Pella

Founded in 1847 by a group of Dutch immigrants, the prairie side town of Pella is home to buildings with classically Flemish stepped gable designs, a canal with a working drawbridge, the tallest working grain windmill in the U.S., and tons of other Netherlands-inspired features (including a wooden shoemaker shop and a decorative pond shaped like a wooden shoe). Make a picnic of gouda cheese and Dutch letters—a buttery puff pastry filled with almond paste—in one of the town’s flower-filled parks, and be sure to visit in the springtime to catch the annual Tulip Time festival.

Pella is a haven of Dutch heritage and Midwest hospitality. This small Iowa town settled by immigrants from the Netherlands is big on charm, particularly each spring when it transforms into a patchwork of color during Tulip Time. But no matter when you visit, the iconic Vermeer Windmill, the tallest working windmill in North America, commands attention, as do the town's brick-covered period buildings, Historical Museums, and Molengracht Canal in Pella's central business district. When it's time for a pick-me-up, refuel with a Dutch letter and from-scratch pastries at Jaarsma Bakery.

Location: Marion County, Iowa, United States

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