Iowa tourism big business for displaced farmers
February 21st, 2008Iowa tourism is big business in the state, bigger than it might appear at first glance. Over the years the farms have gotten larger and larger which means that the number of farmers has gotten smaller and smaller. Many of these displaced farmers have turned to the tourism industry as a way to support themselves. The latest craze seems to be to plant a vineyard and open a winery, but long before that craze started people were gleaning tourism dollars where ever they could. Most farmers have a good sense of humor, that’s almost a requirement to bet your livelihood on Mother Nature year after year. That sense of humor is what started most of the smaller attractions. In fact in one case there was a farmer who wanted a small attraction so he built a miniature town in a grove on his homestead. The houses were just large enough for a small girl to walk into and he filled each home and business with similar scale furniture and decorations. The tour is taken in your car and only takes about a half hour, but people pay ten dollars apiece or twenty five dollars a car load for the privilege.
