade in Edgewood—it was definitely worth it! For such a small town, the kids got way too much candy, and they even threw out meat sticks, string cheese, and potato chips :D

 

We also stopped at The Markket in Edgewood to check out some of the locally made furniture from Kendrick Forest Products.

 

Rate: 2

Other Things to See/Do:

• Bailey’s Ford Park, Manchester
• Manchester White Water Park, Manchester
• TristatRe Raceway, Earlville
• Bay Settlement Church, Delhi
• Tipperary Fiber & Art Studio, Hopkinton
• Lenox Butterfly Release, Hopkinton
• Iowa Maker’s Gift Shop, Dundee
• Red Barn Model Railroads, Dundee
• The Edgewood Museum, Edgewood
• Kendrick Forest Products tour, Edgewood
• Bixby State Preserve, Edgewood