(54) Tama County 5.25.2025

How do we begin with Tama County . . . we spent the first half of the day driving through the many towns of Tama County as it is more of a scenic county than an attraction-filled county 😊

 

We had tried to contact the Meskwaki Cultural Center and Museum hoping to get in by appointment as they are not typically open on the weekends, but unfortunately were not able to. We would really like to come back to learn more about the history of the Meskwaki Tribe.

 

Although the morning was mostly driving, we made sure to snap pictures of the various towns

 

The Wieting Theatre and Fire Department in Toledo

Main Street Tama and the Tama County Historical Museum (which was closed)

We happened upon the driving tour of Little Bohemie which includes Chelsea, Vining, Clutier, and Dysart.

Dysart had a few public displays of art that we made sure to capture:

And we stopped at the Dysart Drive In for lunch

Finally, after lunch, we headed to the few attractions on our schedule!

 

First up, the Salt and Pepper Shaker Gallery in Traer. You’re probably thinking a bunch of salt and pepper shakers would be pretty lame to look at, but prepare to be amazed! We can’t even describe how incredible this collection is. We spent way longer in there than we thought- it was honestly SO neat!!

We also had to catch a picture on the famous “wind up” staircase on the Main Street in Traer

 

And we couldn’t pass up the photo-opps in front of the murals in downtown Traer as well!

The next and final attraction in Tama County was the Matchstick Marvels Museum in Gladbrook. (matchstick creations made entirely by one man, Patrick Acton) Again, absolutely astounding! We would consider this a MUST-SEE at least for all Iowans, if not people from all over the world! Ripley’s Believe or Not would agree as they have bought many of his creations—and think, he’s just from little old Gladbrook, Iowa!

We made a stop at Union Grove State Park for some feisty fishing- the kids had a lot of fun catching the eager blue gill!

We couldn’t leave Tama County without a stop at the famous Rube’s Steakhouse. In Montour This is a grill-your-own steakhouse and is definitely worth the stop!

Rate: 3

Other Things to See/Do:

• Meskwaki Cultural Center and Museum, Tama
• Hindgardeners, Montour
• Lincoln Highway Bridge, Tama
• Dysart Historical Center, Dysart
• Traer Historical Museum, Traer