Summertime Fun, Libations & Festivals in Southeast Iowa

People from all over the country flock to Cedar Rapids in the summer for festivals and cultural events celebrating music, arts, food and craft beverages.

There are also many arts and cultural shows and exhibits in Iowa City, not to mention the forests, lakes and rivers

by Alyssa L. Ochs

nearby for outdoor recreation. These major cities are popular destinations for travel in the broader region. However, just a bit further south, there are some lovely small towns worth checking out in southeast Iowa too such as Marengo, Keokuk, Fort Madison, Kalona and Fairfield.

From canoeing the Skunk River or Van Buren County Water Trail to biking the Fairfield Loop Trail, stopping by local farmers’ markets and swimming in the lakes, it doesn’t get any better than Southeast Iowa for non-stop family fun in the sun. And at the end of the day or to break up your adventures, there are plenty of breweries, wineries and distilleries to satisfy your thirst and connect you with the local community.

Summertime for Southeast Iowa Craft Beverage Producers

In the summer, craft beverage producers are busy in various ways, which is good to know for you as a local business supporter and tourist. In the vineyards of southeast Iowa, you’ll find staff members hard at work doing trimming, mowing and under-vine weeding tasks. Winery tasting rooms frequently offer extended hours, live music performances and other events to entice visitors.

Breweries and distilleries see increased visits and more tourists during this time of the year, so don’t be surprised if longer wait times or fewer seats are available in your favorite watering holes. Meanwhile, craft beverage businesses in the region are embracing summer-themed flavors and textures, with easy-drinking brews and light and refreshing notes to celebrate the season.

Beverage Trails in Southeast Iowa

As an introduction to the craft beverage scene in southeast Iowa, we highly recommend focusing your trip on a beverage trail to get a taste of what the region has to offer. Here are some trails to check out in southeast Iowa:

• Amana Colonies Wineries

• Corridor Beer Trail

• I-180 Wine Trail

• Iowa Beer Passport

• Iowa Distillery Pass

• QC Ale Trail – Quad Cities

• Scenic River Wine Trail

• Southeast Iowa Beer Trail

• Lee

• Des Moines

• Van Buren

• Henry

• Louisa

• Jefferson

• Washington

• Muscatine

• Scott

• Clinton

• Davis

• Wapello

• Keokuk

• Iowa

• Johnson

• Cedar

Southeast Iowa Featured Craft Producers

Wide River Winery: Has locations in Clinton, LeClaire and East Davenport. Visit one or all three for wine-tasting fun in a relaxed atmosphere.

Fireside Winery: A family-run winery on the edge of the Iowa Valley Scenic Byway. You can visit the Marengo or Amana locations to sample Fireside’s wines.

Kalona Brewing Company: Has a 15-barrel brewing system and a scratch-focused restaurant to welcome travelers. It’s just a half-hour drive from Iowa City and well worth the drive.

Green Frog Distillery: Is a Keokuk, Iowa-based craft spirit producer that’s been around since 2016. Come here to sample straight corn, barrel-aged, caramel-flavored corn and cranberry corn whiskeys.

We are a unique, small-town distillery that we have built from the ground up. We offer some of the best corn whiskey in the area, and everything from the grinding of the corn to placing the final label to the bottle is all done by hand.

We offer a variety of corn whiskies, Straight, Caramel, Cranberry, Barrel Aged, as well as our Limited Edition whiskey we release twice a year. (Thanksgiving & Christmas)

We offer tours, samples, apparel and other merchandise. Please feel free to us give a call or send a message to set up a tour for groups over 6.

Hours of Operation: Wednesday - Saturday 12pm - 6pm

Phone: (319) 795-3346

Email: greenfrogdistillery7@gmail.com

Website: www.greenfrogdistillery.com

Follow us @ www.facebook.com/GreenFrogDistillery/ 3345 270th Ave., Keokuk, IA 52632