Field of Dreams

One of the states that I had left to visit on my quest to visit all 50 states was Iowa. Many people asked me "What are you gonna do in Iowa?"  But I knew exactly what I wanted to do in Iowa - The Field of Dreams. The Field of Dreams was the exterior movie set for the film of the same name starring Kevin Costner, James Earl Jones, Ray Liotta and Amy Madigan. The movie, released in 1989, is about an Iowa farmer who starts hearing voices telling him to build a baseball diamond on his land and what happens after he does. It was nominated for an Academy Award for best picture of the year and coined the catch phrase "If you build it, they will come."

So on a very pleasant July afternoon, Mr UR and I drove a few miles outside of Dyersville, Iowa, to The Field of Dreams. 

Legend has it that the movie producers looked all around these parts for the perfect farm. When they saw this farm, they knew they had found the one. Of course, they worked their movie magic and made repairs and improvements to the farmhouse. Oh, and they had to build a baseball diamond with corn around it. Unfortunately, there was a drought the summer of production and water had to be pumped in to make sure the corn, which was vital to the movie, would grow and look perfect. But it all worked out and the movie was a hit. And it brought people from around the world to this little corner of Iowa.

Visiting the farm is free. Of course, you can purchase souvenirs and make donations. But the owner has made it accessible for anyone to come visit. 

The day that we visited there was an afternoon performance by The Ghost Players - a comedy troupe that dresses up like the baseball players in the movie. (The show is free also) We missed the performance and arrived to a large crowd of kids and adults playing baseball on the diamond, walking in the corn and standing in line for autographs from The Ghost Players. 

I loved our visit to The Field of Dreams. It probably helped that there were so many people enjoying their day there. The atmosphere was fun and we had beautiful weather.

Of course, you can't visit The Field of Dreams without getting a photo walking off into the field.

"Is this Heaven? No, it's Iowa."

For more information on visiting The Field of Dreams, you can visit their website here.

This post is part of a link-up with Travel Photo Thursday at Budget Travelers Sandbox, Friday Postcards at Walking On Travels,Weekend Travel Inspiration at Reflections Enroute  and Weekend Wanderlust at A Brit and A Southerner. Please hop over to see some great travel ideas!