Lincoln Highway Heritage Byway – IA

Attraction exploring the American lumber & forestry industries, with a vintage sawmill.

Galleries showcasing the Czech & Slovak experience plus genealogy library, Christmas market & more.

Youngville Cafe and Visitor Center welcomes Lincoln Highway Travelers and local visitors. Historic displays, food and beverage and special events. Restored "One Stop" station.

As you drive west on the historic Lincoln Highway through Belle Plaine, you will come upon Preston’s Corner, home to the famous Preston's Station, a three-room motel and garage/roadside museum.

"Great Food With A Side of History" -Niland's Cafe was restored in 2003 along with the Reed Service Station. The restored Colo Motel reopened in 2008. Outside self-guided tours and information, Station open during special events, historic Jefferson and Lincoln markers on site, museum displays inside restaurant.

This park is at the intersection of the new Highway 30 and the Lincoln Highway, just east of Grand Junction. There are many interprtive panels along short walking trails.

Carroll's historic train depot, the Chicago at Northwestern Depot, is open to tour the renovated train depot or explore the exterior grounds.

This museum complex is straight out of the 1800s, with an original log cabin, general store, and school. The official Iowa Welcome Center provides tourism information and assistance to travelers. The Iowa Products Store offers food, beverage, clothing, crafts, and a wide variety of souvenirs.

The 3×3 Block Downtown is on the Historic Register for its Iowa Commercial Architecture. (Designated in 2012 by the National Parks Service)

Dedicated in 1962, this library & museum features exhibits related to President Herbert Hoover.

Park with bluffs overlooking the river, plus a historic lodge & castle turret open for stair climbs.

You will hear the beautiful 47 bells play. The view is spectacular. With five rooftop art installations that you can only see from the enclosed observation deck, it is a unique experience for sure. The countryside is gorgeous and the view of our beautiful downtown Jefferson is spectacular. The four Ring Out for Art sculptures are in place on the courthouse plaza and there are two special alleys for you to see – Sally’s Alley on the south side of the Square and Arch Alley on the north side. Our Greene County Courthouse is outstanding to see if you can visit during the week when it is open. The Thomas Jefferson Gardens are located on the southeast corner of the Square and are simply stunning to walk through and enjoy.

History museum of the Chicago Northwestern Railway, Lincoln Highway, local history and home of the Henry B. Tippie Annex.

This may be the smallest Main Street community in Iowa, but their projects are large and embrace the Lincoln Highway. Check out the murals on several of the downtown buildings and be sure to see the crosswalks painted in the Lincoln Highway's red-white-and-blue with the large "L'" logo.

Jefferson Matters is the name selected for the community's Main Street program. Their office is set in the Thomas Jefferson Gardens of Greene County, complete with a statue of a seated Thomas Jefferson making for a great photo op. Just down the street, to the west, is the Greene County Courthouse and a statue of Abraham Lincoln. Going east from the office is a painted sidealk depicting the Lincoln Highway route from Times Square to San Francisco.

Day 1

Cross the Mississippi River from Illinois on either Highways 30 or 136, arriving in Clinton, Iowa. Head north on Highway 67 to the original town of Lyons, now part of Clinton. If you like scenic views, check out the Elijah Buell Terrace and the walking/biking Discovery Trail that follows the Mississippi shoreline. Stop at the Sawmill Museum and learn more about the local history and what once made Clinton home to the more millionaires than anywhere in the nation. Head back south on Highway 67 to Clinton’s downtown. If you have kids, stop at the Felix Adler Children’s Discovery Center. Follow Highway 30 to DeWitt and enjoy their Lincoln Park and their restored Hausbarn, now the Chamber of Commerce office.

Head west, see the road in Cedar County as early travelers did. If you are a history buff, drop down to West Branch to the Herbert Hoover Presidential Library. Back on Highway 30, at Lisbon take the exit into town and then on west to Mount Vernon. Head northwest on 1st St and see Cornell College’s campus (on the National Register of Historic Places.) Mount Vernon Road was the site of the “Seedling Mile.” A “loop” of the byway will take you to Marion or continue on Mount Vernon Road as it curves into Cedar Rapids. Be sure to stop at the National Czech and Slovak Museum and Library. Cedar Rapids has many local brew pubs, area wineries, restaurants, and chain hotels. There are many mom-and-pop diners and hotels along the way, so stop whenever you wish or pack a lunch and stop at many of the state and county parks along the way.

Day 2

Leave Cedar Rapids on 10th St, then Johnson Ave, and meet up with Highway 30 once again to head west. At the intersection with Highway 218, take the new exit and stop at the Youngville Café, built in the 1930’s in a pasture for weary Lincoln Highway travelers. The grounds are walkable and the café open seasonally. Continue west to Highway 21 and turn south. The original Lincoln Highway traveled around what the locals lovingly call the “Bohemian Alps”. You will arrive in Belle Plaine. Visit the Belle Plaine Area Museum and Preston’s Station Historic District where you will want to stop for a photo op. Enjoy the many murals in downtown.

Head west out of town, take Highway E66 through Chelsea and follow it as it curves north to meet Highway 30 once again and continue west to Tama. Stop at the Lincoln Highway Bridge for another photo op and follow E49 west out of town. Just before arriving at Montour, stop in the Maple Hill Cemetery and read an interpretive panel about a Lincoln Highway pioneer. Hungry? Stop at the steakhouse in Montour. Continue to Marshalltown. See the historic courthouse that has been restored after both a tornado and a derecho. Check out the many hotel and restaurant options.