Hunting for treasures in Southwest Iowa

SOUTHWEST IOWA - There's a certain art to planning a rural getaway. You need bucolic countryside to drive through, charming downtowns to explore, a historic hotel to sleep in and a range of quirky and diverse attractions to keep you entertained.

If this fits your idea of a fun weekend, set your GPS for southwest Iowa, where the tourism industry is blossoming in Greenfield, Corning, Winterset and Dexter. Buoyed by citizens determined to keep their communities vital, they offer a mix of history, culture and recreation, showcasing small town Iowa at its best.

For your home base, book a room at the Hotel Greenfield, a stately brick landmark just off the town square in Greenfield. The hotel first opened its doors in 1920 but had declined into shabbiness before a multimillion-dollar restoration in 2011. Each of its 20 guest rooms is unique, with antique furnishings and modern amenities. Adjoining the hotel is another historic gem: the Warren Cultural Center, a turreted, three-story brick building dating from 1896 that houses a restored opera house as well as an art gallery and Ed & Eva's, a shop featuring Iowa-made arts and crafts.

'In 1995 this building was so dilapidated it was in danger of falling in on itself,” recalls Ken Sidey, director of the center. 'Townspeople worked together to raise money to restore not only this building, but our other downtown storefronts. We received grant money from various sources, but we couldn't have done it without the support of nearly the entire town.”

From Greenfield, head southwest to Corning. History buffs will want to explore the French Icarian Village that sits on a windswept patch of prairie three miles east of town. The Icarian Community was the longest-lived, non-religious communal society in the U.S. The sect - which was particularly known for its commitment to education and the arts - lived in the area from 1852 to 1898. The site's white clapboard schoolhouse and refectory host interpretive programs and historical reenactments.

The Icarian commitment to the arts is carried on today in the Corning Center for the Fine Arts. Located in a former hardware store in downtown Corning, it showcases the work of emerging and established artists. One of its most innovative programs is an artist residency. William Boot of Australia, the current artist-in-residence, can often be found working on his paintings in a studio in the back of the store.

'This is a wonderful opportunity for me to focus on my work and also interact with people who stop by the gallery,” says Boot, who lives in an apartment above the gallery.

Other Corning sites worth touring include the 650-acre Lake Icaria, its 1902 Opera House, R & S Collectible Cars, and the Johnny Carson Birthplace. The famed comedian was born in this modest home on a quiet Corning street in 1925. A video of his life includes a charming clip from a Tonight Show episode during which Carson called the 83-year-old woman who had been his baby sitter in Corning. Afterward touring the home, enjoy libations at the Corning Winery, housed in a building that floats on a pond amid picturesque vineyards.

Another Iowa treasure can be found near Orient. The Henry A. Wallace Country Life Center celebrates the philosophies and achievements of Wallace, who served as U.S. Secretary of Agriculture and Vice President in the FDR administration. Visitors can tour the house where he was born in 1888 and then explore the ways the 40-acre property implements his ideals. The Gathering Table Restaurant (reservations required) builds its menus around the organic produce raised on the center's four-acre garden and orchard, and people can also walk through its restored prairie.

'Henry Wallace was a man of eclectic interests,” says Diane Weiland, CEO/program developer for the center. 'Our mission is similarly diverse. We host programs on civility and sustainable agriculture, teach culinary and gardening classes, and have a Community Supported Agriculture garden.”

The winding road next leads to Winterset, home to the Bridges of Madison County first made famous by author Robert James Waller and then filmed by Clint Eastwood and Meryl Streep. After a meal at the Northside Café (the fourth stool from the door is Clint's), head out to the bridges and add your own piece of romantic graffiti to their walls. Then explore another piece of film history by touring the John Wayne Birthplace and Museum. A new, expanded museum will open in May, but even the existing site gives a full introduction to the popular actor.

Finally, head north 25 miles for a trip on the White Pole Road. The roadway, which is marked with poles bearing a white band, was Iowa's first certified state route, a promotional campaign meant to encourage car travel. Today it traces a meandering path between Adair and Dexter that includes the site of a Jesse James train robbery, hand-dipped sweets at Drew's Chocolates, and a Freedom Rock created by patriotic muralist Bubba Sorensen (one of a dozen that can be seen in southwest Iowa).

One of the route's major landmarks is the Saints Center, a Byzantine-Romanesque Catholic church built in Stuart in 1908. The structure was greatly damaged by an arsonist in 1995, but the town turned tragedy into triumph by restoring the structure to its former grandeur. It's now an events center for weddings, concerts and receptions and also houses the Learning Museum of Religious Tolerance, which celebrates spiritual diversity in Iowa.

Finally, end your tour with a visit to the Dexter Museum, where you can learn about the town's most famous visitors: Bonnie and Clyde. In 1933, the outlaws and their gang were camped near town when they were ambushed by a posse from Dexter. Museum director Doris Feller provides a living link to the story, for her father-in-law had his car stolen by Bonnie and Clyde, who were both wounded in the shootout.

'People come from around the country to re-trace Bonnie and Clyde's steps,” says Feller. 'We didn't enjoy their visit with us, but they've certainly helped put us on the map ever since.”

' For information on these attractions, contact Iowa Tourism at 1-(800) 345-IOWA or Traveliowa.com.