Pella, Iowa charmed us and satisfied our craving for homemade Dutch treats. Since both of us are Dutch, we couldn’t resist visiting this little slice of the Netherlands in the middle of Iowa. Founded in 1847 by Dutch immigrants seeking religious freedom, Pella has held onto its heritage in the best way. We wandered through the extensive Historic Village, where I bought a porcelain cow to put cream in while serving coffee (if you know, you know). We admired the iconic windmills, watched the Dutch town clock come to life, and loved how spotless and well-kept everything was. We also took a walk around Pella’s city lake, which is uniquely shaped like a traditional Dutch wooden shoe. Of course, the Dutch bakeries were impossible to resist. We stopped at Jaarsma Bakery and Vander Ploeg Bakery Company, where we stocked up on stroopwafels, flaky banket, and even deep-fried pies.
Beyond its Dutch roots, Pella has some interesting American history too as it was the boyhood home of Wyatt Earp, who later became famous as a lawman of the American frontier. It was fun discovering how this Dutch town was also connected to such a well-known piece of Wild West history.
After spending the afternoon exploring the town, we camped for the night at Wallashuck State Park on beautiful Lake Red Rock. As the sun went down, we took an evening walk around the campground and saw lots of fireflies lighting up the night. It was the perfect, peaceful end to the day before packing up the next morning and continuing our adventure west. Pella was one of those places we didn’t know much about before arriving, but it turned out to be a cute and fun stop along our road trip.
Vander Ploeg Bakery!
All of the buildings have the same Dutch architecture
Wooden shoes
Our campsite