4 Amazing Day Trips to Take Near Manchester, IA

Get in your car and go on fascinating day trips from Manchester, IA. Find the rarest plants in the state, look at perfect replicas of antique farm toys, ride on the shortest railroad, and zip-line over a park that showcased the wonders of electricity at the turn of the century. Driving down the road in a GMC Acadia that offers excellent fuel economy and a stylish and comfortable cabin will make discovering these interesting destinations even more exciting.

1. Bixby State Preserve

Just 14.6 miles down the road from Manchester in Edgewood, the spectacular 184-acre Bixby State Preserve holds the highest diversity of plants per acre in Iowa, and it’s here, in the 1970s, where a rare snail was discovered thought to be extinct for thousands of years. The breathtaking park spreads along the Silurian Escarpment, a line of 400- million-year-old dolomite and limestone where 380 rare indigenous plant species thrive.

A picturesque bubbling spring-fed creek flows through the secluded valley covered in lush vegetation along wooded slopes. One of the unique features of this ecological gem is the ice cave. In winter, cold air seeps into the cave through cracks and crevasses, chilling the bedrock and freezing the water from the melting snow. This cold habitat creates the ideal environment for rare plants to thrive.

2. National Farm Toy Museum

Take the road to Dyersville, about 20 miles from Manchester, to visit the National Farm Toy Museum at 1110 16th Avenue SE. The museum is filled with intricate toy farm equipment in the finest details dating back to the 1800s. The Ertl Company was founded in 1945 in nearby Dubuque after Fred Ertl, who lost his job, made a horse-drawn sickle mover (on display in the museum) to feed his family.

In 1959 his company moved to Dyersville. Soon after, Scale Model Toys and SpecCast Collectibles opened their doors, making toy replicas of John Deer and Case IH farm implements and tractors, featuring in the museum’s exhibits. There is a replica of the first John Deere, a 1919 all-wheel-drive tractor, and one made by children in Zimbabwe.

3. Fenelon Place Elevator

One of the most astonishing discoveries on a trip from Manchester is the Fenelon Place Elevator 44 miles away in Dubuque. The Fenelon Place Elevator is the world’s shortest and steepest railroad built by the wealthy banker J.K Graves in 1882. He worked in the bank at the bottom of the hill. The railroad was for his private use to reach his home 296 feet up on the top of the hill.

Initially, a steam-powered winch pulled a wooden car up the hill. After a fire destroyed the contraption, Graves rebuilt the elevator and opened it to the public for five cents a ride. The elevator is still operating, and you can take a round trip between April and November.

4. Union Park

While you are in Dubuque, stop at 11764 JFK Road and take a zip line tour over the glorious remains of what was once a turn-of-the-century park built to showcase the wonders of electricity to the ordinary person. Union Park was a grand place with fountains and ponds, band pavilions, dance halls, a theatre, and a wooden roller coaster where the wealthy met and mingled in the early 1900s, all illuminated by the latest invention of the time.

Pack a cooler with your favorite snacks, and let the fun begin the moment you hit the road. Make Bob Stephen Motors your first stop to take a closer look and test drive the all-new 2022 GMC Acadia.

Tags: Bob Stephen Motors, Iowa, Road trip
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