Just off of Highway 163, about an hour southeast of Des Moines, is the charming Dutch-inspired town of Pella. A little over 10,000 people call Pella, Iowa home.
This fascinating town offers visitors a taste of Holland. Windmills, Dutch letters, a “Tulip Time” festival each spring, and a real canal are just a few of the fairytale-like elements of this amazing Iowa town.
Pella offers a “touch of Holland” right here in Iowa.
Douglas Porter Flickr
Best known for its annual “Tulip Time” celebration, Pella is covered in these cheerful spring flowers during the first week in May.
Douglas Porter Flickr
Vermeer Mill, at 724 E 1st Street in Pella, is a working windmill. It’s the tallest working mill in the United States.
Tony Webster Flickr You can take a tour 9:00 am-5:00 pm Wednesday and 9:00 am-6:00 pm Thursday-Saturday.
The Tulip Time monument stands tall over the quaint town square in Pella.
Barry Solow Flickr
The Tulip Time parade is one of the best in Iowa. Here’s the Pella Garden Club on their 21-person bike.
WindRanch Flickr Pella plants over 200,000 tulip bulbs each year for their celebration.
The Klokkenspel is a 147-bell carillon that puts on a show, telling Pella’s history, at 11am, 1pm, 3pm, 5pm, and 9pm, daily.
WindRanch Flickr You’ll find Pella’s Klokkenspel just a half of a block east of the town square on Franklin Street.
Pella has strict building codes. From the looks of this Casey’s General Store, just off of the town square, “cute” is a requirement.
Flickr/RLEVANS
McDonald’s got the memo about the beautiful storefront requirement, too. This may be the most amazing McDonald’s building in the country.
RLEVANS Flickr
During Tulip Time, you’ll see many local residents dressed in traditional old-world Dutch clothing. This town has fairy tale charm to spare.
WindRanch Flickr
You’ll find the highest concentration of tulips near the town square; 130,000 to be exact.
Barry Solow Flickr
The locals say it’s good to appreciate the 200,000+ tulip blooms that blanket Pella each spring. Take photos, but don’t take a bouquet home!
Paul VanDerWerf Flickr Rumor has it that each picked Pella tulip carries with it a $100 fine.
Are there any other Iowa towns that offer a fairy tale-like atmosphere?
Douglas Porter Flickr
Tony Webster Flickr
You can take a tour 9:00 am-5:00 pm Wednesday and 9:00 am-6:00 pm Thursday-Saturday.
Barry Solow Flickr
WindRanch Flickr
Pella plants over 200,000 tulip bulbs each year for their celebration.
You’ll find Pella’s Klokkenspel just a half of a block east of the town square on Franklin Street.
Flickr/RLEVANS
RLEVANS Flickr
Paul VanDerWerf Flickr
Rumor has it that each picked Pella tulip carries with it a $100 fine.
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