american gothic house

If you are traveling through southern Iowa on Highway 34, take a detour to Eldon (Exit 199) and visit a piece of Americana, the American Gothic House.The home has been a private residence so respect must be given for that, but there is a well marked area in front of the house to take pictures and the visitor center has costumes available if you wish to recreate Grant Wood's famous scene.There is ample parking available and the location is well marked with street signs so you will have no problem getting there once you exit off of the highway.The town is very small so don't expect to visit the house and grab lunch or dinner afterwards.

The American Gothic House is such a cute, out of the way place to learn a little about the famous house that we are all so familiar with. The museum gives a lot of background information on the artist, Grant Wood, and the famous couple that turned out to be in reality the sister of the artist and his dentist, who were posing as a farmer and his daughter. Grant Wood intentionally painted the two characters to be unrecognizable, but the farmer definitely looked very much like the original model who posed for it. There are costumes and pitchforks available if you want pictures of yourself posing like the original painting. A fun little stop off in an unexpected place in Iowa.

We weren't sure what to expect, but found a great information center and gift shop next to the house. The woman we spoke with was engaging & as sweet as could be. The center is full of history about the house and the artist. It was a great side trip when we got rained out of our planned activity in nearby Blakesburg.

Yes, the famous house in the painting exists, it's still around, and you can get your photo taken in front of it posing as the famous couple painted by Grant Wood.And it's even educational. I always thought the couple were husband and wife, but it's actually intended to be a farmer and his daughter. You learn the farmer was Grant Wood's dentist. The artist promised his models no one would recognize him, but from the photo of the dentist, the resemblance is striking. Apparently the dentist wasn't too friendly with Grant Wood for awhile because of that.On a hot summer day, the visitor center is comfortable and there are a lot of parodies of the painting you can enjoy.If you're adventurous, the staff will help you don costumes and photograph you in front of the house so you can recreate the painting. They have costumes in all sizes — one large family, including several children, were getting dressed and ready for their photo as we left.It's fun, friendly, and free. And while en route, you can enjoy the drive through the hilly corn fields that look just like they did back in the day Grant Wood painted them.

We stopped by after closing time and it was still worth the visit. No gate on the parking lot, so we just parked close by and walked over to small displays in front of the iconic cottage. There is a reproduction of the historic painting (perhaps the most famous American work of art-?) plus information on the models and the artist, Grant Wood. Great lead-in to a family discussion about our nation's hard-working pioneers and their reputation for stoicism. And of course a wonderful opportunity for goofy photos.

Rather than drive catatonically across Iowa, we opted to take the road less traveled and stop at a few sites. This stop definitely made it worthwhile. The house looks exactly as it should. It's beautifully maintained, but given enough distance from the "museum" that it feels natural. The little museum itself is just the perfect size - gives you a nice overview and history of the painting and Grant Wood, but doesn't overdo it. We watched the half hour movie and really loved that. It goes over the history of the painting, but also covers Grant Wood's entire artistic career. I must admit that I always thought the painting charming, but not really anything artistically rich, but the video really showed what a masterful artist Wood really was. Especially loved seeing all his charming Iowa landscapes. As we then drove across the Iowa countryside, I could totally see his paintings.And what can be said about recreating the painting. So much fun! There is a large closet of many different sized outfits and they are all perfectly clean. The workers are incredibly patient and help recreate the scene for you so it looks as close to the original as possible. We posted the picture on Facebook, and the response was incredibe. People loved it - even the lurkers posted comments. :) It may humble and simple, but loved this stop! And it's totally free!

We accidently found this on our way to Des Moines. What a gem. Nice museum, and gift shop. They are very nice there. You can put on clothes so you like the couple in the painting and they will take your pic. We chose not to do that, but did get our pic taken in front of the house. And it's all FREE !

Decided To Check Out American Gothic House .Since I Was At The Sweet Corn Festival In West Point.My Mom And I Figured Why Not.We Were Glad We Did.Just Made It Before The Museum/ Gift Store Closed.We Took Pictures Without Dressing Up.Really I formative Displays.Then We Went To Chief Wapello's Grave Not Far From The Gothic House.It Was A Nice Memorial Of Him.Along With His History.

Having read previous reviews, I knew that this would not be a wasted trip. But I was pleasantly surprised at how much we ALL enjoyed ourselves. The museum has lots of historical information about the house, the artist, Grant Wood and his sister who was the woman represented in the famous painting. There also is a lot of the satirical artwork that has used the American Gothic painting as a basis. While we opted out of dressing up for our photo op, we did take pictures of ourselves in front of the house. We went in July which was a perfect time to enjoy the prairie garden out in front of the museum. The only minor disappointment is that exploring the house is not allowed as it is occupied by tenants. Still, I highly recommend a visit. Everything is free, so please remember to make a donation. Let's not lose this wonderful attraction.

The American Gothic House and museum is fun for all ages. My daughters had a great time dressing up and getting their pictures taken in front of the house. The museum is free and is worth a visit if you are in the area.

Took a day trip through south central Iowa with plans to stop in Eldon and stop at the American Gothic House. The State of Iowa owns the house and rented it to a lady last year. The story goes that she was had a hard time paying the rent so she began baking pies to make ends meet. Which is why we went there, for PIE. Obviously she has found something else to help out because she is only it doing three times this summer. However we were pleasantly surprised with the museum and surroundings. The park is well maintained, clean, and with native flowers in abundance.

Two of my friends and I stopped here to check it out. We had thought we would have only been able to drive by the house or park and take a picture so we were very happy there was a museum/visitor's center which included clothes and props we could use to take some pictures. The museum was very informative about the artist, Grant Wood, and the ladies who were working were very nice and helpful. It doesn't take long to visit so if you are interested in Americana make sure you stop if it is on your way to your destination.

We had a wonderful time. Loved the museum and picture opportunity. The staff was very kind and helpful. Its a quick stop, not an afternoon trip. Especially loved the history behind the painting and artist. Would go again!

What a fun stop! We knew we would be passing by here very early in the morning (7--ish maybe), so I called ahead to see if we would be ale to see it. The very nice lady at the museum informed us that it would be possible. When we arrived, we noticed that the house is very accessible (ie it's not fenced off or anything) so we were able to take our obligatory old man and daughter posed photos. We were there before the museum opened, but there were very informative signs that gave us a history of the painting.I would recommend this for anyone who will be passing through. As one previous reviewer said, it is a great road trip stop! Make sure to bring your camera!

The tiny American Gothic house was immortalized in a painting, making it a tourist destination years later. I wouldn't recommend building a whole trip around this stop, but it's a fun stop along the way! The house itself is a private home, but the owner runs a pie shop out of her kitchen. The pie is incredible and worth every penny. There is also a little gift shop and museum dedicated to the painting. Visitors can done clothing that match those in the painting and the staff will take your picture in front of the house. They do this at NO CHARGE, only donations are accepted. We had a wonderful stop and love the silly photo we ended up with. Such a great place to visit!