Cheese travel
Cheese in Iowa
Iowa's cheese stops are spread across the state, and most of them come with a farm. Start with Maytag Dairy Farms in Newton, home of Maytag Blue since 1941, then add gouda at Frisian Farms near Pella and fresh curds on Friday at Kalona Creamery. In the north-east, WW Homestead Dairy in Waukon has viewing windows onto its creamery.
Factories and Dairies to Visit
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Cheese Tours
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Maytag Dairy Farms Cheese Shop
Newton, Iowa
The weekday cheese shop at the home of Maytag Blue, made here since 1941.
Kalona Creamery
Kalona, Iowa
The old Kalona Cheese House, now a shop with fresh curds every Friday at noon.
Frisian Farms Cheese House
Oskaloosa, Iowa
Small-batch gouda and fresh curds off Highway 163, near Dutch Pella.
Where to Go
Central Iowa
Maytag Dairy Farms on the edge of Newton, 35 minutes east of Des Moines on I-80, opens its cheese shop on weekdays. South-east of Des Moines, Frisian Farms makes small-batch gouda between Pella and Oskaloosa, a good pairing with Pella's Dutch heritage.
Eastern Iowa
Kalona Creamery occupies the old Kalona Cheese House in Amish and Mennonite farm country south of Iowa City. Near the Quad Cities, Cinnamon Ridge Farms in Donahue makes farmstead cheese from its Jersey herd, milked by robots, and runs Open Barn tours on summer Saturdays.
North-East Iowa
WW Homestead Dairy in Waukon calls itself the Cheese Curd Capital of Iowa. Its back hallway has large windows onto the creamery, and there is an ice cream parlor, coffee bar and drive-up window.
When to Go
Weekdays work best: Maytag's shop is open Monday to Friday, Kalona's curds arrive Friday at noon, and WW Homestead's guided tours run Monday to Friday. Farm tours at WW Homestead and Cinnamon Ridge's Open Barn days are summer things.
A Two-Day Route
Day 1: Maytag in Newton, then south to Frisian Farms and Pella. Day 2: east to Kalona for Friday curds, then on to Cinnamon Ridge near Davenport if you have booked a tour. WW Homestead is a separate trip, three hours north-east of Des Moines.
Getting Around
Drive. I-80 links Newton, Iowa City and the Quad Cities; Pella is 45 minutes south-east of Des Moines.
Where to Stay in Iowa
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Questions People Ask
Can you visit Maytag Dairy Farms?
The Maytag cheese shop at 2282 East 8th Street North in Newton is open Monday to Friday, 8am to 5pm.
Where can you see cheese being made in Iowa?
At WW Homestead Dairy in Waukon, through the viewing hall, and on a booked tour at Cinnamon Ridge Farms or Frisian Farms.