Field of Dreams

Old May 31st, 2006, 10:56 AM
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gapper
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Field of Dreams

We taking a baseball trip and covering the MidWest stadiums this summer. At one point we will be driving from Minneapolis to Kansas City (the longest drive of our trip). What will the quickest route be and also is there a scenic route which would make it more interesting. I was interested in seeing the Field of Dreams but from what we see on the map, it looks very much out of the way. Is that the case? When we travel through Iowa are there any "must sees" and places to stop along the way. Thanks for any help!
 
Old Jun 1st, 2006, 08:36 AM
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Minneapolis to Kansas City is a straight shot down I35, I believe. The Field of Dreams is cool, but it is probably 3 hours (one way) out of the way - 6 extra hours total. If you go through Des Moines (as I 35 does) you should go to the Science center. It was new last year, and this year they have a Titanic exhibit that is supposed to be awesome. Ames is on the route also, and Iowa State University has beautiful gardens. Clear Lake is in northern Iowa, and is where Buddy Holly played before dying (and where he died.) Sorry, Iowa's not that exciting!

Good louck!
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Old Jun 1st, 2006, 10:04 AM
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I saw the Field of Dreams movie site last August (we were in Iowa City for a wedding, and drove the hour and a half to Dyersville).

I checked Google maps and mapquest, and it looks like if you hop off I35 in Williams, IA, it's a straight shot down Hwy 20 - about 2 hours and 15 minutes in EACH direction. That's a pretty fair drive out of your way. Doesn't look like anything but small towns (and in Iowa, small towns appear to be exceptionally small - John Cougar Mellencamp "Small Town" small!).

As for the scenic route: Granted, I didn't drive Highway 20 when we went, as we came from Iowa City, but really, it was mile upon mile of gentle green rolling hills and cornfields, with some trees here and there near the creeks and rivers. Nice and pretty, to be sure, but the scenery didn't really change mile to mile. If you had something to read in the car, you'd probably prefer it after about 10 minutes. I had such romantic visions of Iowa in my head - partly because of the movie Field of Dreams - and while it was nice and slow and peaceful, it certainly wasn't the halcyon slice of Americana I was expecting it to be.

Of course, if the whole point of your trip is to view baseball locales, then it's probably worth it (it was worth it to me to drive the hour and a half each way). Be forewarned that it is out of the way, it's smaller than you think, you likely will be there with a smattering of other tourists (who can kinda ruin the picture of the place you might have in your head), the field doesn't look exactly like it does in the movie (since left field has been returned to cornfields), there are warring souvenir stands (the field is on two pieces of property), and their are spiders in the souvenir t-shirts (found that out the hard way - woke up with 5 spider bites after sleeping in my new t-shirt!). But the white house and the bleachers really are there, and you can walk out into the corn field just like they did in the movie (and take the obligatory picture of you walking out of said corn field into the outfield).

All the best. Sounds like a fun summer trip.
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Old Jun 1st, 2006, 10:40 AM
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Only you can decide how far out of your way you are willing to go, but we took our kids to see the Field of Dreams years ago, and they still talk about it as a highlight of that summer driving trip. The picture of them walking out of the corn field is one of my all-time favorites. When we visited there was a very informal pick-up baseball game going on as some families had brought equipment. Even though we didn't have any, my kids were invited to join in and were thrilled to bat on a movie set. As previous posters have noted, this is very small-town Iowa so don't expect an array of restaurants and motels close at hand.
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Old Jun 1st, 2006, 11:55 AM
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We enjoyed walking the bases at Field of Dreams. When we were there they had equipment you could borrow to hit a few.

I have no idea where Austin, Mn is in relation to where you will be, but if close, the Spam Museaum is an interesting stop. Does not take long, it's free and hands on.
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Old Jun 1st, 2006, 02:23 PM
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We enjoyed Field of Dreams, and we also saw the Cedar Rapids Kernels play. (Angels A farm team.) Don't miss the Negro Leagues Museum in KC! I posted a trip report awhile back with the details of our baseball trip. I tried to link, but it was too long and messed up the board layout. But you could find it by searching sfamylou, and looking for a thread about why everyone always travels the same places. My post was dated March 16, 06.

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